Install drivers without internet connection

Started by skr1107, November 03, 2018, 08:34:36 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

skr1107

Hi,

Today I have re-installed the debian image for A13-Olinuxino. Now, I want to have access to internet using a TP-LINK WiFi-USB. I know that this Debian image have the ath9k drivers I need because this WIFI-USB was working before in Olinuxino.
I am having a lots of problems to install it.
How can I install the WiFI-Usb on A13 Olinuxino without Internet connection? What commands should I write?
What step I have to do?

Thanks

Melange

There are at least 15 different models from tp-link:

  https://www.tp-link.com/de/products/list-11.html

Find out which one you have, then look for installation instructions here (or lack thereof, google is your last resort):

  https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/welcome

The best way to approach this is to check for linux support on that site (not on the product) before buying a USB/WIFI adapter, simply because there are so many, and some producers are just full of crap.

Often these USB adapters need a binary firmware blob which linux needs to upload into the device when booting, you'll find these blobs in the non-free section of your apt repository.

One simple way to get missing files without internet connection is to download and copy missing firmware files onto a usb stick on your PC, plug that stick into the A13 Olinuxino and copy from there onto SD card. Use a USB hub if you don't have enough USB ports.

Once you have the hardware going you'll need to get your WIFI credentials onto your Olinuxino, in my personal opinion the network-manager apt package (https://packages.debian.org/stretch/network-manager) is not a bad choice, it also has a nice little command-line utility "nmcli".