Netgear A6210

  • Hi everyone,
    I'm big fan of libreelec and I enjoy it a lot. I was using Siemens Gigaset USB adapter 108. It works whitout problems but it is only 2.4 Ghz. So I bought Netgear A6210 to upgrade to 5ghz wifi. Unfortunately it doesn't work. It is using Mediatek chip MT7612U. can anyone help.


    Edit:
    Are there any custom compilations that someone creates that might include this driver?

    Edited once, last by tonybcc (May 12, 2017 at 7:11 PM).

    • Official Post

    There are no plans to include this driver in release builds because it is not cfg80211 compliant and looks like it was written by first year CS student, although that's insulting most first year CS students. Mediatek need to get their sh1t together and provide a proper driver.

    • Official Post

    I'm sure it can be made to work; in the past I created an experimental MT7601U package for OpenELEC that worked and the drivers are similar, but "working" and "supportable" are different things. The driver requires configuration via a user-editable file, which is not how things are done in any modern Linux and certainly not in an embedded distro. Mediatek drivers make Realtek ones look polished so I will reject any attempt to add their current drivers to our images. You're welcome to make your own custom image though.

  • Thx chewitt for honest reply I appreciate it. Unfortunately I don't know how to make my own compilation so I wil search somewhere else for solution. I will try OpenElec or might have to go to win10 ?

  • Sorry to open an old thread, as per my other thread on WiFi devices I'm looking for an 802.11AC device supported by LibreElec and looking at the wireless devices in the linux kernel relevant to 9.0.2 of librelec (where the changelog for LibreElec 9.0.2 shows Kernel updated to 4.19.36 ), suggests the Netgear A6210 is now supported (since kernel 4.19)?

    Was hoping this could be confirmed. I did a wee bit of digging myself and whilst linux/usb.c at master · torvalds/linux · GitHub shows the Netgear A6210 being in the latest linux Kernel as the latest seems to be 5.1.1 Linux kernel - Wikipedia, I am not sure if it is also in 4.19.36?

    Code
    { USB_DEVICE(0x0b05, 0x1833) },    /* Asus USB-AC54 */
    { USB_DEVICE(0x0b05, 0x17eb) },    /* Asus USB-AC55 */
    .
    .
    .
    { USB_DEVICE(0x0846, 0x9053) },    /* Netgear A6210 */

    So I tried to dig around in /var/lib/modules/4.19.36/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/mediatek

    In putty using: modinfo /usr/lib/kernel-overlays/base/lib/modules/4.19.36/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/mediate

    k/mt76/mt76x2u.ko I got this (below) but it shows the mt7662, not the mt7612u? The wiki https://wikidevi.com/wiki/netgear_a6210 shows the device ID 0846:9053 which seems to appear at number 2 in he list of alias's below (and so do the ASUS USB-AC54 ( 0b05, 1833) and USB-AC55 ( 0b05, 17eb).

    In putty using: modinfo /usr/lib/kernel-overlays/base/lib/modules/4.19.36/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/mediatek/mt76/mt76-usb.ko I get this but no mt7612u?

    Code
    filename:       /usr/lib/kernel-overlays/base/lib/modules/4.19.36/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/mediatek/mt76/mt76-usb.ko
    license:        Dual BSD/GPL
    author:         Lorenzo Bianconi <[email protected]>
    depends:        mt76,mac80211
    intree:         Y
    name:           mt76_usb
    vermagic:       4.19.36 SMP mod_unload ARMv7 p2v8

    In putty using: modinfo /usr/lib/kernel-overlays/base/lib/modules/4.19.36/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/mediatek/mt76/mt76x2-common.ko

    does not specifically show the mt7612u either?

    Code
    filename:       /usr/lib/kernel-overlays/base/lib/modules/4.19.36/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/mediatek/mt76/mt76x2-common.ko
    license:        Dual BSD/GPL
    depends:        mt76,mac80211,cfg80211
    intree:         Y
    name:           mt76x2_common
    vermagic:       4.19.36 SMP mod_unload ARMv7 p2v8

    So I'm guessing mt76x2u.ko is the correct one and it IS supported?

    Sorry about the long post I really am a Linux newbie but wanted to have a go poking around myself first before I ask (and show I tried).

