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morrownr / USB-WiFi

USB WiFi Adapter Information for Linux
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New mt7921au based adapter - Fenvi FU-AX1801D - need confirmation #455

Open morrownr opened 2 weeks ago

morrownr commented 2 weeks ago

I am throwing out the below information but I do not have the adapter nor do I have reports from anyone to confirm that it uses the mt7921au chip. Evidence points this direction. I went to the Fenvi website and downloaded the windows driver and it does show to be a mediatek mt7921 driver so the information indicating this to be true may indeed be true. The links below have not been verified as sellers you can trust yet.

Fenvi FU-AX1801D

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196415159770

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806897869983.html

It anyone buys the Fenvi FU-AX1801D and would like to verify the chip and vendor, please do so. A review would be nice also. I am looking for information to help make a decision as to whether this adapter should be in the Plug and Play List.

@morrownr

Engino00 commented 1 week ago

Hi morrown, I'm going to buy a Fenvi FU-AX1801D (if available in my country) and I'll let you know if the mt7921 of such adapter is "plug-and-play" on linux. Besides this, I notice on the "USB WiFi adapters with Linux out-of-kernel drivers" list that you had a terrible experience with the RTL8832AU/RTL8852AU driver but maybe the Fenvi brand might have a solution. I accidentaly notice that the Fenvi adapter FU-AX1800P, listed on their website, has a driver for linux despite having a RTL8832AU driver. By clicking on the model, you should be able to download it. Here you can find the list of their wifi usb adapters: " https://cn.fenvi.com/drive.html?id=3 ". I don't have a FU-AX1800P so I cannot confirm if it works but maybe you can test it and possibly improve it. I hope you can find this useful.

morrownr commented 1 week ago

Hi @Engino00

It is good to hear from you.

I'm going to buy a Fenvi FU-AX1801D (if available in my country)

I have lived in various countries, possibly even yours, so I understand that it can be difficult to get specific products in some parts of the world. With a little effort it can be possible to find a source for adapters that work well. That is why I maintain the Plug and Play List with plenty of information. You may not find this specific Fenvi adapter but you probably can find a source for another adapter with the mt7921au chip.

I accidentaly notice that the Fenvi adapter FU-AX1800P, listed on their website, has a driver for linux despite having a RTL8832AU driver.

I checked. That is the source for the driver that I had so much trouble with. It is a really bad driver.

This site is really about getting information to Linux users. The Main Menu is:

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

Menu item 1 is an attempt to educate Linux users regarding USB WiFi. You will see me say that if sellers say they have Linux support, it is probably based on an out-of-kernel driver that probably won't even compile on your kernel. Will your see posted drivers for adapters that use the mt7610u, mt7612u, mt7921au or mt7925 chips? No. Why? There is no driver for the sellers to post. The driver is located in the Linux kernel where it should be. The driver is maintained in the Linux kernel as it should be.

General rule of thumb: If a seller is posting a Linux driver, run away as fast as you can. Linux is not Windows and posting drivers is a Windows thing. Linux development is near continuous and driver have to have near continuous updates and that can only be accomplished with in-kernel drivers. Realtek does make out-of-kernel drivers for usb wifi adapters but most uses are better off staying away from them as they are problematic.

If you find a local source for an adapter that you think is good, send me a link and I'll give you my opinion.

Saludos,

@morrownr

Engino00 commented 1 week ago

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'll be aware of these deceptive drivers and their sources. If I find something worthwhile I'll let you know. Apart from that, I have just bought a FU-AX1801D from Aliexpress hoping that it's genuine. I'll tear it down to check the components and I'll test it on a raspberry pi 5 (making sure its kernel version is at least 6.1). Thanks again for your help.

morrownr commented 3 days ago

Looking forward to your report. The currently posted RasPiOS, 03-15-24, uses kernel 6.6. I have had no problems with this release of RasPiOS and mt7921 based usb adapters.

I'll tear it down to check the components...

Just run the following, it will tell you what chip is inside by showing the vip/pid:

$ lsusb