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Click for USB WiFi Adapter Information for Linux

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All-Points Bulletin

I need your help. We need to find a newer version of the source code for this driver. While working on source code for other recently available drivers I have noticed indications that Realtek is still working on this 8814au driver. I have not been able to locate a newer version that is available. This driver is v5.8.5.1 dated 20191029. It is getting hard to maintain and has many problems. The newer drivers that I have been able to bring online are for the 8812au, 8811au and 8812bu chipsets and they are the best Realtek drivers I have seen, even if they are out-of-kernel and based on the wrong technology. If we can find a driver for the 8814au that is up to date then we can make better use of our 8814au adapters. The newer drivers have version numbers of 5.12.x and 5.13.x so please search all locations that might have a new version available. Ask retailers. Please help.

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8814au ( 8814au.ko ) 🚀

Linux Driver for USB WiFi Adapters that are based on the RTL8814AU Chipset

• v5.8.5.1 (Realtek) (20191029)
• Plus updates from the Linux community

Features

• IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi compliant
• 802.1x, WEP, WPA TKIP and WPA2 AES/Mixed mode for PSK and TLS (Radius)
• IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac Client mode
  • Supports wireless security for WEP, WPA TKIP and WPA2 AES PSK
  • Supports site survey scan and manual connect
  • Supports power saving mode
• Supported interface modes
  • IBSS
  • Managed
  • AP (see Bridged Wireless Access Point located in the main directory of this repo)
  • Monitor
• USB mode control
• Log level control
• LED control
• Power saving control
• VHT control (allows 80 MHz channel width in AP mode)
• SU Beamformee control
• SU Beamformer control

A FAQ is available at the end of this document.

Compatible CPUs

• x86, amd64
• ARM, ARM64

Compatible Kernels

• Kernels: 2.6.24 - 5.2 (Realtek)
• Kernels: 5.3 - 5.15 (community support)

Tested Linux Distributions

• Arch Linux (kernel 5.4)

• Arch Linux (kernel 5.11)

• Fedora (kernel 5.11)

• Kali Linux (kernel 5.10)

• Linux Mint 20.2 (Linux Mint based on Ubuntu) (kernels 5.4 and 5.11)

• LMDE 4 (Linux Mint based on Debian) (kernel 4.19)

• Manjaro 20.1 (kernel 5.9)

• Raspberry Pi OS (2021-05-07) (ARM 32 bit) (kernel 5.10)

• Raspberry Pi Desktop (x86 32 bit) (kernel 4.19)

• Ubuntu 21.04 (kernel 5.11)

• Ubuntu 20.10 (kernel 5.8)

• Ubuntu 20.04 (kernel 5.4)

Download Locations for Tested Linux Distributions

• Arch Linux
• Fedora
• Kali Linux
• Linux Mint
• Manjaro
• Raspberry Pi OS
• Ubuntu

Tested Hardware

• Wireless USB WiFi Adapter, 1900Mbps Dual Band 2.4GHz/600Mbps 5.8GHz/1300Mbps High Gain 5dBi Antennas USB 3.0
• ASUS USB-AC68 AC1900 Dual-Band USB 3.0 WiFi Adapter

Compatible Devices

• ALFA AWUS1900
• ASUS USB-AC68 AC1900 Dual-Band USB 3.0 WiFi Adapter
• Edimax EW-7833 UAC AC1750 Dual-Band Wi-Fi USB 3.0 Adapter
• Numerous products that are based on the supported chipset

Note: Please read "supported-device-IDs" for information about how to confirm the correct driver for your adapter.

Installation Information

The installation instructions are for the novice user. Experienced users are welcome to alter the installation to meet their needs.

Temporary internet access is required for installation. There are numerous ways to enable temporary internet access depending on your hardware and situation. One method is to use tethering from a phone. Another method to enable temporary internet access is to keep a wifi adapter that uses an in-kernel driver in your toolkit.

You will need to use the terminal interface. The quick way to open a terminal: Ctrl+Alt+T (hold down on the Ctrl and Alt keys then press the T key)

DKMS is used for the installation. DKMS is a system utility which will automatically recompile and install this driver when a new kernel is installed. DKMS is provided by and maintained by Dell.

