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Comparison of open-source wireless drivers
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Wireless network cards for computers require control software to make them function (firmware, device drivers). This is a list of the status of some open-source drivers for 802.11 wireless network cards.
 | This article needs to be updated. (November 2022) |
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More information Driver family, Driver ...
| Driver family | Driver | Chipsets | Chipset PHY Modes |
Integration in mainline |
Non-free firmware required [note 1] |
License | Development |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| adm8211 | adm8211 | ADMtek ADM8211 (802.11b MAC/BBP) | b | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | With support from Infineon / ADMtek |
| at76c50x‑usb | at76c50x-usb | Atmel AT76C503 / AT76C505 based USB WLAN adapters | b | Yes | Depends on the model | GPLv2 | ? |
| acx100 | acx1xx | Texas Instruments ACX100, ACX111, TNETW1450 | b/g | No | Yes | Dual BSD/MPL | Reverse-engineered |
| airo | airo airo |
Cisco Systems Aironet 4500/4800 and 340/350 | b | Yes | No | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | ? |
| ath atheros |
ar5523 | Atheros AR5523 based USB dongles | a/b/g | Yes | Yes | ISC | Reverse-engineered |
| ath5k | Atheros AR2413, AR2414, AR2417, AR2425, AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, AR5213, AR5413, AR5414, AR5423, AR5424 | a/b/g | Yes (since 2.6.25) | —[3] | Dual GPL/BSD | Reverse-engineered | |
| ath6kl | Atheros AR6003, AR6004 (SDIO), AR6004 (USB) | a/b/g | Yes | Yes | ISC | Written by Atheros | |
| ath9k | Atheros chips with 802.11n support | a/b/g/n | Yes (since 2.6.27) | —[3] proprietary blob only required for Bluetooth (Purism / NovaCustom) | ISC | Written by Atheros | |
| ath9k_htc | Atheros AR9271, AR7010 (USB-PCIe bridge with AR928x chips) | b/g/n | Yes (since 2.6.35)[4][5] | No[6] | ISC | Written by Qualcomm Atheros | |
| ath10k | Qualcomm Atheros chips with 802.11ac support | a/b/g/n /ac |
Yes (since 3.11)[7] | Yes[8] | ISC | Written by Qualcomm Atheros | |
| ath11k | Qualcomm Atheros chips with 802.11ax support | a/b/g/n /ac/ax |
Yes (since 5.6)[9] | Yes[10] | ISC | Written by Qualcomm Atheros | |
| ath12k | Qualcomm Atheros chips with 802.11be support | a/b/g/n /ac/ax/be |
Yes (since 6.0) | Yes | ISC | Written by Qualcomm Atheros | |
| carl9170 | Atheros AR9170 (802.11n USB) | a/b/g/n | Yes (since 3.0) | No[11] | GPL | Qualcomm Atheros-supported | |
| wil6210 | Wilocity wil6210, 802.11ad 60GHz | ad | Yes | Yes | ISC | Written by Qualcomm Atheros | |
| atmel | atmel | Atmel at76c502 at76c504 and at76c506 wireless cards | b | Yes | Yes | GPLv2+ | Reverse-engineered |
| b43 | b43 b43 |
Broadcom BCM43xx SoC | a/b/g/n | Yes (since 2.6.24) | Experimental OSS firmware [12] |
GPL | Reverse-engineered |
| b43legacy | b43legacy bcm43xx |
Broadcom BCM4301, BCM4303, and BCM4306 rev 1 and 2 | a/b/g | Yes (since 2.6.24) | Experimental OSS firmware[12] |
GPL | Reverse-engineered |
| brcm80211 | brcmfmac brcm80211 |
PCIe devices: Broadcom 4356, 43567, 43570, 4358, 4359, 43602, 4365, 4366 SDIO devices: Broadcom 4329, 4330, 4334, 43340, 43341, 43241, 4335, 4339, 43362, 43430, 43455, 4354, 43143 USB devices: Broadcom 43235, 43236, 43238, 43143, 43242, 43566, 43569 |