    Thanks a lot.

    k.

  • Just an update.

    While it should have worked with the current (Librelec 9.0.2) Kernel, it seems like a couple of Linux gurus (Lorenzo Bianconi and Stanislaw Gruszka) are currently (or have just) fixed the drivers due to the same error message I had about probe failing on the Mediatek Wifi driver for the chipset associated with the Netgear A6210 device (and others with the same chip), which apparently has issues on the RPi.

    Not sure when (if) it will be in the updated Kernel, or which one.

    Code
    QTPi2:~ # dmesg | grep mt76x2u
    [    7.044298] usbcore: registered new interface driver mt76x2u
    [   31.454748] mt76x2u 1-1.4:1.0: ASIC revision: 76120044
    [   31.481849] mt76x2u: probe of 1-1.4:1.0 failed with error -22

    [BUG] mt76x0u: Probing issues on Raspberry Pi 3 B+ - Patchwork

    Also '[BUG] mt76x0u: Probing issues on Raspberry Pi 3 B+' thread - MARC

    cheers

    k.

  • Another update:

    OK, so thinking the updated drivers would be in the new kernel, I downloaded and installed the latest Alpha RPi2 Librelec version LibreELEC.tv Matrix build #0514 here:

    libreelec-rpi2.arm-9.1-milhouse-20190514213922-#0514-g28380d2.tar

    [From this thread LibreELEC Testbuilds for RaspberryPi (Kodi 19.0)].

    It updated from 9.0.2 just fine but was a wee bit disappointed (appreciate it is Libreelec alpha) to see the same error message; seems the drivers are updated but the firmware (bins?) are not in the e /var/lib/firmware directory. Is this by design at the current time?

    Code
    # dmesg | grep mt76x2u
    [   10.181344] mt76x2u 1-1.3:1.0: ASIC revision: 76120044
    [   10.357937] mt76x2u 1-1.3:1.0: Direct firmware load for mt7662_rom_patch.bin                                        failed with error -2
    [   10.948463] mt76x2u: probe of 1-1.3:1.0 failed with error -2
    [   10.949428] usbcore: registered new interface driver mt76x2u

    dmesg http://ix.io/1j52

    lsusb

    Code
    QTPi2:~ # lsusb
    Bus 001 Device 005: ID 0cf3:7015 Qualcomm Atheros Communications TP-Link TL-WN821N v3 / TL-WN822N v2 802.11n [Atheros AR7010+AR9287]
    Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0846:9053 NetGear, Inc.
    Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0424:ec00 Standard Microsystems Corp. SMSC9512/9514 Fast Ethernet Adapter
    Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0424:9514 Standard Microsystems Corp. SMC9514 Hub
    Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

    I believe the in-tree firmware is here mediatek - kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git - Repository of firmware blobs for use with the Linux kernel but using WinSCP to look in the /var/lib/firmware directory I do not see a mediatek folder (which would have those files in it?)

    Cheers for any help

    k.

  • Put mt7662_rom_patch.bin into /storage/.config/firmware and reboot. It will be automatically linked to /var/lib/firmware.

    You may have to rename mt7662u_rom_patch.bin from linux-firmware if there is no other firmware file.

  • Thanks mglae, I will try. I do have a list of binaries for that chipset but I am a wee bit confused here as libreelec does not seem to have a /storage/.config/firmware directory. Should I create one?

  • Well I did create one, and the shortcuts? (sorry Linux noob from windows...) showed the files were indeed linked into /var/lib/firmware.

    However it still did not load the driver unfortunately.

    Code
    [   10.344753] usb 1-1.4: reset high-speed USB device number 5 using dwc_otg
    [   10.479281] mt76x2u 1-1.4:1.0: ASIC revision: 76120044
    [   10.538669] mt76x2u 1-1.4:1.0: Direct firmware load for mt7662_rom_patch.bin failed with error -2
    [   10.554289] usbcore: registered new interface driver 8812au
    [   11.067466] smsc95xx 1-1.1:1.0 eth0: hardware isn't capable of remote wakeup
    [   11.124270] mt76x2u: probe of 1-1.4:1.0 failed with error -2
    [   11.124987] usbcore: registered new interface driver mt76x2u

    dmesg|paste:

    http://ix.io/1j8u

  • You may have to rename mt7662u_rom_patch.bin from linux-firmware if there is no other firmware file.

