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Atheros Releases Free Linux Driver For Its 802.11n Devices
mcgrof writes "Atheros has released a shiny new Atheros driver for all their 11n devices aimed for inclusion in the Linux kernel. This new driver has no proprietary HAL and is licensed under the ISC license, so the BSD community should be able to benefit as well. Note: no firmware required!"
for my AR5212
Geology - it's not rocket science; it's rock science
No more weighing the lesser of two evils, I can cross off all the laptops with Broadcom chips and narrow the playing field.
I wasted untold hours with the b43 driver and routinely get bitten when I upgrade kernels and madwifi falls apart and I can't load the new source because it fell apart. Wireless hardware that just works will be a relief.
That's why I bought the Dell Inspiron 1420n. I KNEW that everything would work under Linux.
When I finally upgrade my home's network, you can bet I'll be going with Atheros.
ath9k - Atheros unveils free Linux driver for its 802.11n devices Â
We are pleased to announce Atheros has released ath9k to the community. This driver is aimed at inclusion to the Linux kernel and supports all Atheros IEEE 802.11n devices. This represents a major shift in terms of support from Atheros with respect to Linux. The ath9k driver comes shortly after Atheros hired two key Linux wireless developers -- Luis Rodriguez and Jouni Malinen.
We have been informed Atheros does plan to add access point support to ath9k and to work with the community to enhance and complete access point support in the Linux kernel. It is understood there is plenty of work required on the wireless stack to complete full access point support. Jouni Malinen will help drive this process within the community while Luis helps enhance regulatory compliance in the Linux kernel.
We are eager to work with Atheros with ath9k and applaud their efforts for properly supporting Linux.
The ath9k driver includes supports for the following chipsets:
* AR5418+AR5133
* AR5416+AR5133
* AR5416+AR2133
* AR9160
* AR9280
* AR9281
http://www.ubnt.com/products/sr71a.php
And it's been in the kernel for at least one major release. ath5k is the name
I have a few of these devices and they work pretty well with the driver. They don't do access point mode yet, but that will come soon.
No relation. 802.11n is completely different hardware than a/b/g.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
The driver itself is open source but depends on the proprietary Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) that is available in binary form only.
Breakfast served all day!
So was I, the previous chips and drivers used that HAL to prevent out of spec tuning of the software radio i believe, so are they doing this in hardware now?
No firmware, no HAL, open driver. Either they can't be tuned out of spec by software, or they are hard locked at manufacture time.
After struggling with Zydas ZD1211, various Broadcrap cards and two TI ACX cards, I tried using atheros. After that, I ordered 10 minipci cards to use in my various devices (NAS, Laptop, routers etc.). And by the look of things, I'm never going back ;)
I just get Intel laptops with Centrino...works perfectly.
"You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
I fundamentally believe proprietary software is both unfair and stupid.
Fortunately for people who write code and don't want to work for a megacorp, others who respect other people's rights have an edge over you. :)
"You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
Not entirely sure what you mean.
If you Google the at risk bits in your computer (wifi, webcam) then you'll very easily be able to tell if it works or not.
The number of things that dont work is very small these days.
Its improving all the time.
Now if I can just find a list of OTC parts and retailers using the Atheros chips so I can make sure to purchase only them in the future.
I build and upgrade a lot of systems. Most of which get made into Linux machines at one point in their life. I'm in the process of taking 2 old win98 workstations and turning them into internet kiosks for patrons to use and we already have wifi on site for them. This potentially means I can put more in without having to pull cable through the walls. and just in time too.
Belkin
* N1 Wireless Notebook Card
D-Link
* DWA-642 RangeBooster N Notebook Adapter
* DWA-645 RangeBooster N650 Notebook Adapter
* DWA-542 RangeBooster N Desktop Adapter
* DWA-547 RangeBooster N650 Desktop Adapter
* DWA-652 XtremeN Notebook Adapter
* DWA-552 XtremeN Desktop Adapter
* DWA-643 Xtreme N ExpressCard Notebook Adapter
* DWA-556 Xtreme N PCIe Desktop Adapter
Linksys
* WPC300Nv2
* WMP300Nv2
* WPC100N
* WMP110N
NEC
* WL300NC
Netgear
* WNHDE111 Video Bridge
* WN711, Wireless-N eXpresscard adapter
If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.
