How to activate PCIe WiFi cards in Oolite 8.0 Firmware

For Developers
1

Oolite dev board with 15.05 firmware from Gainstrong do not recognise PCIe WiFi cards. What packages must be installed?

Board: Oolite 8.0.2-Dev-V1.1.15 2017.05.31
PCIe Wifi Cards: GS-PQD10-V1.0.1, CPU: QCA9887.
Firmware: OpenWrt Chaos Calmer 15.05.1 r49403 / LuCI for-15.05 branch (git-17.100.70767-78c1566)

~$ ssh root@192.168.1.1
root@192.168.1.1's password: 
BusyBox v1.23.2 (2017-04-18 10:57:20 CST) built-in shell (ash)
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 |_______||   __|_____|__|__||________||__|  |____|
          |__| W I R E L E S S   F R E E D O M
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 CHAOS CALMER (Chaos Calmer, r49403)
 oot@OpenWrt:~# lspci
00:00.0 PCI bridge: Device 0e8d:0801 (rev 01)
01:00.0 IDE interface: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1061 SATA IDE Controller (rev 01)
root@OpenWrt:~#

  • to change default ip addr 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.9:

    root@OpenWrt:~# uci set network.lan.ipaddr=192.168.1.9
    root@OpenWrt:~# uci commit network
    root@OpenWrt:~# exit 0

  • to turn off DHCP:

http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/dhcp.dnsmasq
http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/uci/dhcp

root@OpenWrt:~# /etc/init.d/dnsmasq disable
root@OpenWrt:~# exit 0

  • now connect DSL router to eth0. Check opkg update and opkg list.

    root@OpenWrt:~# opkg install kmod-ath10k
    Package kmod-ath10k (3.18.36+2016-01-10-1) installed in root is up to date.
    root@OpenWrt:~# opkg install ath10k-firmware-qca988x
    Package ath10k-firmware-qca988x (2014-11-13-77f72b5f7dd940386d9e619a17904987759b7186-1) installed in root is up to date.
    root@OpenWrt:~# opkg install kmod-mac80211
    Package kmod-mac80211 (3.18.36+2016-01-10-1) installed in root is up to date.

  • reconfig wireless (https://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/uci/wireless):

    root@OpenWrt:~# rm -f /etc/config/wireless
    root@OpenWrt:~# wifi detect > /etc/config/wireless

2

the wifi drivers are in this list https://openwrt.org/packages/index/kernel-modules---wireless-drivers

The driver name depends from the wifi card you install. The package has the same name as the linux kernel module for that device.

I don't know what of them are available in 15.05.

I suggest to use 8devices boards, that have upstream OpenWrt support, so you have an easier time.

most powerful is https://www.8devices.com/products/jalapeno that has a PR to add support here https://github.com/openwrt/openwrt/pull/713

3

What packages I need for PCIe Wifi card GS-PQD10-V1.0.1, CPU: QCA9887?

root@OpenWrt:~# opkg install kmod-ath10k
Package kmod-ath10k (3.18.36+2016-01-10-1) installed in root is up to date.

root@OpenWrt:~# opkg install ath10k-firmware-qca988x
Package ath10k-firmware-qca988x (2014-11-13-77f72b5f7dd940386d9e619a17904987759b7186-1) installed in root is up to date.
4

https://openwrt.org/packages/index/firmware

there are ath10k-firmware-qca9887 and ath10k-firmware-qca9887-ct packages for firmware for that device.

I don't know what of the two firmware packages is the right one, but the one you installed is not correct.

Since it's firmware (cpu architecture not relevant), you can probably just take the package from the current repositories and install it manually if you don't find that in the older repositories.

5

CT version is modded firmware done by Candela Tech.
If you dont features that it provides,use non CT version

6

  • Delete old ath10k packages (https://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/techref/opkg):

      root@(none):~# opkg files ath10k-firmware-qca988x
  Collected errors:
    opkg_files_cmd: Package ath10k-firmware-qca988x not installed.
  root@(none):~# opkg files kmod-ath10k
  Collected errors:
    opkg_files_cmd: Package kmod-ath10k not installed.
  root@(none):~#

  • Compile trunk and install ath10k-firmware-qca9887 package:

      ~$ scp ath10k-firmware-qca9887.ipk root@192.168.1.9:/tmp
  ~$ ssh root@192.168.1.9
  root@(none):~# opkg install /tmp/ath10k-firmware-qca9887.ipk
  Unknown package 'ath10k-firmware-qca9887'.
  Collected errors:
    pkg_hash_fetch_best_installation_candidate: Packages for ath10k-firmware-qca9887 found, but incompatible with the architectures configured
    opkg_install_cmd: Cannot install package ath10k-firmware-qca9887.
  root@(none):~#
7

Test wifi card with ZBT WE1326.

:~$ ssh-keygen -f "/home/andrei/.ssh/known_hosts" -R "192.168.1.1"
 Host 192.168.1.1 found: line 1
/home/andrei/.ssh/known_hosts updated.
Original contents retained as /home/andrei/.ssh/known_hosts.old
:~$ ssh root@192.168.1.1
The authenticity of host '192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1)' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is SHA256:qx/PH8avLZ1g6tPG3d+y/fyQRrDifiDtH4txzZv5duc.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added '192.168.1.1' (RSA) to the list of known hosts.
BusyBox v1.27.2 () built-in shell (ash)
  _______                     ________        __
 |       |.-----.-----.-----.|  |  |  |.----.|  |_
 |   -   ||  _  |  -__|     ||  |  |  ||   _||   _|
 |_______||   __|_____|__|__||________||__|  |____|
          |__| W I R E L E S S   F R E E D O M
 -----------------------------------------------------
 OpenWrt SNAPSHOT, r6067-e2ec3f7550
root@OpenWrt:~# uci set network.lan.ipaddr=192.168.1.9
root@OpenWrt:~# uci commit network
root@OpenWrt:~# exit 0
Connection to 192.168.1.1 closed.
8

There has been a lot of development of ath10k and the firmware since 15.05.1. Suggest using a later LEDE release.

First step to diagnose this would be to check log files and lspci to see if the card has registered on the PCIe bus.