Don't use Intel or Broadcomm cards for wifi, they either work only as client (Intel) or don't work (broadcomm)
I think Realtek should be added to the list.
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Agreed. A few kinda work but it's a crapshoot to get the right chipset that has a driver that does not suck
If we exclude intel, broadcom and realteck. what options do we have left?
Qualcomm and Mediatek.
Yes thank you!. The problem I seem to be having is that I can not find actual wifi pci models using those chips. Perhaps I am using the wrong search terms. e.g. mediatek wifi pci adapter
Could you guys throw in some suggestions please?
I respect that you all also can not find cardfs just like I can not. Do you at least have a suggestion on how to attract more OpenWrt users so to increase the chance somebody might know?
Ok this is getting nerve wrecking. If no one knows of wfi cards that work then I am no longer certain OpenWrt is a good VM candidate
No one said it was...
Problem isn't wifi capability, it's AP capability in the drivers.
Since openwrt uses what's in the Linux kernel, most Linux dists will have the same issue, even if it perhaps could be remedied, at least to some extent, by using a more recent kernel.
well, that is one thing that should be high up the todo list if one would ask me
Feel free to chip in....
https://www.524wifi.com/index.php/network-modules-adapters/wifi-6-mediatek-mt7915-4t4r-dual-band-selectable-minipcie-module-ieee-802-11ax-2-4g-5ghz-aw7915-np1-dbdc-524wifi-com.html
Many will be mini-pcie like this one but there exist $10 converters to install such cards in desktop slots.
That one advertises Qualcomm ath10k chip. In general they don't say which chip is used, then you need to check with a site like techinfodepot.
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ugg here we go again. the amount I have chipped in already by donations is nothing to sneese at. And that I already promised my front end skills to some of the developers as soon as I get this wonderful masterpiece under control is not known by many but it does give me a feeling that I can tell whats on my mind
Welcome to the wondrous world of "unless it's Intel, it might not even work with latest Windows", aka the wireless card/dongle world.
The main way to search for cards and dongles with a specific chipset has to be done through sites that took over after wikidevi died, like https://wikidevi.wi-cat.ru/Main_Page
where you can find lists of chipsets and possibly the names you can use to search for cards https://wikidevi.wi-cat.ru/Qualcomm_Atheros
If you ask me there are much more important things to go on the to-do list than running after the manufacturers of wifi cards for x86. Note that x86 is only ONE of the 10-ish targets supported by OpenWrt.
Besides, most of the market of PC-grade Wifi has been cornered by intel, just because their driver support on Windows isn't absolute trash. It's not like a few years ago where there were Atheros and Broadcomm too in the race, now it's "mostly Intel with some rare Broadcomm, plus realtek on the cheap trash tablets", so it really isn't that interesting.
At this point in time, it really is orders of magnitude simpler/better/cheaper to just buy a whole wifi AP or router than a true decent PCIe wifi card capable of AP mode.
Nobody in this forum has been paid, and even contributing does not give you any contractual power.
I'll try to throw some water on the fire. I've been using Mikrotik hardware for a while and I like them, so even if I never personally used these, I have found some confirmation that they work so I'll suggest them. Do more research and use at your own risk
what about
https://mikrotik.com/product/R11e-5HacD
which seem to work fine on OpenWrt (apart from some bs with MAC address) Same MAC address for both PCI modules - #11 by pepe2k
Also there is https://mikrotik.com/product/R11e-5HacT
That also seems to work Best MiniPCIe Wireless Cards for Custom AP - #6 by neheb
Yes you will probably need a mini-pcie to PCIe adapter but at least you know the specs and you can be certain that they are designed for router use (i.e. they have high power transceivers and a heat sink)
Also note that this is a card that does 5Ghz ONLY, so if you want also 2.4Ghz you need to get others (Mikrotik also has 2.4Ghz cards like the R11e-2HPnD mentioned in the post I linked)
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again mini pcie, also EITHER 5Ghz or 2.4Ghz, cannot do both at the same time
Thank yo all for your valuable contributions. I prefer to focus on a PCie wireless network card as going that is most compatible with my current use case. Also it seems more related to the thread we are in.
I have used OpenWrt WAPs and find that for me I'd like to see if I can avoid having additional components to worry about in terms of hard/software
Just a simple numbers game, taking compex' wifi6 wireless cards (QCA QNC9074):
- 2.4 GHz, ~200 USD
- 5 GHz, ~250 USD
- 6 GHz, 250 USD
Compared to complete ipq807x devices with at least dual-band (starting ~70 USD for the ax3600, but the higher end ones are more like 300-400 USD; or around 100 USD for the rt3200/ e8450).
I have a silverstone mini pci-e network card to pci-e interface adapter on the way
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=561&area=en
As well as
[WiFi6 4T4R Dual Bands Selectable mPCIe Card IEEE802.11ax / ac / a / b / g / n 2.4G / 5GHz MT7915 AW7915-NP1]
[WiFi Mini PCIe Module MTK MT7615 4T4R DBDC 11ac 1.7Gbps AW7615-NP1]
I will keep you guys updated on how far I get
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