Release Date: 2012-05-09, ver 0006 Realtek Linux mac80211 based driver: --This driver supports follwing RealTek PCIE Wireless LAN NICs: RTL8188CE/RTL8192CE RTL8191SE/RTL8192SE RTL8192DE RTL8723AE --This driver supports follwing Linux OS: Fedora Core Debian Mandriva Open SUSE Gentoo MeeGo android 2.2 (froyo-x86), etc. --This driver supports follwing kernel versions: 1) kernel version >=2.6.35 you can build & install drvier use II. 2) kernel version [2.6.24, 2.6.34] you can build & install drvier use III. ======================================================================================== I. Component ======================================================================================== The driver is composed of several parts: 1. Firmare to make nic work 1.1 firmare/rtlwifi 2. Module source code 2.1 ./* 2.2 rtl8192ce 2.2 rtl8192se 2.2 rtl8192de 2.2 rtl8723ae 3. Script to build the modules 3.1 Makefile 4. compat-wireless 4.1 compat-wireless*.tar.bz2 4.2 compat ======================================================================================== II. Compile & Installation & uninstall ======================================================================================== You can enter top-level directory of driver and execute follwing command to Compile, Installation, or uninstall the driver: 1. Change to Super User sudo su 2. Compile driver from the source code make 3. Install the driver to the kernel make install reboot 4. uninstall driver make uninstall ======================================================================================== III. Compile & Installation & uninstall [2.6.24, 2.6.34] ======================================================================================== We don't support kernel 2.6.24-2.6.34 directly, Because there are lots of issues in mac80211 from kernel 2.6.24-2.6.34, So we suggest you to use the latest kernel >= 2.6.35. but if you want to use our driver in an old kernel, you can use compat-wireless. this methord can support all kernel versions higher than 2.6.24, and you can use all functions of our driver like you use it in the latest kernel version. You can get more informations of compat-wireless from: http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Download/stable you should use the following commands to Compile, Installation, or uninstall the driver: 1. Change to Super User sudo su 2. install compat-wireless driver ./compat/script/compat-install.sh 3. reboot reboot 4. uninstall driver ./compat/script/compat-uninstall.sh 5. you can get more information form follwing webset for how to use compat-wireless: http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Download/stable NOTICE: 1. Maybe you can not use other vendors wireless after you install compat wireless, in this situation, you can uninstall compat-wireless use step 4 to recover it. 2. This install methord can support all versions of kernel, not just 2.6.24-2.6.34, you can also use it in the kernel higher than 2.6.35. ======================================================================================== IV. Start Up Wireless ======================================================================================== You can use two methord to start up wireless: 1. Install driver like II. and reboot OS, Wireless will be brought up by GUI, such as NetworkManager 2. If Wireless is not brought up by GUI, you can use: ifconfig wlan0 up Note: some times when you have two wireless NICs on your computer, interface "wlan0" may be changed to "wlan1" or "wlan2", etc. So before "ifconfig wlan0 up", you can use "iwconfig" to check which interface our NIC is. Note: Don't try to down driver by "ifconfig wlan0 down" when NetworkManager id opened, because NetworkManager will up driver automatically. ======================================================================================== V. Wireless UI & NetworkManager ======================================================================================== 1. All latest distributions have UI & NetworkManager to like with AP. And it's more easy to link with AP than commandline, So we suggest you use UI to link with AP. 2. Don't try to like with AP use commandline with UI or NetworkManager opened. 3. If you still used commandline to link with AP, Please check if NetworkManager & wpa_supplicant is killed by follwing command: ps -x | grep NetworkManager ps -x | grep wpa_supplicant 4. Follwing commandlines(V-VII) are all used under Linux without UI. ======================================================================================== VI. Set wireless lan MIBs ======================================================================================== This driver uses Wireless Extension as an interface allowing you to set Wireless LAN specific parameters. 1. Current driver supports "iwlist" to show the device status of nic iwlist wlan0 [parameters] you can use follwing parameters: parameter explaination [parameters] ----------------------- ------------- Show available chan and freq freq / channel Show and Scan BSS and IBSS scan[ning] Show supported bit-rate rate / bit[rate] For example: iwlist wlan0 channel iwlist wlan0 scan iwlist wlan0 rate 2. Driver also supports "iwconfig", manipulate driver private ioctls, to set MIBs. iwconfig wlan0 [parameters] [val] you can use follwing parameters: parameter explaination [parameters] [val] constraints ----------------------- ------------- ------------------ Connect to AP by address ap [mac_addr] Set the essid, join (I)BSS essid [essid] Set operation mode mode {Managed|Ad-hoc} Set keys and security mode key/enc[ryption] {N|open|restricted|off} For example: iwconfig wlan0 ap XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX iwconfig wlan0 essid "ap_name" iwconfig wlan0 mode Ad-hoc iwconfig wlan0 essid "name" mode Ad-hoc iwconfig wlan0 key 0123456789 [2] open iwconfig wlan0 key off iwconfig wlan0 key restricted [3] 0123456789 iwconfig wlan0 key s:12345 Note: There are two types of key, "hex" code or "ascii" code. "hex" code only contains hexadecimal characters, "ascii" code is consist of "ascii" characters. Assume the "hex" code key is "0123456789", you are suggested to use command like this "iwconfig wlan0 key 0123456789". Assume the "ascii" code key is "12345", you should enter command like this "iwconfig wlan0 key s:12345". Note: Better to set these MIBS without GUI such as NetworkManager and be sure that our nic has been brought up before these settings. WEP key index 2-4 is not supportted by NetworkManager. ======================================================================================== VII. Getting IP address (For OS without UI) ======================================================================================== Before transmit/receive data, you should obtain an IP address use one of the follwing method: 1. static IP address: ifconfig wlan0 IP_ADDRESS 2. dynamic IP address using DHCP: dhclient wlan0 ======================================================================================== VIII. WPAPSK/WPA2PSK (For OS without UI) ======================================================================================== Wpa_supplicant helps you to link with WPA/WPA2(include WPA Enterprise) AP, in Linux with NetworkManger & UI, UI will help you to link with AP, But if there is no UI & Networkmanger in your Linux, you can use follwing method to link with WPA/WPA2 AP. 1. we suppose that your Linux have installed wpa_supplicant & kernel build with WIRELESS_EXT, In fact, lots of distributions have done like this. But if some distribution not install wpa_supplicant, please download wpa_supplicant from webset and install it. 2. Edit wpa1.conf to set up SSID and its passphrase. For example, the following setting in "wpa1.conf" means SSID to join is "BufAG54_Ch6" and its passphrase is "87654321". network={ ssid="BufAG54_Ch6" #scan_ssid=1 //see note 3 proto=WPA key_mgmt=WPA-PSK pairwise=CCMP TKIP group=CCMP TKIP WEP104 WEP40 psk="87654321" priority=2 } You can download wpa_supplicant and read wpa_supplicant.conf for more examples. 3. Execute WPA supplicant: wpa_supplicant -D wext -c wpa1.conf -i wlan0 4. To see detailed description for driver interface and wpa_supplicant, please type: man wpa_supplicant