USB to WiFi adapter

How-to use USB to WIFI adapters on your APF boards.

Prerequesities

Note: You have to be sure that Wireless Tools are installed on your rootfs before going further.

Tested hardware

Ralink RT2571WF

The WiFi chipset RT2571WF can be found under the D-Link WiFi key DWL-G122. All drivers are included in Linux kernel 2.6.27. But firmware must be downloaded from serialmonkey website at this address.

To use it with APF9328, you need an APF9328DevFull development board (with USB Host).

Kernel configuration

• First, to use a USB dongle, USB Host must be configured. See this page to know how to do with the APF9328DevFull.
• Then, Wireless network must be configured selecting these options in make linux-menuconfig:

 [*] Networking support  --->
    Wireless  --->
        <*> Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking Stack (mac80211)

• Finally, select the chipset :

 Device Drivers  --->
    [*] Network device support  --->
        Wireless LAN  --->
            [*] Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11)
            <M> Ralink driver support
            <M> Ralink rt2501/rt73 (USB) support

WiFi configuration

First mount the module:

# modprobe rt73usb

Then copy the firmware named rt73.bin (found in Module directory of rt73-cvs archive) in apf /lib/firmware directory. If /lib/firmware doesn't exist create it.

 mkdir -p /lib/firmware
 tftp -g -r rt73.bin <yourIP>
 mv rt73.bin /lib/firmware

Your WiFi-module driver is ready, you can now connect the dongle and after go further with the WiFi configuration.

ZyDas zd1212 chipset

• Tested with SMC WUSB-G (which is in the compatibility list).
  • Go here to buy this device in France (LDLC)
  • Other ways to get it ?

Configure Linux

 $ make linux26-menuconfig

 [*] Networking support  --->
    Wireless  --->
        <*> Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking Stack (mac80211)

 Device Drivers  --->
     [*] Network device support  --->
         Wireless LAN  --->
             [*] Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11)
             ...
             <M> ZyDAS ZD1211/ZD1211B USB-wireless support
             [*]   ZyDAS ZD1211 debugging

Get firmware

• http://zd1211.ath.cx/get-firmware
• copy the archive to your TFTP export directory

Install firmware on your APF

 # mkdir -p /lib/firmware/
 # cd /lib/firmware/
 # tftp -g -r zd1211-firmware-1.4.tar.bz2 192.168.0.17
 # bunzip2 zd1211-firmware-1.4.tar.bz2
 # tar xf zd1211-firmware-1.4.tar
 # mv zd1211-firmware zd1211

Connect your USB adapter

usb 1-1: new high speed USB device using mxc-ehci and address 2
usb 1-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
usb 1-1: New USB device found, idVendor=083a, idProduct=4505
usb 1-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=16, Product=32, SerialNumber=0
usb 1-1: Product: USB2.0 WLAN
usb 1-1: Manufacturer: SMC

Launch driver

 # modprobe zd1211rw
 usb 1-1: reset high speed USB device using mxc-ehci and address 2
 zd1211rw 1-1:1.0: phy0
 usbcore: registered new interface driver zd1211rw
 
 # ifconfig wlan0 up
 firmware: requesting zd1211/zd1211b_ub
 firmware: requesting zd1211/zd1211b_uphr

To go further

• Configure your WiFi network interface
• Browse the net (in text mode) from your terminal

Links

• zd1211 driver on linuxwireless.org