Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:24:52 +0000 From: Bjoern A. Zeeb <bz@FreeBSD.org> To: doc-committers@FreeBSD.org, dev-commits-doc-all@FreeBSD.org Subject: git: 2021088c41 - main - Status/2026Q1/lkpi-wireless.adoc: 802.11 wireless update Message-ID: <69d95c94.43e37.45280943@gitrepo.freebsd.org>
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The branch main has been updated by bz: URL: https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/doc/commit/?id=2021088c41d765c62450d70a09a3793432c746e9 commit 2021088c41d765c62450d70a09a3793432c746e9 Author: Bjoern A. Zeeb <bz@FreeBSD.org> AuthorDate: 2026-04-03 16:10:21 +0000 Commit: Bjoern A. Zeeb <bz@FreeBSD.org> CommitDate: 2026-04-10 20:23:19 +0000 Status/2026Q1/lkpi-wireless.adoc: 802.11 wireless update Sponsored by: The FreeBSD Foundation Reviewed by: salvadore Differential Revision: https://reviews.freebsd.org/D56241 --- .../report-2026-01-2026-03/lkpi-wireless.adoc | 85 ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 85 insertions(+) diff --git a/website/content/en/status/report-2026-01-2026-03/lkpi-wireless.adoc b/website/content/en/status/report-2026-01-2026-03/lkpi-wireless.adoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..bb2d017944 --- /dev/null +++ b/website/content/en/status/report-2026-01-2026-03/lkpi-wireless.adoc @@ -0,0 +1,85 @@ +=== LinuxKPI 802.11 and Native Wireless Update + +Links: + +link:https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/proj-laptop/issues/66[Support the MediaTek Wireless cards] URL: link:https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/proj-laptop/issues/66[] + +link:https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/proj-laptop/issues/99[Support the Realtek Wireless cards] URL: link:https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/proj-laptop/issues/99[] + +Contact: Bjoern A. Zeeb <bz@FreeBSD.org> + +Contact: The FreeBSD wireless mailing list <wireless@FreeBSD.org> + +This report focuses on the efforts using permissively licensed Linux wireless drivers, mostly unmodified, on FreeBSD, as well as preparing the native net80211 stack for support of newer standards. + +==== Driver updates + +All LinuxKPI based wireless drivers were updated to Linux v6.19 in main and stable/15. + +This includes +* the shipping drivers Intel man:iwlwifi[4] mvm/mld, Realtek man:rtw88[4] and man:rtw89[4], +* the Mediatek mt76 driver which is a work in progress, +* the three Qualcomm Atheros drivers ath10k, ath11k, and ath12k, which are TODO, as well as +* the Broadcom brcmfmac, which compiles and loads firmware but is lacking the cfg80211 compat shim and some netdev work. + +==== Intel iwlwifi support + +In order for the man:iwlwifi[4] driver update to be applied a few FreeBSD specific adjustments were made to allow the mld sub-driver to load properly. +Also multiple bug fixes were worked out. + +==== Realtek rtw88 and rtw89 support + +After the driver updates it turned out that our chandef emulation needed to be more elaborate. +In the follow-up further problems were discovered related to the fact that some rtw88 drivers can fail the hardware scan needing a fallback to software scanning. +Lastly the two rtw88 chipsets 8821c and 8822b seem to often have a 6s delay when we are preparing to authenticate. +It is unclear why the firmware fails in those cases but in the end I decided to leave this problem alone and try to get the 802.11n and 802.11ac updates in next (before 15.1-R hopefully) and only then go back to these chipsets and see what we can do. + +==== Mediatek mt76 support + +MT7921/7922 and MT7925 are the primary chipsets to work on currently. +After the driver update some DMA32 problems along with page_pools got sorted. +The drm-kmod changes prepared for the switch from native vm_page to Linux struct page were thankfully committed. +This we allow me to get a testing version out to people more easily. +MT7925 also revealed an insufficiency in our LinuxKPI IDR implementation, which more or less was documented there from day one. +This will need a complete rework to avoid problems with accesses to already destroyed entries which can happen in Linux. +I have also started to rack up further chipsets for testing. +802.11n and 802.11ac support will mostly come along with the Realtek work. + +==== Broadcom brcmfmac + +The Broadcom brcmfmac driver is compiling for PCIe and loading firmware (with a minor work around for arm64). +We are now lacking some cfg80211 and netdev LinuxKPI compat work in order to create the interface and drive wireless. + +==== QCA support + +While ath10k is mostly sorted for station mode, ath11k and ath12k need more work to compile again and an implementation for the MHI and other bits as needed. + +==== LinuxKPI USB support + +The LinuxKPI USB implementation has been sitting there for more than a decade. +I already put out a call for any users last years and again this year without any reply. +I do have an overhauled version which allows Realtek, Mediatek QCA ath10k, and Broadcom brcmfmac USB chipsets to compile. +The latter two are mostly irrelevant with old, and little actual USB dongles available. +Realtek and Mediatek attach and do pass packets but need a bit more work on stability and clean teardown. + +There is one blocker on this in that the (old and new) LinuxKPI USB implementation is intermingle our native USB stack leading to conflicts. +There is work in progress to resolve this and two possible ways have been identified but there is a 15 year old change in the way that first needs to be understood and cleaned up. + +==== LinuxKPI SDIO support + +The LinuxKPI SDIO support has been sitting in my development tree for a good year and was done mostly for Realtek rtw88. +Broadcom will need a few more placeholders to be filled, but that should not be too hard. +Interrupts need to be finalized and speed upgrade support pulled in from someone else's work in progress. +My plan is to get it into the tree as-is as soon as USB is out of the way for people to help testing and finalizing it. + +==== Native net80211 + +Thanks to the Ports Management Team for running an exp-run (experimental test build). +I prepared a patch in order to identify all ports using the net80211 ioctl interface. +This is needed in order to minimize breakage of upcoming ioctl interface changes upfront. + +Check link:https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=293016[PR 293016] for details. + +==== Other + +I have given an update on most of this during the March LDWG (Laptop Desktop Working Group) call. +See link:https://wiki.freebsd.org/LaptopDesktopWorkingGroup[LDWG Wiki Page] for more information. + +Sponsor: The FreeBSD Foundationhome | help
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