a/b/g/n | Yes (since 3.2) | Yes | ISC | Written by Broadcom |
| brcmsmac | Broadcom BCM4313, BCM43224, BCM43225 | a/b/g/n | Yes (since 3.2) | Yes | ISC | Written by Broadcom | |
| cw1200 | cw1200 | ST-Ericsson CW1100 & CW1200 WLAN chipsets | ? | Yes (since 3.11)[13] | Yes[14] | GPLv2 | ? |
| hostap | hostap HostAP |
Intersil PRISM-II, PRISM-2.5, PRISM 3 | ? | Yes | Depends on the model[15] | GPLv2 | |
| ipw2x00 | ipw2100 ipw2200 |
Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 and 2200 Network Connection (802.11b) | ? | Yes | Yes[16] | GPL | Written by Intel |
| iwlegacy | iwlegacy iwl3945 iwl4965 |
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 3945ABG, 4965AGN | ? | Yes | Yes | GPL | |
| iwlwifi | iwlwifi | Intel Wireless WiFi Next Gen AGN - Wireless-N/Advanced-N/Ultimate-N: 6250AGN, 6200AGN, 6300AGN, 1000BGN, 5150AGN, 5100AGN, 5300AGN, 5350AGN, 6005, 6030, 6150BGN, 100BGN, 130BGN and AX200 |
a/b/g/n /ac/ax |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPL/BSD | Written by Intel |
| libertas | libertas | Marvell 88W8686 SDIO Libertas 8388 (USB) 802.11b/g, 8385 (CompactFlash) 802.11b/g, 8385/8686/8688 (SDIO) 802.11b/g, 8686 (SPI) 802.11b/g, 88W8388 | ? | Yes | Yes[17] | GPL | Marvell-supported |
| libertas_tf | libertas_tf | Marvell 8388 (USB) WLAN Thinfirm Driver (OLPC) | b/g | Yes | Yes | GPL | cozybit, Marvell-supported |
| mt76 | mt76 | MediaTek MT76xxx, MT79xxxx | a/b/g/n /ac/ax |
Yes (since 4.19[18]) | Yes | ISC | With support from MediaTek |
| mt7601u | mt7601u | MediaTek MT7601U | b/g/n | Yes (since 4.2) | Yes | GPLv2 | |
| mwifiex | mwifiex | WiFi-Ex Driver for Marvell SD8786/SD8787/SD8797 (SDIO), 8766/8897 (PCIe) and 88W8797 (USB) | ? | Yes | Yes[19] | GPLv2 | Written by Marvell |
| mwl8k | mwl8k | Marvell TopDog 802.11 Wireless cards: 88W8366, 88W8863, 88W8687, 88W8764 |
? | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | Written by Marvell |
| orinoco | orinoco | Lucent Hermes (WaveLAN/ ORiNOCO); Intersil PRISM-II, PRISM-2.5; Symbol Spectrum24 802.11b | ? | Yes | Required for WPA support[20] | ||
| p54 prism54 |
p54 | Prism54: Intersil/Conexant ISL3877, ISL3880, ISL3886, ISL3887, ISL3890 | ? | Yes (~Aug 2007) |
Experimental OSS firmware[21] |
||
| prism54 | ? | Yes (before 2.6.12) | Reverse-engineered; obsoleted by p54. | ||||
| rt2x00 | rt2400pci | MediaTek (Ralink) RT2460 | b | Yes (since 2.6.24) | No[22] | GPLv2+ | rt2x00.serialmonkey.com; From partial documentation and GPL drivers by Ralink |
| rt2500pci | Ralink RT2560 | b/g | Yes | No | GPLv2+ | rt2x00.serialmonkey.com | |
| rt61pci | Ralink RT2561, RT2561S, RT2661 | ? | Yes | Yes | GPLv2+ | rt2x00.serialmonkey.com | |
| rt2800pci | Ralink RT2760, RT2790, RT2860, RT2880, RT2890, RT3052, RT3090, RT3091, RT3092 RT3390, RT3060, RT3062, RT3290, RT3562, RT3592, RT5390, RT5392 |
? | Yes | Yes | GPLv2+ | rt2x00.serialmonkey.com | |
| rt2500usb | Ralink RT2571 & RT2572 | b/g | Yes | No | GPLv2+ | rt2x00.serialmonkey.com | |
| rt73usb | Ralink RT2571W, RT2573 & RT2671 | ? | Yes | Yes | GPLv2+ | rt2x00.serialmonkey.com | |
| rt2800usb | Ralink RT2770, RT2870, RT3070, RT3071, RT3072 RT3370, RT3572, RT5370, RT5572 |
