RTL8821CU Wifi Adapter on OpenWrt

Installing and Using OpenWrt Network and Wireless Configuration
1

I'm having trouble installing my Cudy Wifi Adapter Driver (RTL8821CU) in the OpenWRT CLI! I've already installed all necessary usb-2 and usb-3 drivers? using kmod and so forth, so I have Open WRT installed and can login via the web browser. After I couldn't get the wifi adapter driver installed I tried to install it through the OpenWRT > System > Software menu where I got this error below...

> #### Executing package manager
> 
> ##### Errors
> 
> Collected errors: * pkg_init_from_file: Malformed package file /tmp/upload.ipk.
> 
> The *opkg install* command failed with code `255`.

Is there anything I'm missing to try and get this working and be able to use my Pi4 as an OpenWRT Router!?

2

what package (the .ipk file) did you upload? seems like it was not a valid package

By the way, if you search this forum for RTL8821CU, I think you'll find you're SOOL making it work

1 Like
3

No I tried updating the .zip file of the driver, almost worked too then got that error!! lol

4

that's not how packages are installed in openWRT - I would argue that it didn't almost work - rather, as evidenced by the error, it completely failed

what zip file are you even talking about?

5

The zip file here;
http://cudytech.com/filedownload/161037

6

That won't work. You'll have better luck to try the available modules from the Software page. Filter with rtl and try for example the kmod-rtl8821ae

1 Like
7

Hi, I'm having a similar issue with the Cudy AC1300 Wireless Dual Band USB adapter (Model: WU1300S).

Please, how did you end up solving it, dn_angel000?

I was following this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlHWnKVpygw, and got stuck in 21:40 when attempting to put wlan1 up. It seems the problem is the drivers.

Thanks.

PS: my packages installed:

root@OpenWrt:~#opkg list-installed | grep -i 'usb\|rt2\|mt76\|rtl8'
brcmfmac-firmware-usb - 20201118-3
kmod-mt76-core - 5.4.154+2021-06-06-22b69033-4
kmod-mt76-usb - 5.4.154+2021-06-06-22b69033-4
kmod-mt76x02-common - 5.4.154+2021-06-06-22b69033-4
kmod-mt76x02-usb - 5.4.154+2021-06-06-22b69033-4
kmod-mt76x2-common - 5.4.154+2021-06-06-22b69033-4
kmod-mt76x2u - 5.4.154+2021-06-06-22b69033-4
kmod-rt2800-lib - 5.4.154+5.10.68-1-1
kmod-rt2800-usb - 5.4.154+5.10.68-1-1
kmod-rt2x00-lib - 5.4.154+5.10.68-1-1
kmod-rt2x00-usb - 5.4.154+5.10.68-1-1
kmod-rtl8812au-ct - 5.4.154+2020-01-12-e0d586aa-2
kmod-rtl8821ae - 5.4.154+5.10.68-1-1
kmod-usb-core - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-ehci - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-gadget - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-hid - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-net - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-net-asix-ax88179 - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-net-rtl8152 - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-net2280 - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-ohci - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb-uhci - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb2 - 5.4.154-1
kmod-usb3 - 5.4.154-1
libusb-1.0-0 - 1.0.24-4
rt2800-usb-firmware - 20201118-3
rtl8821ae-firmware - 20201118-3
rtl8822be-firmware - 20201118-3
rtl8822ce-firmware - 20201118-3
usbids - 0.350-1
usbutils - 013-2
8

I didn't! I was following the same video as you and just bought the same wifi adapter used in the same video!! lol I bought four of those adapters just to try to bond them together (channel bonding) in hopes of making the speed faster, but I doubt it'll work especially if the driver(s) won't work with the device!! lol

9

In OpenWRT 23.05, no the kmod-rtl8821ae module won't work with an rtl8821cu USB wifi dongle, I tried. No new device appears as listed with "ip a", however the kernel module "rtl8821ae" is seen as having successfully loaded with "lsmod". This is on a Raspberry Pi 4.

BTW: I installed "usb-modeswitch" and ran "usbmode" on the command line, as this dongle was in "Mass Storage device" mode at first. Seen in kernel log:

New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=1a2b, bcdDevice= 2.00

usbmode changed this to:

New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=c811, bcdDevice= 2.00

That still didn't help for a new device to pop into existence.

10

Two years ago there was no 23.05 so I am not sure about the usefulness of your necroposting.