    .

    .

    .

    Please check file name again.

    I am not sure what you meant by rename but the two mt766u files I downloaded were from here mediatek - kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git - Repository of firmware blobs for use with the Linux kernel so I believe the names are correct.

    The files both showed up in /var/lib/firmware and /var/lib/firmware/mediatek. after I created the directory mediatek in /storage/.config/firmware.

    Not sure what else to do?

    EDIT: Doh; sorry, too tired. Error message says mt7662_rom_patch.bin, my file was mt7662u_rom_patch.bin

    Will retry.

    k.

    Edited 2 times, last by jksmurf (May 16, 2019 at 3:04 AM).

  • Please check file name again.

    Magic!, It works when using the other Wifi to Putty into it (at least it recognises it without the error, I can't seem to SSH into that alone though) My thanks to you, such a simple thing. I wonder why they changed the name. I hope I have the correct bins (source of the files as above) as I can get in and it shows as Wlan1 (other Wifi is Wlan0) just not by itself.

    I ended up putting a copy of both mt7662.bin and mt7662_rom_patch.bin (without the u, just renamed the original files), in firmware, the ones WITH u's in mediatek:

    /storage/.config/firmware

    /storage/.config/firmware/mediatek/

    I'm not sure which one got it going but it worked. I got the idea for the two different sets from this post ASUS USB-N53 B1: failed to load ROM patch · Issue #232 · openwrt/mt76 · GitHub (LorenzoBianconi, really who seems to know what he is doing, unlike me :) ).

    cheers

    k

    For future reference, the FOUR files I used, I found in kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git - Repository of firmware blobs for use with the Linux kernel, in the latest gz file. It's a 78M file with ALL the firmware, my file name was linux-firmware-20190514.tar.gz. I extracted it with Z-Zip, found the files in:

    1. The root folder, for mt7662.bin and mt7662_rom_patch.bin which I put into /storage/.config/firmware/

    2. The mediatek folder, for the mt7662u.bin and mt7662u_rom_patch.bin which I put into /storage/.config/firmware/mediatek/

    Will see if it continues to work, had a couple of hangs (authenticate/deauthenticate) ...

    k.

    Edited 6 times, last by jksmurf: Updated info. (May 16, 2019 at 8:58 AM).

  • Good to hear that it is working.

    I ended up putting a copy of both mt7662.bin and mt7662_rom_patch.bin (without the u, just renamed the original files), in firmware, the ones WITH u's in mediatek:


    /storage/.config/firmware
    /storage/.config/firmware/mediatek/


    I'm not sure which one got it going but it worked. I got the idea for the two different sets from this post ASUS USB-N53 B1: failed to load ROM patch · Issue #232 · openwrt/mt76 · GitHub (LorenzoBianconi, really who seems to know what he is doing, unlike me :) ).

    The files in firmware/mediatek/ are used by the kernel 4.19.36 driver (shown in your modinfo post).

    The kernel 5.1.1 driver is looking for them firmware/ with different name - please don't ask me why :)

    For future reference, the FOUR files I used, I found in kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git - Repository of firmware blobs for use with the Linux kernel, in the latest gz file. It's a 78M file with ALL the firmware, my file name was linux-firmware-20190514.tar.gz. I extracted it with Z-Zip, found the files in:

    You can copy only the needed files directly from the linux-firmware git tree using the plain links.

  • You read my mind but yep I deleted them first before the update. Thanks for the heads up though, much appreciated. All quite a steep learning curve for me.

    Still having WiFi issues with that Adapter constantly dropping connection, unlike the TP -Link T4Uv2. My router (ASUS AC86U with Merlin) shows the A6210 as having two devices come through that client whereas the T4U shows only one.

    Unlike Windows where you can navigate around changing drivers and power / driver settings, this is a little intimidating. A6200/A6210/WNDA3100v2 wireless adapter intermittently disconnects | Answer | NETGEAR Support

    Edited once, last by jksmurf (May 18, 2019 at 12:33 AM).