How to use Realtek 8178 wireless USB adapter?

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VK6FUN
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Joined: Sat 18 Oct 2008, 13:11
Location: North Baandee, Western Australia

How to use Realtek 8178 wireless USB adapter?

#1 Post by VK6FUN »

I made the mistake of buying one of these things because it sez LINUX COMPATIBLE on the box.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.as ... TID=1043#6

So far I've wasted two days trying to compile the driver etc
The device works perfectly with win7, by the way

pete

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Flash
Official Dog Handler
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#2 Post by Flash »

What version of Puppy Linux are you using? I ask because later versions come with more drivers for such hardware. It's possible that another version of Puppy can use your adapter without you having to install anything.

VK6FUN
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat 18 Oct 2008, 13:11
Location: North Baandee, Western Australia

#3 Post by VK6FUN »

this is puppeee (2.6.33.3celeron) on a asus eee. i think puppeee is based on lupu 5.04

i confess here that i did not buy this dongle for the puppy but for a beagleboard which is currently running an ARM kernel 3.2.3-x4

i thought it was worth looking at this dongle because a lot of tech-minded aussies buy stuff from jaycar and lots of them will try this hardware on their linux box.

putting things like "realtek 8178 linux" into a search engine trawls up nothing but woe.

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Aitch
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#4 Post by Aitch »

VK6FUN

Jaycar have poor documentation for their products...not even the manufacturer is mentioned....

I downloaded and opened the driver from that site and it gives an RTL8191SU as driver for linux, so where did you get Realtek 8178 from?

This looks like your device on ebayAU?

http://tinyurl.com/6rsrnor

Can you post the output of typing

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lsusb -v
in a console to verify the device [or get details from hardinfo]

Also run

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uname -r
to identify your kernel, as 2.6.33.3celeron doesn't check with google, thanks
see this post, which has a dotpet for that driver for 5.1-5.2.8, but I don't know if it'll work in puppeee, as it may use the 4.3 kernel?
If your kernel is 2.6.33.2 the dotpet should be OK

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 469#462469

more info here http://wiki.debian.org/rtl819x


Aitch :)
Last edited by Aitch on Wed 07 Mar 2012, 00:48, edited 2 times in total.

VK6FUN
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat 18 Oct 2008, 13:11
Location: North Baandee, Western Australia

#5 Post by VK6FUN »

thanx for getting back to me yes that is the dongle

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#tail -f /var/log/messages
Mar 7 06:35:12 (none) user.info kernel: usb 1-2: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 4
Mar 7 06:35:12 (none) user.info kernel: usb 1-2: New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=8178
Mar 7 06:35:12 (none) user.info kernel: usb 1-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Mar 7 06:35:12 (none) user.info kernel: usb 1-2: Product: 802.11n WLAN Adapter
Mar 7 06:35:12 (none) user.info kernel: usb 1-2: Manufacturer: 802.11n WLAN Adapter
Mar 7 06:35:12 (none) user.info kernel: usb 1-2: SerialNumber: 00e04c000001

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#uname -r
2.6.33.2celeron

oops sorry i said a 3 instead of a 2!

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#lsusb -v
bash: lsusb: command not found

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Aitch
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#6 Post by Aitch »

Good, so from my link
tempestuous wrote:8712u is for RTL8188SU/8191SU/8192SU/8712SU chips


It is for the right kernel, so should be OK

I'm puzzled at lsusb, but not crucial, as it identifies OK

Don't forget to scan for your router SSID, and enter security passphrase, save/use this profile, to get connected, using network wizard :D

If it works OK, can you edit the subject line to show Solved in your 1st post, ta!

Aitch :)

VK6FUN
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat 18 Oct 2008, 13:11
Location: North Baandee, Western Australia

#7 Post by VK6FUN »

well i copied the file from the 2.6.33.2 folder to the 2.6.33.2celeron folder and run depmod -a

i'm still very confused.
the vid:pid for this dongle is

0BDA:8178

but the drivers you described seem to be for

10EC:8178

also the correct aliases don't appear here:

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#modinfo 8712u
alias: usb:v083ApC512d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v13D3p3325d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v13D3p3311d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v13D3p3310d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v13D3p3309d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v13D3p3306d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0B05p1791d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0B05p1786d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0E66p0016d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0E66p0015d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0DF6p0045d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v7392p7622d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v7392p7612d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v7392p7611d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v06F8pE031d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v050Dp845Ad*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v050Dp945Ad*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v050Dp815Fd*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v1740p9605d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v1740p9603d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v14B2p3302d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v14B2p3301d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v14B2p3300d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v07D1p3300d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v07D1p3302d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v07D1p3303d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v07AAp0047d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v07B8p8188d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0BDApC512d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0BDAp8713d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0BDAp8712d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0BDAp8174d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0BDAp8173d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0BDAp8172d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
alias: usb:v0BDAp8171d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
depends: usbcore
vermagic: 2.6.33.2 SMP mod_unload modversions 486
parm: initmac:charp
parm: wifi_test:int
parm: video_mode:int
parm: chip_version:int
parm: rfintfs:int
parm: lbkmode:int
parm: hci:int
parm: network_mode:int
parm: channel:int
parm: mp_mode:int
parm: wmm_enable:int
parm: vrtl_carrier_sense:int
parm: vcs_type:int
parm: busy_thresh:int
parm: ht_enable:int
parm: cbw40_enable:int
parm: ampdu_enable:int
parm: rf_config:int
parm: power_mgnt:int
parm: low_power:int

and then this

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#modprobe 8712u
FATAL: Module 8712u not found.

sorry to be such a pain

pete

VK6FUN
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat 18 Oct 2008, 13:11
Location: North Baandee, Western Australia

#8 Post by VK6FUN »

heres some other people's tales of misery
http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=265042

http://openpli.org/forums/topic/21761-v ... enpli-311/

this guy did some wacky stuff!
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=879965
but that looks like a different problem.

I'm taking this thing back to jaycar! too many headaches! DON'T BUY ONE FOR LINUX is the best solution. (ie the operating system is controlling the operator :twisted: )

pete

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Aitch
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Location: Chatham, Kent, UK

#9 Post by Aitch »

well i copied the file from the 2.6.33.2 folder to the 2.6.33.2celeron folder and run depmod -a
You just needed to install the dotpet AFAIK
0BDA:8178

but the drivers you described seem to be for

10EC:8178
AFAIK, 0BDA is 8188CU or CUS, and needs the 8192CU driver pet, and 10EC is 8191SU, and needs the 8172U pet

It seems they [like other manufacturers] are using different chipsets in different versions

There are many additions for wifi dongles in later kernels, but drivers are both chipset and kernel specific, which is why people get such problems

Ask the dealer for one that is known to work/demonstrable even? in linux
else use ebay, specifying linux, or realtek...there's loads now

Aitch :)

VK6FUN
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat 18 Oct 2008, 13:11
Location: North Baandee, Western Australia

#10 Post by VK6FUN »

eee is great i just put it on the counter plugin new hardware and watch /var/log/messages or syslog or dmesg

that one caught me out tho because it had "linux compatible" on the box, and i was in a hurry.

its back in jaycar where it belongs now. i told them its not as "linux compatible" as it could be.... ..

73devk6fun
pete

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