Cheap OpenWrt-friendly USB 802.11ac adapter?

#1

Hello,

I'd like to buy a cheap USB 802.11ac adapter with external antenna(s), preferably 2x2, that will work hassle-free in AP mode on my OrangePi R1 running OpenWRT. I have RTL8811 & RTL8812 USB adapters but after reading this forum, apparently they are not supported by OpenWRT. I am not ready to spend over $15; for reference, RTL8812 USB that otherwise meets my criteria cost me less than $10.

p.s. I fully understand that USB2.0 on OPi R1 is somewhat a bottleneck, but given real-world wireless speeds I believe it is perfectly suitable for 2x2 802.11ac, these adapters won't realistically achieve more than 400mbps even connected to USB3.0.

#2

Unlikely to find anything that reliably supports 802.11ac in AP mode at that price point. See https://forum.openwrt.org/search?q=802.11ac%20usb

"Best bet" would be a used 802.11ac-capable router in "dumb AP" mode. Availability of used units will depend on your location, but even an old Archer C7v2 will likely run over US$15. I don't know of any new, 802.11ac-capable routers under US$15.

2 Likes
#3

@jeff thank you for your answer. Will there be any feasible options if I up the budget to $25? Separate device much larger than R1 is not an option. I am willing to compromise and accept 1x1 device as well, as long as it has acceptable external antenna.

#4

OK, it seems I will use other distro for the time being. Hopefully one day RTL8812 driver will be ported to OpenWRT; also would be nice to have internal 802.11n wi-fi working on R1.

#5

Just be aware that while other distros might provide easier access to a driver for RTL8812, its actual quality and expected issues with AP mode in particular and reliability in general are very likely to remain.

2 Likes
#6

look out for MT7612U based adapters, mt76 drivers should be fine with these

1 Like
#7

What adapter do you recommend with that chipset?

#8

i did not use any, just saw them available, thus won't give any further recommendations

#9

@slh I am fully aware, thank you.

@psyborg I looked into them, they typically go for $20-something. However I don't understand if they are have proper driver support to work as AP or not.

#10

This topic was automatically closed 10 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.