URTWN(4) | Device Drivers Manual | URTWN(4)

# NAME

`urtwn` —
Realtek RTL8188CU/RTL8188EU/RTL8192CU/RTL8192EU USB IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless network device

# SYNOPSIS

`urtwn* at uhub? port ?`

# DESCRIPTION

The `urtwn` driver supports USB 2.0 wireless network devices based on Realtek RTL8188CUS, RTL8188CE-VAU, RTL8188EUS, RTL8188RU, RTL8192CU and RTL8192EU chipsets.

The RTL8188CUS and RTL8188EUS are highly integrated 802.11n adapters that combine a MAC, a 1T1R capable baseband and an RF in a single chip. They operate in the 2GHz spectrum only. The RTL8188RU is a high-power variant of the RTL8188CUS. The RTL8188CE-VAU is a PCI Express Mini Card adapter that attaches to the USB interface.

The RTL8192CU and RTL8192EU are highly integrated multiple-in, multiple-out (MIMO) 802.11n adapters that combine a MAC, a 2T2R capable baseband and an RF in a single chip. It operates in the 2GHz spectrum only.

These are the modes the `urtwn` driver can operate in:

BSS mode
  Also known as infrastructure mode, this is used when associating with an access point, through which all traffic passes. This mode is the default.
IBSS mode
  Also known as IEEE ad-hoc mode or peer-to-peer mode. This is the standardized method of operating without an access point. Stations associate with a service set. However, actual connections between stations are peer-to-peer.
Host AP
  In this mode the driver acts as an access point (base station) for other cards.
monitor mode
  In this mode the driver is able to receive packets without associating with an access point. This disables the internal receive filter and enables the card to capture packets from networks which it wouldn't normally have access to, or to scan for access points.

The `urtwn` driver can be configured to use Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK). WPA is the de facto encryption standard for wireless networks. It is strongly recommended that WEP not be used as the sole mechanism to secure wireless communication, due to serious weaknesses in it.

The `urtwn` driver can be configured at runtime with ifconfig(8) or on boot with ifconfig.if(5).

# FILES

The driver needs the following firmware files, which are loaded when an interface is attached:

/libdata/firmware/if_urtwn/rtl8188eufw.bin
/libdata/firmware/if_urtwn/rtl8192cfw.bin
/libdata/firmware/if_urtwn/rtl8192cfwU.bin
/libdata/firmware/if_urtwn/rtl8192efw.bin

# HARDWARE

The following adapters should work:

Airlink101 AWLL5088
Aus. Linx AL-9604R1S
ASUSTeK USB-N10 NANO
B-Link BL-LW05-5R
Belkin F7D1102 Surf Wireless Micro
D-Link DWA-121
D-Link DWA-131
D-Link DWA-133
D-Link DWA-135
Digitus DN-7042
Edimax EW-7811Un
EDUP EP-N8508
ELECOM WDC-150SU2M
Full River FR-W100NUL
Hercules Wireless N USB Pico HWNUp-150
IO-DATA WN-G150UMW
Netgear WNA1000A
Planex GW-USEco300
Planex GW-USNano2
Planex GW-USValue-EZ
Planex GW-USWExtreme
POWCHIP POW-N18
Sitecom N300 USB (WLA-2102 v1)
Sitecom WL-365
Solwise NET-WL-UMD-606N
TP-LINK TL-WN723N v3
TP-LINK TL-WN725N v2
TRENDnet TEW-648UBM

# EXAMPLES

The following ifconfig.if(5) example configures urtwn0 to join whatever network is available on boot, using WEP key “0x1deadbeef1”, channel 11, obtaining an IP address using DHCP:

    nwkey 0x1deadbeef1 chan 11
    dhcp

Join an existing BSS network, “my_net”:

    # ifconfig urtwn0 192.168.1.1 netmask 0xffffff00 nwid my_net

# DIAGNOSTICS

urtwn%d: error %d, could not read firmware %s
  For some reason, the driver was unable to read the microcode file from the filesystem. The file might be missing or corrupted.
urtwn%d: device timeout
  A frame dispatched to the hardware for transmission did not complete in time. The driver will reset the hardware. This should not happen.

# SEE ALSO

arp(4), netintro(4), usb(4), ifconfig.if(5), wpa_supplicant.conf(5), ifconfig(8), wpa_supplicant(8)

# HISTORY

The `urtwn` device driver first appeared in OpenBSD 4.9 and in NetBSD 6.0.

# AUTHORS

The `urtwn` driver was written by Damien Bergamini ⟨damien@openbsd.org⟩ for OpenBSD and ported to NetBSD by NONAKA Kimihiro ⟨nonaka@NetBSD.org⟩.

# CAVEATS

The `urtwn` driver does not support any of the 802.11n capabilities offered by the adapters. Additional work is required in ieee80211(9) before those features can be supported.

December 17, 2018 | NetBSD 9.3