It is recommended that you do not delete the driver directory after installation as the directory contains information and scripts that you may need in the future.

There is no need to disable Secure Mode to install this driver. If Secure Mode is properly setup on your system, this installation will support it.

Installation Steps

Step 1: Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)

Step 2: Update system package information (select the option for the OS you are using)

Note: If you do not regularly maintain your system by installing updated packages, it is a good idea to not only update system package information but also to install the updated packages followed by a system reboot. The installation can then be continued with step 3.

    Option for Debian based distributions such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Kali and Raspberry Pi OS

    $ sudo apt update

    Option for Arch based distributions such as Manjaro

    $ sudo pacman -Syu

    Option for Fedora based distributions

    # sudo dnf -y update

Step 3: Install the required packages (select the option for the OS you are using)

    Option for Raspberry Pi OS

    $ sudo apt install -y raspberrypi-kernel-headers bc build-essential dkms git

    Option for Debian, Kali or Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE)

    $ sudo apt install -y linux-headers-$(uname -r) build-essential dkms git libelf-dev

    Option for Ubuntu (all flavors) or Linux Mint

    $ sudo apt install -y dkms git build-essential

    Options for Arch or Manjaro

    if using pacman

    $ sudo pacman -S --noconfirm linux-headers dkms git

    Note: If you are asked to choose a provider, make sure to choose the one that
    corresponds to your version of the linux kernel (for example, "linux510-headers"
    for Linux kernel version 5.10). If you install the incorrect version, you'll have
    to uninstall it and reinstall the correct version.

    If using other methods, please follow the instructions provided by those methods.

    Option for Fedora

    # sudo dnf -y install git dkms kernel-devel kernel-debug-devel

Step 4: Create a directory to hold the downloaded driver

$ mkdir ~/src

Step 5: Move to the newly created directory

$ cd ~/src

Step 6: Download the driver

$ git clone https://github.com/morrownr/8814au.git

Step 7: Move to the newly created driver directory

$ cd ~/src/8814au

Step 8: Warning: this step only applies if you are installing to Raspberry Pi hardware. You can skip this step if installing to x86 or amd64 based systems.

Run a preparation script

    Option for 32 bit operating systems to be installed to Raspberry Pi hardware

    $ ./raspi32.sh

    Option for 64 bit operating systems to be installed to Raspberry Pi hardware

    $ ./raspi64.sh

    Note: I will only address issues having to do with the 64 bit version of the
    Raspberry Pi OS once it is out of beta and is released as generally available.

Step 9: Run the installation script (For automated builds, use NoPrompt as an option)

$ sudo ./install-driver.sh

Step 10: Reboot

$ sudo reboot

Driver Options

A file called 8814au.conf will be installed in /etc/modprobe.d by default.

/etc/modprobe.d/8814au.conf

This file will be read and applied to the driver on each system boot.

To edit the driver options file, run the edit-options.sh script.

$ sudo ./edit-options.sh

Documentation for Driver Options is included in the file 8814au.conf.

Removal of the Driver

Note: This script should be used in the following situations:

• the driver is no longer needed
• a fresh start with default settings is needed
• a new version of the driver needs to be installed
• a major operating system upgrade is going to be applied

Note: This script removes everything that has been installed, with the exception of the packages installed in Step 3 and the driver directory. The driver directory can and probably should be deleted in most cases after running the script.

Step 1: Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)

Step 2: Move to the driver directory

$ cd ~/src/8814au

Step 3: Run the removal script

$ sudo ./remove-driver.sh

Step 4: Reboot

$ sudo reboot

Recommended WiFi Router/ Access Point Settings

Note: These are general recommendations, some of which may not apply to your specific situation.

Security: Set WPA2-AES. Do not set WPA2 mixed mode or WPA or TKIP.

Channel width for 2.4 GHz: Set 20 MHz fixed width. Do not use 40 MHz or 20/40 automatic.

