Due to a few changes at work, I was in need of an USB WiFi adapter for my desktop computer. Of course, I’m running Linux, and while that shouldn’t make things complicated, when it comes to hardware, sometimes it does.
There are tons of great WiFi adapters that work great out of the box with Linux. There are even numerous Open Source, and some Open Hardware versions too. However, in Alaska, you typically have to order out for something like that. Instead, I needed a WiFi adapter today, not in the mail.
A quick run to a local “buy your groceries and everything else” (Jack of all trades, master of none) store provided me with few options. However, a quick web search proved that the AC600 (model A6100) USB adapter was working for others on Linux, so I picked that up.
Unfortunately, my first web search led me to source code which I downloaded and compiled, but it did not work. Apparently there are more than one generation with the same model number, and those drivers didn’t help me. However, further search lead me here: https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Netgear_A6100, which lead me here: https://github.com/abperiasamy/rtl8812AU_8821AU_linux .
I don’t want to rehash the already great instructions provided, so you can read that page for the full details, but here is my history from my terminal:
2015 git clone https://github.com/abperiasamy/rtl8812AU_8821AU_linux
2016 cd rtl8812AU_8821AU_linux/
2017 make
2018 sudo make install
2019 sudo modprobe -r 8812au
2020 sudo modprobe -a rtl8812au
2021 sudo iwconfig
2022 history
2023 sudo nano /etc/modules
2024 sudo apt-get update
2025 sudo apt-get install dkms
2026 sudo cp -R . /usr/src/rtl8812AU_8821AU_linux-1.0
2027 sudo dkms add -m rtl8812AU_8821AU_linux -v 1.0
2028 sudo dkms build -m rtl8812AU_8821AU_linux -v 1.0
2029 sudo dkms install -m rtl8812AU_8821AU_linux -v 1.0
Long story short: If you follow the instructions, you will have this installed in under 15 minutes, and it does work! So, if you happen to have one of these, or need to use one on Linux, it is fairly simple and does function great!
Linux – keep it simple.