RE: Linux mainline support for RTL8811AU/RTL8821AU

[Ping-Ke Shih <pkshih@realtek.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: petter@technux.se <petter@technux.se>
> Sent: Friday, June 23, 2023 2:35 PM
> To: Ping-Ke Shih <pkshih@realtek.com>
> Cc: Larry.Finger@lwfinger.net; kernel@pengutronix.de; kvalo@kernel.org; linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org;
> linux@ulli-kroll.de; morrownr@gmail.com; petter.mabacker@esab.se; petter@technux.se;
> s.hauer@pengutronix.de
> Subject: RE: Linux mainline support for RTL8811AU/RTL8821AU
> 
> 
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Larry Finger <larry.finger@gmail.com> On Behalf Of Larry Finger
> >> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2023 2:29 AM
> >> To: petter@technux.se; linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org
> >> Cc: Ping-Ke Shih <pkshih@realtek.com>; morrownr@gmail.com; kernel@pengutronix.de; kvalo@kernel.org;
> >> linux@ulli-kroll.de; petter.mabacker@esab.se; s.hauer@pengutronix.de
> >> Subject: Re: Linux mainline support for RTL8811AU/RTL8821AU
> >>
> >> On 6/13/23 03:09, petter@technux.se wrote:
> >> > Hi,
> >> >
> >> > I'm investigating a wifi dongle (LM808) that is based on the RTL8811AU chipset.
> >> >
> >> > $ lsusb
> >> > ..
> >> > Bus 003 Device 066: ID 0bda:a811 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8811AU 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WLAN Adapter
> >> > ..
> >> >
> >> > I cannot find any driver support in mainline for that chipset (8811cu/8821cu, seems to exists). Just
> curious
> >> if anyone knows if there are any ongoing efforts to get this driver included in mainline?
> >> >
> >> > I can see that both:
> >> >
> >> > https://www.lm-technologies.com/product/wifi-usb-adapter-433mbps-lm808/?template=driver
> >> >
> >> > and
> >> >
> >> > https://github.com/morrownr/8821au-20210708
> >> >
> >> > exists for non-mainline support, so will play a bit with them. But for maintenance etc I'm interested
> >> to learn about possible mainline efforts within this area.
> >>
> >> It seems that the RTW8821AE has never been built or released. If it had been,
> >> then extending that driver to the 8821AU would be easy as there would be a file
> >> rtw8821a.c that contained all the details of that chip. Without that, there is
> >> little that anyone outside Realtek can do. The vendor driver, which is the one
> >> in the link you posted, will likely work.
> >>
> 
> >rtlwifi can support RTL8821AE/RTL8812AE and basic USB infrastructure, so it looks
> >like possible to support 8821AU by rtlwifi.
> >
> >Ping-Ke
> 
> So since no rtw8821a.c is available, like Larry pointed out in another response. Then it sounds like
> investigating
> rtlwifi is the best way forward then. Do you mean that it should be possible to get the 8821AU up-and-running
> just by
> making use of the info in ./drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8821ae then? Are there any plans to
> release a rtl8821au fw through linux-firmware, since
> I guess that will be needed also.

Yes, rtlwifi/rtl8821ae + rtlwifi/usb.c should be possible to get 8821AU work, and
the firmware is the same as 8821AE.

Ping-Ke