[PATCH v11 00/22] wifi: nxpwifi: create nxpwifi to support iw61x

Jeff Chen
2026-04-28T19:41:13Z

This series adds a new full-MAC Wi-Fi driver `nxpwifi` to support NXP
IW611/IW612 chip family. These chips are tri-radio single-chip solutions
with Wi-Fi 6(1x1, 2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.4, and IEEE 802.15.4.
Communication with the external host is via SDIO interface. The driver is
tested on i.MX8M Mini EVK in both STA and AP mode.

This driver is not based on mac80211. It derives from mwifiex, but due to
significant differences in firmware architecture, host command interface,
and supported features, it was not feasible to extend mwifiex without risk
of regressions. Thus, a new driver is introduced. Future NXP Wi-Fi chipsets
will also be supported under `nxpwifi`.

The driver passes checkpatch. WPA2/WPA3 personal/enterprise is currently
handled in host via wpa_supplicant/hostapd.

v4 adds support for TWT, monitor mode, WPA3 Enterprise Suite-B, and various
fixes and improvements. See below for full changelog.

Data sheet is available at:
https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/IW612.pdf

Firmware binaries can be obtained from:
https://github.com/nxp-imx/imx-firmware/tree/lf-6.12.34_2.1.0/nxp/FwImage_IW612_SD/

Change history:

v11:
- Added MMC core support for NXP IW61x base SDIO card ID, ensuring that the
MMC_QUIRK_BLKSZ_FOR_BYTE_MODE quirk is applied at the card level rather
than from the SDIO function driver.
This addresses the IW61x SDIO identification behavior, where the base card
reports one ID during initial bus scan while the WLAN function reports a
different ID, and aligns quirk handling with upstream MMC architecture.

- Cleaned up legacy ioctl-style command usage in cfg80211 paths by removing
direct nxpwifi_send_cmd() invocations and routing these operations through
explicit driver helper functions. This reduces duplicated control logic,
clarifies command ownership, and aligns nxpwifi with the expected
cfg80211-based control flow.

v10:
- Removed all remaining OF code, since DT bindings were dropped and
OF usage is not allowed without a corresponding schema.
- Updated all commit subjects to imperative mood and fixed non-imperative
wording in several commit messages.

v9:
SDIO updates (addressing v8 review feedback)
--------------------------------------------

- Dropped mandatory Device Tree matching in SDIO probe. DT parsing is
now optional and no longer affects probe success. All unused OFi
match logic was removed.
- Removed pr_debug() and all probe()/remove() entry/exit prints. SDIO
now stays silent on success, consistent with kernel expectations.
- Removed legacy assignment of MMC_QUIRK_BLKSZ_FOR_BYTE_MODE.
- Dropped deprecated `.owner = THIS_MODULE` from struct sdio_driver.
- Reworked SDIO comments to follow current kernel style guidelines and
removed verbose “This function …” comment blocks.
- Modernized firmware-ready polling using read_poll_timeout().
- Rate-limited intermittent ISR error messages.
- Replaced sprintf/mdelay/memmove with scnprintf/msleep/memcpy.
- Added missing return value checks to sdio_enable_func() and
sdio_set_block_size().
- Removed the dependency on include/linux/mmc/sdio_ids.h.
This ID table belongs to MMC/SDIO subsystem and is handled separately;
nxpwifi no longer requires this header and the update will be
submitted as an MMC patch.

Devicetree bindings note
------------------------

The previous version included a devicetree binding document for
`nxp,iw61x.yaml`. Since Device Tree support for this device is optional
and not required for current SDIO-based bring-up, the binding has been
dropped from this series. A proper schema will be submitted separately
once DT usage becomes relevant, so that binding review can be handled
in the correct subsystem and without blocking this driver introduction.