? | Yes | Yes | GPLv2+ | rt2x00.serialmonkey.com | |
| rtl818x | rtl8180 | Realtek RTL8180, RTL8185, RTL8187SE | b/g | Yes | No | GPL | |
| rtl8187 | Realtek RTL8187, RTL8187B | a/b/g | Yes | No | GPL | ||
| rtl8xxxu | rtl819x | Realtek RTL8723AU, RTL8723BU, RTL8188CUS, RTL8192CU, RTL8191EU, RTL8192EU, RTL8188EU, RTL8188RU, RTL8188FU, RTL8192FU | b/g/n | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | fan-made, based on open source drivers released by Realtek |
| rtlwifi rtl‑wifi | rtl8188ee | Realtek RTL8188EE | ? | Yes (since 2.6.38)[23] | Yes | GPL | Written by Realtek et al. Forked from rtl8180-sa2400 project. |
| rtl8192c | Realtek RTL8192C | ? | Yes | GPL | Written by Realtek et al. | ||
| rtl8192ce | Realtek RTL8192CE | ? | Yes | Yes | GPL | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtl8192cu | Realtek RTL8192CU | ? | Yes | Yes | GPL | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtl8192de | Realtek RTL8192DE | ? | Yes | Yes | GPL | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtl8192se | Realtek RTL8192SE | ? | Yes | Yes | GPL | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtl8723ae | Realtek RTL8723AE | ? | Yes | Yes | GPL | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtl8188eu | Realtek RTL8188EU (TP-Link TL-WN725N) | ? | Yes (since 3.12[24][25]) | Yes | GPL | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtl8821ae | Realtek RTL8812AE, RTL8821AE | a/b/g/n /ac |
Yes (since 3.16) | Yes | GPL | ? | |
| rtw88 rtw89 |
rtw88_8822ce | Realtek RTL8822CE | a/b/g/n /ac |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. |
| rtw88_8822be | Realtek RTL8822BE | a/b/g/n /ac |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtw88_8821ce | Realtek RTL8821CE | a/b/g/n /ac |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtw88_8723de | Realtek RTL8723DE | b/g/n | Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtw88_8822cu | Realtek RTL8822CU | a/b/g/n /ac |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtw88_8822bu | Realtek RTL8822BU | a/b/g/n /ac |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtw88_8821cu | Realtek RTL8821CU | a/b/g/n /ac |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtw88_8723du | Realtek RTL8723DU | b/g/n | Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtw89 rtw89 |
rtw89_8852ae | Realtek RTL8852AE | a/b/g/n /ac/ax |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. |
| rtw89_8852be | Realtek RTL8852BE | a/b/g/n /ac/ax |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rtw89_8852ce | Realtek RTL8852CE | a/b/g/n /ac/ax |
Yes | Yes | Dual GPLv2 and BSD | Written by Realtek et al. | |
| rsi9113 | rsi9113 | Redpine Signals SDIO and USB adapters | Yes | GPL | Written by Redpine Signals Inc. | ||
| ti | wl1251 | Texas Instruments TI wl1251 (SDIO/SPI) | ? | Yes | Yes[26] | GPL | Written by Nokia |
| wl12xx | Texas Instruments TI wl1271, wl1273, wl1281 and wl1283 | ? | Yes (Only up to 3.2[27]) | Yes[26] | GPL | Written by Nokia and Texas Instruments | |
| wl18xx | Texas Instruments TI WiLink 8 | ? | Yes | Yes[26] | GPL | Written by Texas Instruments | |
| zd1211rw | zd1211rw | ZyDAS ZD1211/ZD1211B (USB) | ? | Yes | Yes[28] | GPL | various |
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Driver capabilities
More information Driver, 802.11 ...
