(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Hello everyone.
I hope to solve a big problem with my TL-Wn823N usb wifi adapter connected to the recent UpupBB64bit release with kernel 4.19.23. The problem is the rtl8xxxu driver which is malfunctioning and it seems that wherever it has been used it has given the problem of poor reception. In other Linux distros the problem was solved by loading the rtl8192eu driver and inserting the rtl8xxxu in the blacklist. I could verify and solve the same problem on Ubuntu Budgie 64 bit. The adapter works great with Ubuntu but with my pup it can't connect to the network, forcing me to use the LAN cable. I searched everywhere in the forums without finding solutions. Is there any hope of making it work as in the other distros? UpupBB is much faster to load than other classic distros and I would hate to have to give up in favor of a much heavier distro but with less hardware problems.

Bionicpup64 (like upupbb64?) with kernel 4.19.23 doesn't appear to have a driver for rtl8192eu, so I've made one (see below). Must first skiplist (prevent loading) rtl8xxxu, by editing /etc/rc.d/MODULESCONFIG thus:
in the line beginning SKIPLIST=
add rtl8xxxu (ensuring a space either side). Reboot, saving, then install .pet (open via roxfiler). After a few seconds insert adaptor. Should work.
Driver: http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=046 ... 6407950265

Hi ozsouth. Your compiled driver for rtl8192eu for Bionicpup64 works and now from a very weak signal of 12/100 with the rtl8xxxu driver I now have a stable connection of 77/100. Simple Network Wizard and Frisby work perfectly while Network Wizard refuses to connect to my router, but that's not a worry. As the driver is kernel dependant, is there a tutorial to learn step by step how to build new drivers for other Puppies that have different kernel versions? Thanks again for the help!

rocas58xx :

A weak signal might mean going into the router settings and changing the wireless number setting.

Chris.

Hi Chris, the router is fixed on the same channel 9 on the 2.4Ghz band. The signal is perfect on Windows 10 and Ubuntu Budgie 18.04.3 after blacklisting the same rtl8xxxu driver and installing rtl8192eu. Now also BionicPup64-8.0 works great too thanks to Ozsouth. The rtl8xxxu driver is causing problems on many Linux distros due to poor signal reception caused by a misconfiguration parameter. On Google you can find many reports about it. Also Xenialpup64-7.5 and Slacko64-6.3.2 are using the same useless rtl8xxxu driver as I tested today.

Robert

Robert, for my driver compiling method, see: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 50#1042850

rcrsn51 wrote:

Dry Falls wrote:
No linux distro has been able to run my tplink usb wifi (windoze only).

Maybe if you identified the device, you would get some help with it.

Thought this was a better place to answer (than here):
I have the TL-WN822N dongle which works under XP to win10. The salesman plugged it into a laptop running mint and it worked fine in the shop. I got the same mint version and same stock kernel at home installed on a usb ssd but it was a no go. With rtl8xxxu, it says it needs rtl8xxxu-untested. Compiled that into kernel. no go. compiled rtl8192eu into kernel. Tried all three blacklisting the two others. In each case, networking finds the wifi (a netgears wifi router connected to satelite dish proprietary router) and acceptably strong signal but no network found. This was tested with peasywifi, network wizard, sns, wifitray-net, network manager on fatdog, radky & fredX dogs, lxpup, easy, every version of lighthouse, porteus, slitaz with an assortment of downloaded or self-compiled kernels.

I've come up with two hypotheses: 1) the salesman used ndiswrapper over a previous win installation. Mine is a pure linux box so that option isn't available. The installation disk freezes with wine so couldn't test this;
2) The proprietary sat router blocks it. I think this is likely. Openvpn is likewise unavailable. This router broadcasts the external ip thousands of miles away. I conclude I'm stuck with being plugged in.

Thankyou rcrsn51,
df

@DryFalls - there is more than 1 version of this adaptor. To ID it, in terminal (WITHOUT adaptor plugged in) run lsusb.
Then plug in adaptor & run lsusb again & note ID which wasn't in previous output. Please post result & I will try to find source.
Also need to run uname -r to ascertain kernel required.

Hi Oz.
That's easy enough...Only properly identified in usb3. Current kernel is 5.3.11 (x86_64 - my compilation) but I've also been using PeeBee's version 5.4.5-lxpup64 which is pretty good.
(By the by, the win driver is netrtwlanu/rtwlanu)
df

I confirm it's an rtl8192eu device. Assuming you've compiled that driver OK, it may be firmware missing. Copy all 3 rtl8192eu firmware files from link below into /lib/firmware/rtlwifi , load rtl8192eu driver & reboot, saving. If no good, I'll post links to my latest kernel & driver.
http://anduin.linuxfromscratch.org/BLFS ... e/rtlwifi/

@ozsouth
That was it!!! a missing firmware. required blacklist=rtl8xxxu kernel parameter. rtl8192eu is built in to my kernel. Will try peebee's next.

can't thank you enough. Thought I'd exhausted the web search concerning this and had finally given up. Should probably call this thread solved.

df

@rcrsn51 - the depth of your knowledge never ceases to amaze me. My bluetooth was missing firmware (so I didn't use it) - found out what with above command.