Channels for 2.4 GHz: Set channel 1 or 6 or 11 depending on the congestion at your location. Do not set automatic channel selection. As time passes, if you notice poor performance, recheck congestion and set channel appropriately. The environment around you can and does change over time.

Mode for 2.4 GHz: For best performance, set "N only" if you no longer use B or G capable devices.

Network names: Do not set the 2.4 GHz Network and the 5 GHz Network to the same name. Note: Unfortunately many routers come with both networks set to the same name. You need to be able to control which network that is in use.

Channels for 5 GHz: Not all devices are capable of using DFS channels. It may be necessary to set a fixed channel in the range of 36 to 48 or 149 to 161 in order for all of your devices to work on 5 GHzg. (for US, other countries may vary)

Best location for the wifi router/ access point: Near center of apartment or house, at least a couple of feet away from walls, in an elevated location. You may have to test to see what the best location is in your environment.

Check congestion: There are apps available for smart phones that allow you to check the congestion levels on wifi channels. The apps generally go by the name of WiFi Analyzer or something similar.

After making and saving changes, reboot the router.

Set regulatory domain to correct setting in OS

Check the current setting

$ sudo iw reg get

If you get 00, that is the default and may not provide optimal performance.

Find the correct setting here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2

Set it temporarily

$ sudo iw reg set US

Note: Substitute your country code if you are not in the United States.

Set it permanently

$ sudo nano /etc/default/crda

Change the last line to read:

REGDOMAIN=US

Recommendations regarding USB

• Moving your USB WiFi adapter to a different USB port has been known to fix a variety of problems. Problems include WiFi going on and off as well as connections coming and going.

• If connecting your USB WiFi adapter to a desktop computer, use the USB ports on the rear of the computer. Why? The ports on the rear are directly connected to the motherboard which will reduce problems with interference and disconnection that can happen with front ports that use cables.

• If your USB WiFi adapter is USB 3 capable then plug it into a USB 3 port.

• Avoid USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports if possible as almost all currently available adapters have been tested with USB 3.1 Gen 1 (aka USB 3) and not with USB 3.1 Gen 2.

• If you use an extension cable and your adapter is USB 3 capable, the cable needs to be USB 3 capable.

• Some USB WiFi adapters require considerable electrical current and push the capabilities of the power available via USB port. One example is devices that use the Realtek 8814au chipset. Using a powered multiport USB extension can be a good idea in cases like this.

How to disable onboard WiFi on Raspberry Pi 3B, 3B+, 3A+, 4B and Zero W.

Add the following line to /boot/config.txt

dtoverlay=disable-wifi

How to forget a saved WiFi network on a Raspberry Pi

1. Edit wpa_supplicant.conf

$ sudo nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

2. Delete the relevant WiFi network block (including the 'network=' and opening/closing braces.

3. Press ctrl-x followed by 'y' and enter to save the file.

4. Reboot

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FAQ:

Question: What interface combinations does this driver support?

Answer: None. Realtek out-of-kernel drivers, including this driver, do not support interface combinations. If you need support for interface combinations, I suggest adapters based on the Mediatek chipsets.

Question: What extended features does this driver support?

Answer: None. For extended features, you need an adapter that uses Mediatek or Atheros drivers.

Question: I bought two rtl8812au based adapters and am planning to run one of them as an AP and another as a WiFi client. How do I set that up?

Answer: You can't. Realtek drivers do not support more than one adapter with the same chipset in the same computer. However, testing has shown that the Mediatek drivers do support more than one adapter with the same chipset in the same computer.

Question: Why do you recommend Mediatek based adapters when you maintain this repo for a Realtek driver?

Answer: Many new Linux users already have adapters based on Realtek chipsets. This repo is for Linux users to support their existing adapters but my STRONG recommendation is for Linux users to seek out WiFi solutions based on Mediatek, Intel or Atheros chipsets and drivers. If users are looking at a USB solution, Mediatek and Atheros based adapters are the best solution. Realtek based USB adapters are not a good solution because Realtek does not follow Linux Wireless standards for USB WiFi adapters. Realtek drivers are problematic in many ways. You have been WARNED. For information about usb wifi adapters:

https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi

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