| Driver | 802.11 | Bus interface |
Wireless Security | Monitor mode |
Master (AP) mode |
Ad-Hoc mode |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a |
b |
g |
n |
ac |
ad |
ax |
WEP | WPA | WPA2 | ||||||
| acx1xx | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | PCI, Mini PCI, PC card, USB |
Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | ? | |
| adm8211 | No | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | PCI | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | No | Yes | |
| carl9170 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | ? | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| ath5k | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | PCI, Mini PCI, PC card, AHB |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (2.6.31) |
Yes | |
| ath9k | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | ? | PCI, Mini PCI, Mini PCIe, AHB |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| ath9k_htc | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | ? | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| ath10k | No | No | No | No | Yes | ? | ? | PCI, Mini PCI, AHB, Mini PCIe |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| b43 | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | PCI, Mini PCI, SDIO ? |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| bcm43xx | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | PCI, Mini PCI, Cardbus, PC card |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | |
| brcmfmac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | ? | USB, SDIO, PCI Express |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Exp. [29] | Yes [30] | No | |
| brcmsmac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | ? | PCI, Mini PCI, Mini PCIe |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes [31] | Yes [32] | |
| hostap | No | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | PCI, Mini PCI, PC card |
Yes | Yes [33] | Yes [33] | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| ipw2100 | No | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | |
| ipw2200 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| ipw2200-ap | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | Mini PCI | ? | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | |
| ipw3945 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | Mini PCI, Mini PCIe |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| islsm (p54u) (archive) |
? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | PCI, USB | No | No | No | ? | No | ? | |
| iwlwifi (archive) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | Mini PCI, Mini PCIe, M.2 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2.4 GHz only Exp.[34][35] |
Yes | |
| libertas (archive) |
No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | USB, CF, SDIO | ? | ? | ? | ? | No | ? | |
| madwifi (archive) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | PCI, PC card, Mini PCI |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| mt76 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | PCIe, USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| mt7601u | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ? | ? | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | |
| orinoco | No | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | Mini PCI, PC card |
Yes | Yes [36] | No | Yes | No | Yes | |
| p54 | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | Mini PCI, USB, Cardbus |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| prism54 | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | PCI | Yes | No | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | |
| rndis_wlan | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
| rt2x00 | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | PCI, USB, Mini PCI |
Yes | Yes [37] | Yes [38] | Yes | Yes [39] | Yes | |
| rtl8180 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | PCI, PC card, Mini PCI |
? | ? | ? | ? | Yes | ? | |
| rtl8187 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | |
| rtl8xxxu | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes [40] | No | |
| rtw88 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | M.2, USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| rtw89 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | M.2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| zd1201 | No | Yes | No | No | No | ? | ? | USB | Yes | No [41] | No [41] | Yes | Yes | ? | |
| zd1211 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | |
| zd1211rw | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes [42] | Yes | |
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Perspective
More information Driver name, Chipset ...
| Driver name | Chipset | Integration | Non-free firmware required |
License | Original/Primary developer |
Development |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acx | Texas Instruments ACX100/ACX111 |
Integrated since 1.5 |
Yes | BSD | Reverse engineering | |
| an | Aironet 4500/4800 |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Bill Paul (FreeBSD) |
|
| ath | Atheros AR5210/ AR5211/AR5212/AR5416 |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | ||
| bwi | Broadcom BCM430x/4318 |
Integrated | Yes | BSD | Sepherosa Ziehau |
Reverse engineering |
| iwi | Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG/2915ABG |
Integrated | Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) |
Reverse engineering |
| iwl | Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 |
Integrated | Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) |
Reverse engineering |
| iwm | Intel Dual Band Wireless AC
3160/7260/8260/9260/9270/9560 |
Integrated | Yes | BSD | OpenBSD | |
| iwn | Intel 4965/1000/5000/ 5150/5300/6000/6050 |
Integrated | Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) |
Reverse engineering |
| ral | Ralink RT2500/ RT2501/RT2600 |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Damien Bergamini |
Ported from FreeBSD |
| rtw | Realtek RTL8180L |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Ported from NetBSD | |
| rum | Ralink RT2501USB/RT2601USB |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Damien Bergamini |
Ported from FreeBSD |
| wi | Lucent Hermes (WaveLAN / ORiNOCO); Intersil PRISM-II, -2.5; Symbol Spectrum24 802.11b |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Bill Paul (FreeBSD) |
Documentation based |
| wpi | Intel 3945ABG |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Damien Bergamini |
Ported from OpenBSD |
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Status
More information Driver, Chipset ...