However, the chip does contain an individual firmware out of a set of firmware... due to regulations for wifi varying in various countries (frequency bands, power settings, etc), most manufacturers do the "regulatory compliance" settings in firmwares that differ for each place of sale. Thus, there is a US firmware, a UK firmware, a Japan Firmware... and one of these is loaded... thus the chip contains a firmware, not all the firmware available.
Yes but, due to the physical differences (MIMO, etc) the software->hardware interface is likely significantly different.
The specifications for 802.11n are mostly compatible with a/b/g, but what you are saying is, to use a car analogy, putting a truck transmission into a coup. Sure, they do the same thing, but they are still completely different 'under the hood'.
Another example: a CD and DVD do the same thing, a DVD is backwards compatible, and a DVD does more. But a DVD is not a CD, and you cannot interface with the DVD the same way as you do a CD. (this is usually abstracted away from you, by the chips in the actual drive, but it is still true)
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
I have an Airlink101 PCMCIA wireless "G" card with an Atheros chipset in my old Thinkpad T22, running Mandriva Spring 2008. Wireless worked even from the Live CD. My first Linux install, and wireless was up and running "out of the box".
madwifi works only as .11a/b/g for once. Second, as pointed out, the stable madwifi still works with the proprietary HAL - OpenHAL is work-in-progress. Third, said HAL still makes the drivers for my AR5418 crash occasionally with RX overflow messages. So for me (ans probably a whole lot of Thinkpad and Macbook owners) this is Very Good News.
From the MadWifi homepage:
The driver itself is open source but depends on the proprietary Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) that is available in binary form only.
That's for the madwifi driver.
...yes, they're all written by the madwifi group...
We're talking about the ath9k driver.
There's also ath5k, that does not uses HAL.
"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know." -- Mark Twain
You probably want this, or a variant of this for your distro: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=789824
Also bear in mind that Network Manager can be a pain in the ass and might be the cause of your trouble. On my laptop it routinely forgets my AP name and WAP password, so I have to open it up an re-enter the password every time I reboot Ubuntu.
Syllable : It's an Operating System
BCM4310 also does not have any free drivers. You either have to ditch it or use ndiswrapper
Sudheer Satyanarayana
www.techchorus.net
The driver isn't proprietary, its GPLed Linux kernel code.
It does, however, require you to install firmware, that is loaded to your RAM, but RUNS ON THE WIFI CARD'S MICROPROCESSOR. This is due to the fact that network card manufacturers are too cheap to spend money on install the firmware on flash memory on the chip. It has nothing to do with Linux's CPU and is therefore not a driver.
Firmware != driver
Repeat after me, firmware runs on the device side, drivers run on the OS/kernel side.
Ya, except if you go READ those drivers, you will find they violate GPL in several places (notably copying/stealing 2.6 kernel code, ripping off the copyright notice and then plastering (C) Broadcom all over it). Shrug.
So was I, the previous chips and drivers used that HAL to prevent out of spec tuning of the software radio i believe, so are they doing this in hardware now?
No firmware, no HAL, open driver. Either they can't be tuned out of spec by software, or they are hard locked at manufacture time.
> Either they can't be tuned out of spec by software, or they are hard locked at manufacture time.
Neither of both is correct. The hardware has the same capabilities as it had when just MadWifi (plus the binary-only HAL) was available as a Linux driver.
Atheros obviously understood that a blob does not help to prevent people from tuning the radio to frequencies they are not allowed to use. Luis Rodriguez is working on a in-kernel framework called "Central Regulatory Domain Agent" (CRDA) which will take care of the regulatory issues involved in running a WLAN device. He has been hired by Atheros some weeks ago, so Atheros now is sponsoring his work.