Initialization path cleanups (aligned with upstream mwifiex)
------------------------------------------------------------

This series ports three upstream mwifiex cleanups which remove obsolete
asynchronous initialization scaffolding:

- Based-on: c2095eb63319 ("wifi: mwifiex: remove mwifiex_sta_init_cmd() last
argument")
Dropped the unused “init” argument from the STA init command helper.
- Based-on: f996f434aa78 ("wifi: mwifiex: drop asynchronous init waiting code")
Removed all asynchronous-init waiting logic (init_wait_q, last_init_cmd,
INIT_DONE transitional state). Initialization now completes strictly when
the last synchronous command returns.
- Based-on: 659d609bdda5 ("wifi: mwifiex: remove unnecessary queue empty check")
Removed the redundant “command queue empty” check after init; retained
only a WARN_ON() for future regression detection.

General cleanups
----------------

- Numerous comment style fixes across SDIO, HE, VHT/HT, and main files.
- Reduced verbosity across the driver to align with upstream expectations.
- Small structural cleanups and dead-code removals.

v8:
- Standardized multi-line comment style across nxpwifi driver files to Linux kernel
convention.
/*
* ...
*/
No functional changes.
- Fixed workqueue cleanup and error path ordering in nxpwifi_add_card(): ensure
proper termination before resource free to avoid race conditions.
- Corrected spelling mistakes in source code and comments for better readability
(e.g., Dimensions -> Dimensions, interfacces -> interfaces).
- Added Device Tree binding schema for NXP IW61x SDIO devices (nxp,iw61x.yaml),
including properties for compatible, reg, interrupts, wakeup pin, and optional
calibration data.

v7:
- Addressed review feedback from v6
- Removed unused variable `ext_rate_info` in `nxpwifi_rxpdinfo_to_radiotapinfo()
- Radiotap handling fixes:
- Converted fields to `__le16`/`__le64`
- Applied `cpu_to_le16()`/`cpu_to_le64()` for endian correctness
- Replaced `jiffies` with `ktime_get_ns()/1000` for timestamp
- Validated channel frequency conversion and removed redundant code
- General cleanup of endian conversions and Sparse warnings
- Improved HE capability setup via `_ieee80211_set_sband_iftype_data()`
- TWT configuration fixes:
- Updated structs to `__le16`/`__le32`
- Corrected debugfs write helpers for endian conversions
- Removed redundant conversions in `nxpwifi_cmd_twt_cfg()`
- Scan handling fixes:
- Changed OUI variables to `__be32`
- Used `le16_to_cpu()` for `ext_cap->header.len`
- Moved element pointer declaration outside `switch`
- HW spec parsing fix:
- Added `le32_to_cpu()` before `GET_MPDU_DENSITY()`
- Cfg80211 handling fix:
- Moved `legacy_rates[]` definition outside `switch` block

v4:
- Added support for TWT (STA mode)
- Added support for Monitor mode
- Added support for WPA3 Enterprise Suite-B
- Bug fix: In BGN/AN HT40 mode, throughput was 50% lower than expected
- Bug fix: In STA 2.4G HE40 mode, throughput was 80% lower than expected
- Use wiphy work instead of general workqueue for cfg80211 ops
- Introduced RCU protection for ba, rx_reorder, and sta_lists
- Used per-TID spinlock for tx_ba / rx_reorder lists to improve
concurrency
- Replaced mutex_lock with wiphy_lock
- Reverted "use tasklet for Rx" (back to workqueue)
- Refactored HE capability handling for better clarity and
maintainability
- Used standard kernel helpers for MAC address handling
- Replaced proprietary nxpwifi_ieee80211 with standard ieee80211_mgmt
structure
- Used u32_get_bits() for VHT capability field access
- Replaced LOW_PRIO_TID with TC_PRIO_BESTEFFORT for skb priority
- Removed static WPA/RSN OUI table; now derived from cipher suite ID
- Removed redundant helper functions: has_vendor_hdr and has_ieee_hdr

v3:
- Enable 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) for both AP and STA mode.
- Extend driver version string with hotfix number.
- Remove Rx mlme work.
- Remove all useless check of netif_carrier_ok().
- Merge decl.h to cfg.h.
- Remove unnecessary check for wiphy parameters setting.
- Synchronize following commits from Mwifiex:
wifi: mwifiex: replace open-coded module_sdio_driver()
wifi: mwifiex: Fix interface type change
wifi: mwifiex: Do not return unused priv in mwifiex_get_priv_by_id()
wifi: mwifiex: increase max_num_akm_suites
wifi: mwifiex: duplicate static structs used in driver instances
wifi: mwifiex: keep mwifiex_cfg80211_ops constant