| Driver | Chipset | Integration | Non-free firmware required [note 1] |
License | Original/ Primary developer |
Development |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acx | Texas Instruments ACX100/ACX111 |
Separate project | Yes | BSD | Reverse engineering | |
| an | Aironet 4500/4800, Cisco Aironet 340/350, Xircom Wireless Ethernet |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Bill Paul (FreeBSD) | |
| arl | Aironet Arlan 655 | Integrated / Removed in 8.0 |
On Device | BSD | ||
| ath | Atheros AR5210/ AR5211/ AR5212/ AR5416 /AR9130 /AR9160 /AR9280 /AR9285 /AR9287 /AR9565 (and derivatives) |
Integrated | No | BSD | Originally by Atheros via Sam Leffler (FreeBSD); supported by the community |
Documentation based |
| awi | AMD PCnetMobile | Integrated / Removed in 8.0 |
On Device | BSD | Bill Sommerfeld (NetBSD), Atsushi Onoe (NetBSD) |
|
| bwi | Broadcom BCM43xx/4318 | Integrated since 8.0 | Yes | BSD | Sepherosa Ziehau (DragonFly BSD), Andrew Thompson (FreeBSD), Sam Leffler (FreeBSD) |
Ported from DragonFly BSD |
| bwn | Broadcom BCM43xx/4318 v4 firmware |
Integrated since 8.1 | Yes | BSD | Weongyo Jeong | ? |
| cnw | Netwave AirSurfer | Integrated / Removed in 8.0 |
On Device | BSD | Imported from NetBSD | |
| ipw | Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 | Integrated | Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD/ FreeBSD) |
Reverse engineering |
| iwi | Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG/ 2225BG/ 2915ABG |
Integrated | Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD/ FreeBSD) |
Reverse engineering |
| iwm | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 / 3165 / 7260 / 7265 / 8260 |
? | ? | ? | ? | |
| iwn | Intel PRO/Wireless 4965 ABGN/ 5100/ 5300/ 5350/ 1000 |
Integrated since 8.0 / Available for 7.1 and above as separate patch |
Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini, Benjamin Close, Sam Leffler (OpenBSD/ FreeBSD) |
Reverse engineering |
| malo | Marvell 88W8335 | Integrated | Yes | BSD | Weongyo Jeong (FreeBSD), Sam Leffler (FreeBSD) |
|
| mwl | Marvell 88W8363 | Integrated since 8.0 | Yes[43] | BSD | Sam Leffler (FreeBSD) | ? |
| ral | Ralink RT2500/ RT2501/ RT2600/ RT3090/ RT3592 |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD/ FreeBSD) |
Based on partial documentation |
| ray | Raytheon Raylink/ Webgear Aviator |
Integrated / Removed in 8.0 |
On Device | BSD | Imported from NetBSD | |
| rsu | Realtek RTL8188SU/ RTL8192SU |
Integrated since 10.0 | Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD), Imported from OpenBSD by Rui Paulo |
? |
| rum | Ralink RT2501USB/ RT2601USB |
Integrated | No[44] | BSD | Niall O'Higgins, Damien Bergamini |
Based on partial documentation |
| run | Ralink RT2700U/ RT2800U/ RT3000U |
Integrated since 8.1 | No[44] | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD), Imported from OpenBSD by Akinori Furukoshi |
Based on partial documentation |
| uath | Atheros AR5005UG/ AR5005UX |
Integrated since 8.0 | Yes[45] | BSD | Weongyo Jeong (FreeBSD), Sam Leffler (FreeBSD) |
? |
| upgt | GW3887 (Conexant/ Intersil PrismGT series) |
Integrated since 8.0 | Yes | BSD | Imported from OpenBSD | Reverse engineering |
| ural | Ralink RT2500USB | Integrated | On Device | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD/ FreeBSD) |
Based on partial documentation |
| urtw | Realtek RTL8187L/ RTL8187B |
Integrated since 8.0 | —[46] | BSD | Weongyo Jeong (FreeBSD) |
? |
| urtwn | Realtek RTL8188CU/ RTL8188EU/ RTL8192CU |
Integrated since 10.0 | Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD / FreeBSD) |
Reverse engineering |
| wi | Lucent Hermes (WaveLAN/ ORiNOCO); Intersil PRISM-2, PRISM-2.5, PRISM-3; Symbol Spectrum24 802.11b (Symbol support removed in 8.0) |
Integrated | On Device | BSD | Bill Paul (FreeBSD) | Documentation based |
| wpi | Intel PRO/ Wireless 3945ABG | Integrated | Yes | BSD | Damien Bergamini, Benjamin Close |
Reverse engineering |
| zyd | ZyDAS ZD1211/ ZD1211B | Integrated | No | BSD | Florian Stoehr, Damien Bergamini, Jonathan Gray (OpenBSD) |
Documentation based |
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Driver capabilities
More information Driver, 802.11 ...
