Can't get wifi working on x86

Installing and Using OpenWrt
12

Sadly there's (normally) no point of trying to shoehorn WLAN cards on x86_64 at all, not because it's not possible, but for many reasons:

  • small boards (almost anything under µATX) don't have enough mini-PCIe or M.2 slots for two- or three (6 GHz) WLAN cards
  • µATX means large case and antennas don't like a big chunk of metal (the case) that much - and Mu-MIMO requires a certain distance and spatial distribution of the antennas (not possible on the slot bracket)
  • good WLAN cards aren't cheap (a full OpenWrt supported AP often costs less)
  • pigtails and antennas aren't cheap either, and you need 8-20 of them
  • many AP mode capable WLAN cards are not standards compliant (size, power consumption (10 watts on 3.3V, heat dissipation)

Yes, there may be reasons to do this nevertheless (e.g. for development purposes), but it's not cheap.

…the situation for client-mode WLAN is obviously different (cards a much cheaper - and you only need a single one).

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