Jeff Chen (22):
mmc: core: add NXP IW61x base ID and block size quirk
wifi: nxpwifi: add 802.11n support for STA and AP modes
wifi: nxpwifi: add initial 802.11ac support for STA and AP modes
wifi: nxpwifi: add initial 802.11ax support for STA and AP modes
wifi: nxpwifi: add 802.11h (DFS/TPC) support
wifi: nxpwifi: add WMM support
wifi: nxpwifi: add scan support
wifi: nxpwifi: add join and association support
wifi: nxpwifi: add channel/frequency/power (cfp) support
wifi: nxpwifi: add configuration support
wifi: nxpwifi: implement cfg80211 ops for STA and AP modes
wifi: nxpwifi: add firmware command and TLV definitions
wifi: nxpwifi: add command and event handling infrastructure
wifi: nxpwifi: add data path support for STA and AP modes
wifi: nxpwifi: add debugfs support for diagnostics and testing
wifi: nxpwifi: add ethtool support for Wake-on-LAN
wifi: nxpwifi: add utility functions and element handling support
wifi: nxpwifi: add driver initialization and shutdown support
wifi: nxpwifi: add core driver implementation
wifi: nxpwifi: add initial SDIO bus driver support
wifi: nxpwifi: add Kconfig and Makefile for kernel integration
wifi: nxpwifi: add MAINTAINERS entry for nxpwifi driver

MAINTAINERS | 7 +
drivers/mmc/core/quirks.h | 3 +
drivers/net/wireless/Kconfig | 1 +
drivers/net/wireless/Makefile | 1 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/Kconfig | 17 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/Makefile | 3 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11ac.c | 280 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11ac.h | 33 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11ax.c | 594 +++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11ax.h | 73 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11h.c | 339 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n.c | 837 ++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n.h | 158 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n_aggr.c | 251 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n_aggr.h | 21 +
.../net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n_rxreorder.c | 826 ++++
.../net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n_rxreorder.h | 71 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/Kconfig | 22 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/Makefile | 39 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cfg.h | 1019 +++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cfg80211.c | 3929 +++++++++++++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cfg80211.h | 18 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cfp.c | 458 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cmdevt.c | 1310 ++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cmdevt.h | 122 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/debugfs.c | 1094 +++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/ethtool.c | 58 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/fw.h | 2380 ++++++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/ie.c | 480 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/init.c | 607 +++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/join.c | 787 ++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/main.c | 1673 +++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/main.h | 1776 ++++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/scan.c | 2695 +++++++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sdio.c | 2327 ++++++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sdio.h | 340 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_cfg.c | 1165 +++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_cmd.c | 3387 ++++++++++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_event.c | 862 ++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_rx.c | 242 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_tx.c | 190 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/txrx.c | 352 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/uap_cmd.c | 1256 ++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/uap_event.c | 488 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/uap_txrx.c | 478 ++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/util.c | 1523 +++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/util.h | 155 +
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/wmm.c | 1313 ++++++
drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/wmm.h | 77 +
include/linux/mmc/sdio_ids.h | 1 +
50 files changed, 36138 insertions(+)
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/Kconfig
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/Makefile
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11ac.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11ac.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11ax.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11ax.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11h.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n_aggr.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n_aggr.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n_rxreorder.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/11n_rxreorder.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/Kconfig
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/Makefile
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cfg.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cfg80211.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cfg80211.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cfp.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cmdevt.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/cmdevt.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/debugfs.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/ethtool.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/fw.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/ie.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/init.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/join.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/main.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/main.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/scan.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sdio.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sdio.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_cfg.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_cmd.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_event.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_rx.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/sta_tx.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/txrx.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/uap_cmd.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/uap_event.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/uap_txrx.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/util.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/util.h
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/wmm.c
create mode 100644 drivers/net/wireless/nxp/nxpwifi/wmm.h

base-commit: 7baf5857e15d722776898510a10546d6b2f18645
--
2.34.1