This is a downstream repo with a primary purpose of supporting development, testing and maintenance for the Realtek rtw88 series of WiFi 5 drivers in the Linux kernel.
The most recent addition to this repo is the driver for the rtw8814au chipset. Testing is needed so if you have an adapter based on the rtw8814au chipset, please test and report.
🌟 The code in this repo stays in sync with the wireless-next repository, with additional changes to accommodate kernel API changes over time.
📌 Note: The wireless-next repo contains the code set for the next kernel version. If kernel 6.X is out, kernel mainline repo is on 6.X+1-rcY, and wireless-next targets kernel 6.X+2 material.
Compatible with Linux kernel versions 5.4 and newer as long as your distro hasn't modified any kernel APIs. RHEL and all distros based on RHEL will have modified kernel APIs and are unlikely to be compatible with this driver.
- USB : RTW8814AU, RTW8812AU, RTW8821AU, RTW8811AU, RTW8822BU, RTW8812BU
- USB : RTW8822CU, RTW8812CU, RTW8821CU, RTW8811CU, RTW8723DU
- PCIe: RTW8822BE, RTW8822CE, RTW8821CE, RTW8723DE
- SDIO: RTW8822BS, RTW8822CS, RTW8821CS, RTW8723DS
Report problems in Issues after you have checked the FAQ at bottom of this README.
make[1]: *** /lib/modules/5.17.5-300.fc36.x86_64/build: No such file or directory. Stop.
This indicates you have NOT installed the kernel headers.
Use the following instructions for that step.
Below are prerequisites for common Linux distributions before you do a basic installation or installation with SecureBoot:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgradesudo apt install make gcc linux-headers-$(uname -r) build-essential gitsudo dnf install kernel-headers kernel-develsudo dnf group install "C Development Tools and Libraries"sudo zypper install make gcc kernel-devel kernel-default-devel git libopenssl-develgit clone https://aur.archlinux.org/rtw88-dkms-git.gitcd rtw88-dkms-gitmakepkg -srisudo apt update && sudo apt upgradesudo apt install -y raspberrypi-kernel-headers build-essential bc gitgit clone https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw88cd rtw88makesudo make installgit clone https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw88cd rtw88makesudo make sign-installYou will be prompted a password, please keep it in mind and use it in next steps.
Reboot to activate the new installed module, then in the MOK managerment screen:
- Select "Enroll key" and enroll the key created by above sign-install step
- When promted, enter the password you entered when create sign key.
- If you enter wrong password, your computer won't not bebootable. In this case, use the BOOT menu from your BIOS, to boot into your OS then do below steps:
sudo mokutil --reset- Restart your computer.
- Use BOOT menu from BIOS to boot into your OS.
- In the MOK managerment screen, select reset MOK list.
- Reboot then retry from the step
make sign-install.
Below is important information for using this driver.
A file called blacklist-rtw88.conf will be installed into /etc/modprobe.d when you run sudo make install. It will blacklist all in-kernel rtw88 drivers, however, it will not blacklist out-of-kernel vendor drivers. You will need to uninstall any out-of-kernel vendor drivers that you have installed that may conflict. blacklist-rtw88.conf will be removed when you run sudo make uninstall.
Some BIOSs have trouble changing power state from D3hot to D0. If you have this problem, then:
sudo cp suspend_rtw8822be /usr/lib/systemd/system-sleep/.That script will unload the driver before sleep or hibernation, and reload it following resumption. If you have some device other than the 8822be, edit the script before copying it.
sudo modprobe -r rtw_8723de # This unloads the module
sudo modprobe -r rtw_core
# Due to some pecularities in the modprobe utility, two steps are required.
sudo modprobe rtw_8723de # This loads the module
# Only a single modprobe call is required to load.Example for chipset RTL8814AU and driver name rtw_8814au:
Note: the driver names in the rtw88 in the Linux Mainline kernel are slightly different: rtw88_8814au
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/rtw_8814au.confNote: Change rtw_8814au in the above to the name of the driver you wish to modify.
In the empty file, paste the following:
options rtw_8814au switch_usb_mode=N
See below for an explanation of the above parameter and for information about other parameters.
The available parameter (option) for USB 3 devices is:
switch_usb_mode=<Y/N>
Set to N to disable switching to USB 3 mode to avoid potential interference in the 2.4 GHz band (default: Y) (bool). This parameter (option) applies to the USB 3 capable devices: RTL8814AU (rtw_8814au), RTL8822CU (rtw_8822cu), RTL8812CU (rtw_8822cu), RTL8822BU (rtw_8822bu), RTL8812BU (rtw_8822bu), and RTL8812AU (rtw_8812au). It's okay to leave the parameter on even when plugging the device into a USB 2 port because it will try to switch to USB 3 mode only once.
The available options for rtw_pci are:
disable_msi disable_aspm
The available options for rtw_core are:
disable_lps_deep support_bf debug_mask
When your kernel updates, run:
cd ~/rtw88git pull
make
sudo make install
💡 Remember, every newly installed kernel requires this step - no exceptions. If the kernel update means that you have no network, skip the 'git pull' and build the driver as it is, but run git pull once you have connectivity, and rebuild if any updates were pulled.
Below is a set Frequently Asked Questions when using this repository.
When you have problems where the driver builds and loads correctly, but it fails to work, a GitHub issue on this repository is NOT the place to report it.
We have no idea about the internal workings of any of the chips, and the Realtek engineers who do will not read these issues. To reach them, send E-mail to [email protected].
Be sure to include a detailed description of any messages in the kernel logs and any steps that you have taken to analyze or fix the problem. If your description is not complete, you are unlikely to get the help you need. NOTE: E-mail sent to that mailing list MUST be plain text. HTML mail will be rejected.
Start with this page for guidance: https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/support
Ubuntu often modifies kernel APIs, which can cause build issues. You'll need to manually adjust the source code or look for solutions specific to your distribution. We cannot support these types of issues.
You will need to pull the latest code from this repository and recompile the driver. Follow the steps in the Maintenance section.
Yes, this repository provides a way to sign the kernel modules to be compatible with Secure Boot. Check out the Installation with SecureBoot section.
For feature requests like supporting a new card, you should reach out to Realtek engineers via E-mail at [email protected].
Run this command in the rtw88 source directory and then the rtw88 driver will be unloaded and removed.
sudo make uninstall