Install Realtek 802.11n (RTL8188E) WiFi USB dongle on SP7021 demo board

The goal of this document is to illustrate how to setup and activate Realtek 802.11n (RTL8188E) WiFi USB dongle on SP7021 demo boards. The Realtek RTL8188E is an 802.11b/g/n 2.4G single-chip IC which integrates wireless LAN and an USB controller. It combines a MAC, a 1T1R capable baseband, and RF in a single chip. The RTL8188E is suitable for high performance and low power consumption integrated wireless LAN devices.

We need to build Linux driver of Realtek RTL8188E, and necessary wireless protocols support modules. Please follow the following steps:

1. Enable wireless protocols support

Run make kconfig in project top folder (or go to linux/kernel folder and run make menuconfig). When “Linux/arm 5.4.35 Kernel Configuration” menu pops up, please use arrow key to move cursor down to “Networking support”. Refer to screenshot below, cursor was moved to “Networking support” menu item:

Press <SPACE> to enable it and then press <Enter> to enter “Networking support” sub-menu. Again, use arrow key to move cursor down to “Wireless” menu item. Refer to screenshot below, cursor was moved to “Wireless”:

Press <Enter> to enter “Wireless” sub-menu. Enable “cfg80211 – wireless configuration API” as module, enable “support CRDA” and “cfg80211 wireless extension compatibility”, and enable “Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking Stack (mac80211)” as module. Refer to screenshot “Wireless” sub-menu below:

Note that [*] means be included in kernel, <M> means be compiled as dynamic load module, whereas [ ] means does not include.

2. Enable Realtek 8188E USB WiFi driver

Move cursor to go to “Device Drivers” and then “Network device support” and then “Wireless LAN”. Next, enable “Realtek devices”. Enable “Realtek 8188E USB WiFi” as module. Refer to screenshot of “Wireless LAN” sub-menu below:

3. Build Linux image

Go to top folder and run make all to build Linux image.

4. Copy firmware

Copy firmware file rtl8188eufw.bin of RTL8188EU to folder /lib/firmware/rtlwifi.

5. Boot Linux

Boot Linux with the built image.

6. Plug in Realtek 802.11n USB WiFi dongle

Plug in Realtek 802.11n USB WiFi dongle into one of USB (Type-A) socket of a SP7021 demo board. Refer to picture below:

7. Probe WiFi module

Run modprobe 8188eu to probe module 8188eu.ko (RTL8188E USB WiFi driver). Refer to log when 8188eu.ko is probing below:

pi@raspberrypi:~$ sudo modprobe 8188eu
pi@raspberrypi:~$ dmesg | tail -n 5
[10124.007709] usb 1-1: new high-speed USB device number 6 using ehci0-sunplus
[10124.379130] RTW: rtl8188eu v5.2.2.4_25483.20171222
[10124.429228] RTW: hal_com_config_channel_plan chplan:0x20
[10124.430927] RTW: rtw_regsty_chk_target_tx_power_valid return false for band:0, path:0, rs:0, t:-1
[10124.437068] usbcore: registered new interface driver rtl8188eu
pi@raspberrypi:~$

In report of dmesg command, “RTW: rtl8188eu v5.2.2.4_25483.20171222” means RTL8188EU was probed successfully.

8. Check out report of wireless net-interface devices

Run ifconfig wlan0 to check out status reports of net-interface device wlan0. Refer to log below:

pi@raspberrypi:~$ ifconfig wlan0
wlan0: flags=4099<UP,BROADCAST,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        ether cc:d2:9b:4b:3d:25  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        RX errors 0  dropped 605  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 0  bytes 0 (0.0 B)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

pi@raspberrypi:~$

Net-interface device wlan0 has been created.

Run iwconfig wlan0 to check out status reports of wireless LAN device wlan0. Refer to log below:

pi@raspberrypi:~$ iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11  ESSID:off/any
          Mode:Managed  Access Point: Not-Associated   Tx-Power=12 dBm
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Power Management:on

pi@raspberrypi:~$

wlan0 is operating at Managed mode and is not yet connected to an access point (AP).

