Hi guys,
I am looking for a suitable USB-WiFi stick with USB-A. It should support the 802.11s protocol so that I can use the PiZero as a MESH client.
In the end, the PiZero should start the MESH optimized via Fast Transition with 802.11r.
Instead of an Ethernet backbone, WiFi should be used with a number of possible endpoints.
Yes, the PiZero is slow. But sufficient for an IoT WiFi in the MESH-Mode.
Solution-oriented suggestions with links or naming the devices.
Please briefly explain why you are using your WiFi-Stick and with which module you are using the device.
If you are looking for non-STA functionality (AP, 802.11s, etc), I do not recommend using USB adapters. The wireless chips for USB use are not built with the idea of functioning as anything other than STAs, the internal firmwares don't have the SRAM capacity to support many clients or non-standard configuration, etc.
That said, if you insist on using USB, check out this repo:
These adapters are supported on official Linux, and the Mediatek ones have a reputation for having good drivers. You should choose one with "mesh point" support.
This GitHub hasn't been updated for many years, what I know is MT7612U should be probably the latest one and fastest one that can do 802.11s (802.11ac 2x2), but I do agree that it's not really good to use USB WiFi as permanent AP solution.
I own both 782ACv2 & 785AC, both are not single-state devices, they are multi-state devices, which means by default it presents itself as USB storage first, USB mod-switching software on Linux works but it has issue with OpenWrt (settings not being able to survive after reboot).
Someone proposed an add-on script to make it working but I don't know if that works, I went with another route which directly removing 3 resistors on board to force it back to single-state.
I would highly recommend Alfa Network AWUS036ACM as the most trouble-free USB WiFi adapter, with excellent range and suitable as a permanent solution for less-demanding networks. The caveat is that it does not support multiple BSSIDs, so you can't run both a mesh node and an AP at the same time.
Regarding its performance, you can get 250 or maybe 300 Mbps out of it in the AP mode, or 400-500 Mbps in the STA mode. I have not tried to use or benchmark it as a mesh node.
EDIT: you need to set one non-default module parameter for stable operation, but after that, it is a configure-and-forget device:
Pardon my ignorance, but why would a USB WiFi adapter present itself as storage first or at all? The manufacturer page does not call out any user accessible memory.
This is not uncommon, bear in mind that your OS (not limited to Linux, but also Windows/MacOS) might not have driver which means you have to install it before use, nowadays it's pretty easy since you can download online. Now the question is: You are purchasing a NETWORK ADAPTOR, assume it's the only interface for your internet, and you don't have driver, what can you do? So some vendors use multi-state USB to present the small flash storage (with driver) inside dongle because virtually any OS we have now has USB storage driver to read that content, and you'll be able to use it to install driver.
The word "driverless" advertised on packages are not correct, you still need to install driver BUT driver is not coming with CDROM instead it's stored on itself.
The way Linux handling it is different, you have to use usb-modswitching to switch out from the storage mode, modern full Linux OS mostly have it by default so you don't really notice it (if you read my thread quoted above, you'll see why I mistakenly thought it was single-state from the beginning)
I remember I tested it once, and yes it could change state, but there was another problem, let me try to describe the issue below:
Assume you are using SINGLE-STATE dongle, OpenWrt directly registers it and hostapd can see it, you configure it with AP and use, without touching anything, even OpenWrt reboots you can still use it properly, sweet.
For the same dongle, if you unplug, and re-plug again, OpenWrt will consider it as another device (even it's the same one, plugging back to same port, I don't know why, it was reproducible when I use my RPi as OpenWrt host), which means my original AP mode setting no longer works.
Now with MULTI-STATE adaptor, using the module parameter option works but....after a reboot, it has the same problem as I mentioned in above point 2, even without a physical touch, I don't know if it's related to RPi's USB controller (since I know they are not always working well with all USB hardware), but to me the USB modswitching seems to have the same effect of "unplug then plug" action which causes trouble with hostapd.
Note that "unplug then plug" action seems having no effect on client operations, so if you only use it as client probably never notice any problem.
Accidentally I came across someone else using other COMFAST MT7612U dongle and successfully performed hardware mod to change it back to single-state, I believe different models of the same brand should be more or less the same and I did mine and now both are single-state now.
For the speed, both COMFAST are really really great, in the same room it's easy to get ~500Mbps throughput (pretty good as 2x2 802.11ac), and I'm living in a wooden house, 1 floor below me I was also able to get ~300Mbps. So basically I can pair it with my old RPi 3 as AP to cover a little WiFi dead zone in my house.