| Driver | 802.11 | Bus interface | WEP | WPA | WPA2 | Monitor mode | Master mode | Ad-Hoc mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acx | 802.11a?, 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PCI | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | Yes |
| an | 802.11b | Cardbus, PCI, ISA | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | Yes |
| arl | N/A | ISA | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| ath | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n | Cardbus, PCI, Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| awi | N/A | PC Card | ? | ? | ? | ? | Yes | Yes |
| bwi | 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| cnw | N/A | Cardbus | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| ipw | 802.11b | Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| iwi | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| iwn | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n | Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| malo | 802.11b, 802.11g | PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| mwl | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n | PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ral | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PCI, Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ray | N/A | PC Card | ? | ? | ? | No | No | Yes |
| rum | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| run | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| uath | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| upgt | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| ural | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| urtw | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| wi | 802.11b | PC Card, Cardbus, PCI | Yes | Yes (since 8.0) | Yes (since 8.0) | Yes (since 8.0?) | Yes | Yes |
| wpi | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| zyd | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
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NetBSD
More information Driver, Chipset ...
| Driver | Chipset | Integration | Free firmware[note 2] | License | Original/Primary developer | Development methodologies | Free software[note 3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an | Aironet 4500/4800, Cisco Aironet 340/350 | Integrated | — | BSD | Bill Paul (FreeBSD) | Ported from FreeBSD | Yes |
| ath | Atheros AR521*/ AR2413/ AR2417/ AR5413/ AR5416/ AR5424/ AR9160 | Integrated | — | BSD | Sam Leffler (FreeBSD) | Binary blobs ported from FreeBSD | Yes |
| athn | Atheros AR5008 up to the AR9287 | Integrated | — | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| atu | Atmel at76c503/ at76c503a/ at76c505/ at76c505a | Integrated | — | BSD | Dan Vreeken (FreeBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| atw | ADMtek ADM8211 | Integrated | — | BSD | David Young (NetBSD) | Yes | |
| awi | AMD PCnetMobile | Integrated | — | BSD | Yes | ||
| bwi | Broadcom BCM430x/4318 | Integrated | — | BSD | Sepherosa Ziehau (DragonflyBSD) | Ported from Dragonfly BSD | Yes |
| cnw | Netwave AirSurfer | Integrated | — | BSD | Yes | ||
| ipw | Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 | Integrated | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| iwi | Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG/2915ABG | Integrated | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| iwm | Intel Wireless WiFi 7260, 7265, 3160 | Integrated | No | BSD | Antti Kantee (NetBSD) | Yes | |
| iwn | Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965/ 5000/ 1000/ 6000 | Integrated | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| malo | Marvell 88W8335/88W8310 | Integrated | No | BSD | Claudio Jeker (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| otus | Atheros AR9001U | Integrated | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| ral | Ralink RT2500/ RT2501/ RT2600/ RT2500USB/RT3592 | Integrated | — | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| ray | Raytheon Raylink / WebGear Aviator | Integrated | — | BSD | Christian E. Hopps (NetBSD) | Yes | |
| rtw | Realtek RTL8180L | Integrated | — | BSD | David Young (NetBSD) | Yes | |
| rtwn | Realtek RTL8188CE and RTL8192CE | Integrated | — | BSD | Stefan Sperling (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| run | Ralink RT2700U, RT2800U and RT3000U | Integrated | — | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| upgt | Conexant/Intersil PrismGT SoftMAC USB IEEE 802.11b/g | Integrated | — | BSD | Marcus Glocker (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| urtw | Realtek RTL8187B/L | Integrated | No | BSD | Weongyo Jeong (FreeBSD) | Ported from FreeBSD | Yes |
| urtwn | Realtek RTL8188CUS, RTL8188CE-VAU, RTL8188EUS, RTL8188RU, and RTL8192CU | Integrated | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| wi | Lucent Technologies WaveLAN/IEEE and PRISM-II 802.11 | Integrated | No | BSD | Bill Paul | Yes | |
| wpi | Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG | Integrated | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| zyd | ZyDAS ZD1211/ ZD1211B | Integrated | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini (OpenBSD) | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
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OpenBSD
Summarize
Perspective
The following is an incomplete list of supported wireless devices:
Status
More information Driver, Chipset ...