Run iwlist wlan0 channel to check out channel reports of wireless LAN device wlan0. Refer to log below:

pi@raspberrypi:~$ iwlist wlan0 channel
wlan0     13 channels in total; available frequencies :
          Channel 01 : 2.412 GHz
          Channel 02 : 2.417 GHz
          Channel 03 : 2.422 GHz
          Channel 04 : 2.427 GHz
          Channel 05 : 2.432 GHz
          Channel 06 : 2.437 GHz
          Channel 07 : 2.442 GHz
          Channel 08 : 2.447 GHz
          Channel 09 : 2.452 GHz
          Channel 10 : 2.457 GHz
          Channel 11 : 2.462 GHz
          Channel 12 : 2.467 GHz
          Channel 13 : 2.472 GHz
pi@raspberrypi:~$

wlan0 has 13 channels in total and carrier frequency is 2.412 GHz ~ 2.472 GHz.

Run iwlist wlan0 scanning to show details of all channels of wireless LAN device wlan0. Refer to log below:

pi@raspberrypi:~$ iwlist wlan0 scanning
wlan0     Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: 08:60:6E:CE:48:F0
                    Channel:1
                    Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                    Quality=36/70  Signal level=-74 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"AP0620"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                              24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000000000002a6
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 0006415030363230
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B962430486C
                    IE: Unknown: 030101
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 2F0100
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (2) : CCMP TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 32040C121860
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A7C181BFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1601080000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD8E0050F204104A0001101044000102103B0001031047001089CD7C6DCE07C4F1446CA7C5526F4AA3102100074153555354656B1023000F576972656C65737320526F75746572102400063132333435361042000234351054000800060050F2040001101100144153555320576972656C65737320526F75746572100800022008103C0001011049000600372A000120
                    IE: Unknown: DD090010180200F02C0000
                    IE: WPA Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (2) : CCMP TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
          Cell 02 - Address: EC:F3:42:8F:16:29
                    Channel:1
                    Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                    Quality=51/70  Signal level=-59 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"CPH1701_HBTC"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s
                              36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000000000000281
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000C435048313730315F48425443
                    IE: Unknown: 010482848B96
                    IE: Unknown: 030101
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 32080C1218243048606C
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A2C0103FF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1601000400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101810003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
          Cell 03 - Address: 28:3B:82:66:69:FD
                    Channel:1
                    Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                    Quality=57/70  Signal level=-53 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                              9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000000000000316
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000F000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B960C121824
                    IE: Unknown: 030101
                    IE: Unknown: 050400010000
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0106
                    IE: Unknown: 32043048606C
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A6E181EFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1601050000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 4A0E14000A00B400C800140005001900
                    IE: Unknown: 7F0101
                    IE: WPA Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101000003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: DD1E00904C336E181EFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD1A00904C3401050000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD0600E04C020160
          Cell 04 - Address: 20:47:DA:16:02:29
                    Channel:4
                    Frequency:2.427 GHz (Channel 4)
                    Quality=53/70  Signal level=-57 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"OPPO R7sf"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s
                              36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=000000000000033b
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 00094F50504F2052377366
                    IE: Unknown: 010482848B96
                    IE: Unknown: 030104
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 32080C1218243048606C
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A2D0113FF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1604000400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101810003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: BF0C12718033FEFF8601FEFF8601
                    IE: Unknown: C005000000FEFF
                    IE: Unknown: 7F080400000000000040
                    IE: Unknown: DD0A0017F206010103010000
          Cell 05 - Address: F8:1A:67:CD:46:FA
                    Channel:5
                    Frequency:2.432 GHz (Channel 5)
                    Quality=55/70  Signal level=-55 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"ROStest"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                              9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000000000000360
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 0007524F5374657374
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B960C121824
                    IE: Unknown: 030105
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 32043048606C
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1AEF1103FFFF0000000000000000000000000000000406E6E70D00
                    IE: Unknown: 331AEF1103FFFF0000000000000000000000000000000406E6E70D00
                    IE: Unknown: 3D16050D0600000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3416050D0600000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101040003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: DD0900037F01010000FF7F
                    IE: Unknown: DD990050F204104A0001101044000102103B00010310470010000102030405060708090A0B0C0D0E0F1021000754502D4C494E4B10230009544C2D57523834314E10240003382E3010420003312E301054000800060050F204000110110019576972656C65737320526F7574657220544C2D57523834314E100800020086103C000101104900140024E26002000101600000020001600100020001
          Cell 06 - Address: 76:F6:1C:8F:D6:C9
                    Channel:6
                    Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)
                    Quality=70/70  Signal level=-39 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"HTC U12 life"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s
                              36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=000000000000007b
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000C48544320553132206C696665
                    IE: Unknown: 010482848B96
                    IE: Unknown: 030106
                    IE: Unknown: 3B1151515354737475767778797A7B7D7E7F80
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 32080C1218243048606C
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A2D0113FF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1606000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101810003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: BF0C12718033FEFF8601FEFF8601
                    IE: Unknown: C005000000FEFF
                    IE: Unknown: 7F080400000000000040
          Cell 07 - Address: D2:C0:BF:BB:30:A0
                    Channel:8
                    Frequency:2.447 GHz (Channel 8)
                    Quality=35/70  Signal level=-75 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"QCastMirror BFBB30A0"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                              9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000000000000360
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 001451436173744D6972726F72204246424233304130
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B960C121824
