This repository hosts a modified and updated version of the Realtek RTL8851BU Wi-Fi driver for Linux. It is primarily tested on Arch Linux with a COMFAST CF-943AX, but users of other distributions are welcome to contribute and report their experiences.
- Supports IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax
- Implements WPA3-SAE R3 security
- Soft AP mode, WiFi-Direct, and Miracast support
- WOWLAN (Wake on Wireless LAN)
- Bluetooth coexistence (BT-COEXIST)
- Site survey scanning and manual connection
- WPS - PIN and PBC Methods
- Linux Kernel Versions: 3.13 to 6.13
- CPU Architectures: x86, ARM, MIPS
For Arch Linux and its derivatives, the rtl8851bu-dkms-git package offers a convenient DKMS-based installation. Alternatively, users can manually build and install the kernel modules using make clean && make && sudo make install. For non-Arch Linux users wishing to use DKMS, the command is sudo dkms install ., and they should be aware that the module installation path might need to be specified based on their distribution's kernel module directory structure.
Contributions are welcome! If you're using a different Linux distribution or kernel version, feel free to test and submit patches to improve compatibility. Please open an issue or pull request with your findings and fixes.
This driver operates in concurrent mode by default, which may result in duplicate network interfaces appearing. To prevent potential issues, such as the Wi-Fi adapter crashing, mark the ap0 interface as unmanaged if you're using NetworkManager. If you're using a different networking service, refer to its documentation for instructions on reserving the interface as unmanaged.
Assuming you are using NetworkManager, either create or edit the /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf file and add the following:
[keyfile]
unmanaged-devices=interface-name:ap0
Additionally, the interface name may vary based on your system configuration. If Predictable Network Interface Names are enabled, you can run the following command to identify which of the two interfaces should be reserved as unmanaged or used exclusively as an access point.
[mudspring ~]\% sudo dmesg | grep ap0
[ 17.187051] rtl8851bu 2-1:1.2 wlp0s11u1i2: renamed from ap0
This project is based on Realtek's official driver release v1.19.10-78-gfbe3fba11.20240422.
This project is maintained by independent developers and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Realtek Corporation. The maintainers are not employees of Realtek.
This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2. See the full license text here.