| Driver | Chipset | Integration | Free firmware[note 2] | License | Original/Primary developer | Development | Free software[note 3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acx | Texas Instruments ACX100/ACX111 | Integrated | No[47] | BSD | Ported from DragonFlyBSD | Reverse engineering | Yes |
| an | Aironet 4500/4800, Cisco Aironet 340/350 | Integrated | — | BSD | Yes | ||
| ath | Atheros AR5210/ AR5211/ AR5212 | Integrated | —[3] | BSD | Reverse engineering | Yes | |
| athn | Atheros AR5416/AR9160/AR928X | Integrated (since 4.7) | Yes[48] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Partly based on the ath9k driver for Linux | Yes |
| atu | Atmel AT76C503/ AT76C503A/ AT76C505/ AT76C505A | Integrated | Yes[49] | BSD | Reverse engineering | Yes | |
| atw | ADMtek ADM8211 | Integrated | — | BSD | Documentation based | Yes | |
| awi | BayStack 650 | 2.7 to 4.3 | — | BSD | Yes | ||
| bwfm | Broadcom and Cypress IEEE 802.11a/ac/ax/b/g/n wireless network device | 6.3+ | BSD | Patrick Wildt | Yes | ||
| bwi | Broadcom BCM430x/4318 | Integrated | No | BSD | Sepherosa Ziehau | Ported from DragonFly BSD | Yes |
| cnw | NetWave AirSurfer | 2.6 to 6.0 | — | BSD | Yes | ||
| ipw | Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 | Integrated | No[50] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Reverse engineering | Yes |
| iwi | Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG/ 2225BG/ 2915ABG | Integrated | No[51] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Reverse engineering | Yes |
| iwn | Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965/ 5000/ 1000/ 6000 | Integrated | No[52] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Reverse engineering | Yes |
| iwm | Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3160ac/ 7260ac/ 7265ac | Integrated (since 5.8) | No[53] | BSD | Antti Kantee,[54] Stefan Sperling | Based on iwn, and iwlwifi driver released by Intel for Linux under dual GPLv2/BSD license[55] | Yes |
| malo | Marvell 88W8335/ 88W8310 | Integrated | No[56] | BSD | Marcus Glocker and Claudio Jeker | Reverse engineering[57] | Yes |
| otus | Atheros AR9170 | Integrated (since 4.6) | No[58] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Based on source code released by Atheros for Linux under the ISC | Yes |
| pgt | Conexant/Intersil Prism GT Full-MAC ISL3877, ISL3880, and ISL3890 chips | Integrated | No[59] | BSD | Ported from FreeBSD | Reverse engineering[60] | Yes |
| ral/ural | Ralink RT2500, RT2501, RT2600, RT2700, RT2800, RT3090, RT3292, RT3592 and RT5390 (ral), RT2500USB (ural) | Integrated | Yes[61] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Documentation based | Yes |
| ray | Raytheon Raylink/WebGear Aviator IEEE 802.11FH | 2.7 to 5.4 | — | BSD | Yes | ||
| rsu | Realtek RTL8188SU/RTL8191SU/RTL8192SU | Integrated (since 4.9) | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Reverse engineering | Yes |
| rtw | Realtek RTL8180L | Integrated | — | BSD | Ported from NetBSD | Documentation based | Yes |
| rtwn | Realtek RTL8188CE/RTL8192CE | Integrated | No[62] | BSD | Stefan Sperling | Based on urtwn driver. | Yes |
| rum | Ralink RT2501USB/ RT2601USB | Integrated | Yes[44] | BSD | Niall O'Higgins and Damien Bergamini | Documentation based | Yes |
| run | Ralink RT2700U/ RT2800U/ RT3000U | Integrated | Yes[44] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Documentation based | Yes |
| uath | Atheros AR5005UG/ AR5005UX | Integrated | No[63] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Reverse Engineering[60] | Yes |
| upgt | GW3887 (Conexant/Intersil PrismGT series) | Integrated | No[64] | BSD | Marcus Glocker | Reverse engineering | Yes |
| urtw | Realtek RTL8187L | Integrated | — | BSD | Weongyo Jeong (FreeBSD) | ? | Yes |
| urtwn | Realtek RTL8188CU/RTL8192CU | Integrated (since 4.9) | No | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Reverse engineering | Yes |
| wi | Lucent Hermes (WaveLAN/ ORiNOCO); Intersil PRISM-2, PRISM-2.5, PRISM-3; Symbol Spectrum24 | Integrated | Yes for Spectrum24[65] and N/A for others | BSD | Bill Paul | Documentation based | Yes |
| wpi[66] | Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG | Integrated | No[67] | BSD | Damien Bergamini | Reverse engineering | Yes |
| zyd | ZyDAS ZD1211/ZD1211B | Integrated | Yes[68] | BSD | Florian Stoehr, Damien Bergamini, and Jonathan Gray | Documentation based | Yes |
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Driver capabilities
More information Driver, 802.11 ...