                    IE: Unknown: 030108
                    IE: Unknown: 050400010000
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0104
                    IE: Unknown: 32043048606C
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A6E001FFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1608070000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435D0062322E00
          Cell 08 - Address: AC:22:0B:96:92:20
                    Channel:11
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality=55/70  Signal level=-55 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"SC0000"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                              24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000000000000281
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 0006534330303030
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B962430486C
                    IE: Unknown: 03010B
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 2F0100
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 32040C121860
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A7C181BFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D160B080000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD090010180200F02C0000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
          Cell 09 - Address: 8A:83:5D:2D:78:BA
                    Channel:11
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality=27/70  Signal level=-83 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"QCastMirror 5D2D78BA"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                              9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000000000002cc
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 001451436173744D6972726F72203544324437384241
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B960C121824
                    IE: Unknown: 03010B
                    IE: Unknown: 050400010000
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0104
                    IE: Unknown: 32043048606C
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A6E001FFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D160B070000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435D0062322E00
          Cell 10 - Address: 00:D0:41:CA:9B:96
                    Channel:11
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality=24/70  Signal level=-86 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"SAPIDO_RB-1602"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                              9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000000000001a3
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000E53415049444F5F52422D31363032
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B960C121824
                    IE: Unknown: 03010B
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 32043048606C
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A6E101EFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D160B070000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 4A0E14000A00B400C800140005001900
                    IE: Unknown: 7F0101
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101000003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: DD780050F204104A0001101044000102103B000103104700106304125310192006122800D041CA9B96102100044E6F6E65102300001024000D45562D323030392D30322D30361042000F3132333435363738393031323334371054000800060050F20400011011000B576972656C657373204150100800020086
                    IE: Unknown: DD1E00904C336E101EFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD1A00904C340B070000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD0600E04C020160
          Cell 11 - Address: 90:F6:52:A2:6E:09
                    Channel:1
                    Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                    Quality=23/70  Signal level=-87 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"TP-LINK_POCKET_3020_A26E09"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                              9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000000000000385
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 001A54502D4C494E4B5F504F434B45545F333032305F413236453039
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B960C121824
                    IE: Unknown: 030101
                    IE: Unknown: 050400010100
                    IE: Unknown: 0706555320010B1B
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (2) : CCMP TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 32043048606C
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A6E1103FF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D16010D0400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: WPA Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (2) : CCMP TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101830003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: DD0900037F01010000FF7F
          Cell 12 - Address: 2E:16:95:CD:61:1B
                    Channel:6
                    Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)
                    Quality=29/70  Signal level=-81 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                              24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000000000000159
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 00110000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B962430486C
                    IE: Unknown: 030106
                    IE: Unknown: 050400010002
                    IE: Unknown: 0706545720010D1E
                    IE: Unknown: 200100
                    IE: Unknown: 23021200
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0104
                    IE: Unknown: 32040C121860
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A2D0017FFFF000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1606000400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 7F080400000000000040
                    IE: Unknown: DD0A0017F206010103030000
                    IE: Unknown: DD0A0010180203001C000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
          Cell 13 - Address: 64:D1:54:D3:EA:39
                    Channel:6
                    Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)
                    Quality=15/70  Signal level=-95 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"GUC-NET"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                              9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000000000000302
                    Extra: Last beacon: 11770ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 00074755432D4E4554
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B960C121824
                    IE: Unknown: 030106
                    IE: Unknown: 050400010000
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A2C1003FFFF000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 32043048606C
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1606000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD2A000C42000000011E0000000007662D060000363444313534443345413339000000000000000005028509
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: DD1E00904C332C1003FFFF000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD1A00904C3406000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: WPA Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
          Cell 14 - Address: A2:E4:5C:88:C3:32
                    Channel:11
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality=25/70  Signal level=-85 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"ZenFone6_7434"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s
                              36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000000000001c8
                    Extra: Last beacon: 4820ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000D5A656E466F6E65365F37343334
                    IE: Unknown: 010482848B96
                    IE: Unknown: 03010B
                    IE: Unknown: 050400020000
                    IE: Unknown: 3B050C53547D81
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 32080C1218243048606C
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1AEF0113FFFF000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D160B001500000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101810003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: BF0C92798133FAFF6203FAFF6203
                    IE: Unknown: C005000000FAFF
                    IE: Unknown: C302003C
                    IE: Unknown: 7F080500000000000040
                    IE: Unknown: DD088CFDF00101020100

pi@raspberrypi:~$

9. Connect to WiFi Access Point (AP).

Run sudo iwconfig wlan0 essid “HTC U12 life” to connect to WiFi access-point “HTC U12 life”. Refer to log below:

pi@raspberrypi:~$ sudo iwconfig wlan0 essid "HTC U12 life"
pi@raspberrypi:~$

wlan0 is connected to “HTC U12 life” successfully (No error was reported).

Note that iwconfig only supports WEP encryption. Please use wpa_supplicant if your AP is using WPA or WPA2 encryption.

Run iwconfig wlan0 to show status report of wireless LAN device wlan0. Refer to log below:

pi@raspberrypi:~$ iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11  ESSID:"HTC U12 life"
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462 GHz  Access Point: 76:F6:1C:8F:D6:C9
          Bit Rate=72.2 Mb/s   Tx-Power=12 dBm
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Power Management:on
          Link Quality=67/70  Signal level=-43 dBm
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

pi@raspberrypi:~$

Access Point is changed to 76:F6:1C:8F:D6:C9. It is MAC address of the WiFi AP you connected.

Its ESSID is “HTC U12 life”. Protocol is “IEEE 802.11”. Carrier frequency is 2.462 GHz.

Run ifconfig wlan0 to show status report of net interface device wlan0.

ifconfig wlan0
wlan0: flags=4163<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        inet 192.168.43.34  netmask 255.255.255.0  broadcast 192.168.43.255
        inet6 fe80::8a3a:7565:3faf:585c  prefixlen 64  scopeid 0x20<link>
        ether cc:d2:9b:4b:3d:25  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 23033  bytes 34125715 (32.5 MiB)
        RX errors 0  dropped 1867  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 5309  bytes 1088959 (1.0 MiB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

pi@raspberrypi:~$

Note that ip address of local host is set to 192.168.43.34. netmask is set to 255.255.255.0. broadcast address is set to 192.168.43.255.

10. Test wireless device

Run ping -c 3 google.com.tw to ping google.com.tw. Refer to log below:

pi@raspberrypi:~$ ping -c 3 google.com.tw
PING google.com.tw (172.217.24.3) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from tsa01s07-in-f3.1e100.net (172.217.24.3): icmp_seq=1 ttl=116 time=20.8 ms
64 bytes from tsa01s07-in-f3.1e100.net (172.217.24.3): icmp_seq=2 ttl=116 time=28.8 ms
64 bytes from tsa01s07-in-f3.1e100.net (172.217.24.3): icmp_seq=3 ttl=116 time=31.5 ms

--- google.com.tw ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 22ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 20.765/27.006/31.494/4.554 ms
pi@raspberrypi:~$

Ping google.com.tw successfully.

11. Notes

If you are running on desktop environment, like Debian, Raspbian, and etc., you may need to turn off Network Manager before using networking tools iwconfig in advance. Manual methods iwconfig, etc. are unlikely to work as long as Network Manager is running. Network Manager has taken control and will not respond to another set of hands on the controls. To turn Network Manger off, for example, on Raspbian, please run ps aux to show process id of wpa_supplicant and use sudo kill -9 to terminate it.

pi@raspberrypi:~$ ps aux | grep wpa_supplicant
root      1442  0.0  0.4  10736  2520 ?        Ss   05:05   0:00 /sbin/wpa_supplicant -u -s -O /run/wpa_supplicant
root      3616  2.2  0.8  11000  4516 ?        Ss   07:54   0:50 wpa_supplicant -B -c/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf -iwlan0 -Dnl80211,wext
pi        4187  0.0  0.1   7472   528 ttyS0    S+   08:31   0:00 grep --color=auto wpa_supplicant
pi@raspberrypi:~$

Run sudo dhclient wlan0 to get ip addresses of local host, gateway, domain name server, and etc.

pi@raspberrypi:~$ sudo dhclient wlan0
RTNETLINK answers: File exists
pi@raspberrypi:~$

If you are going to install 8188eu.ko manually, please copy 8188eu.ko to folder:

/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8188eu

Also, copy firmware file rtl8188eufw.bin to folder: /lib/firmware/rtlwifi

After copy, please run depmod to update kernel dependency files.