| Driver | 802.11 | Bus interface | WEP | WPA | WPA2 | Monitor mode | Master mode | Ad-Hoc mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acx | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PCI | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| an | 802.11b | PC Card, PCI, ISA | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| ath | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| athn | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n | Cardbus, PCI-E, Mini PCIE | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| atu | 802.11b | USB | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| atw | 802.11b | Cardbus, PCI | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| bwfm | 802.11a/ac/ax/b/g/n | PCI, USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| bwi | 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| cnw | N/A | PC Card | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| ipw | 802.11b | PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| iwi | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| iwn | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n | PCI-E, Mini PCIE | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| iwm | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n | PCI-E, Mini PCIE | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| malo | 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PC Card, PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| otus | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| pgt | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PCI | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ral | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | Cardbus, PCI, Mini PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ray | N/A | PC Card | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| rtw | 802.11b | Cardbus, PCI | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| rtwn | 802.11b, 802.11g | Mini PCIE | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| rum | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| run | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| uath | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| upgt | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| ural | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| urtw | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| urtwn | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| wi | 802.11b | PC Card, PCI, USB | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| wpi | 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g | PCI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| zyd | 802.11b, 802.11g | USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
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Solaris and OpenSolaris
More information Driver, Chipset ...
| Driver | Chipset | Integration | Free firmware[note 2] | License | Development | Free software[note 3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ath[69][70] | Atheros AR5211/ AR5212/ AR5213/ AR5214 | Integrated with Solaris Nevada build 29 | No firmware required[3] | Dual GPL/BSD with proprietary HAL | Port of Madwifi | No |
| ipw | Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 | Community project | No | BSD | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| iwi | Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG/2225BG/2915ABG | Community project | No | BSD | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| pcan | Cisco Aironet 340/350 | Community project | — | BSD | Ported from FreeBSD | Yes |
| pcwl | Lucent/Agere Systems Hermes (WaveLAN/ORiNOCO), Intersil PRISM-2 802.11b | Community project | — | BSD | Ported from FreeBSD | Yes |
| ral | Ralink RT2500 | Community project | — | BSD | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| rtw | Realtek RTL8180L | Community project | — | BSD | Ported from NetBSD | Yes |
| malo | Marvell 88W8335/ 88W8310 | Community project | — | BSD | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| wpi | Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG | Community project | No | BSD | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| iwk | Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN | Community project | No | BSD | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
| arn | Atheros 9000 | Community project | No | BSD | based on ath9k | Yes |
| rwd | Ralink RT2561/RT2561S/RT2661 | Community project | No | BSD | Yes | |
| rwn | Ralink RT2700/2800 | Community project | No | BSD | Yes | |
| urtw | Realtek RTL8187L/B USB | Community project | No | BSD | Yes | |
| atu | Atmel AT76C50x | Community project | No | BSD | Yes | |
| mwl | Marvell 88W8363 | Community project | No | BSD | Yes | |
| ural | Ralink RT2500USB | Community project | No | BSD | Yes | |
| zyd | ZyDAS ZD1211 chipsets | Community project | Yes | BSD | Ported from OpenBSD | Yes |
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Darwin, OpenDarwin and macOS
More information Driver, Chipset ...
| Driver | Chipset | Free firmware[note 2] | License | Development |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWIDarwin | Intel PRO/Wireless 2100/2200BG/2225BG/2915ABG/3945ABG/4965AGN | No | GPL | Port from Linux |
| WirelessDriver[71] | Lucent/Agere Systems Hermes (WaveLAN/ORiNOCO), Intersil PRISM-2 802.11b | — | BSD | |
| "GTdriver". Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. | PRISM-GT 802.11b/g | — | GPL |
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Notes
- 'On Device' means firmware is stored in device at all times
- 'N/A' means firmware is stored in device at all times, 'yes' means firmware is available for totally free redistribution, 'no' means you have to get into non-free-software contract with the manufacturer to get access to the firmware
- in terms of no binary-only requirements that are posed by the driver, i.e. you can modify all code that is run on your CPU
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References
External links
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