Kernel 5.18.4 disabled my wifi

[TWPonKubuntu]

Installed Linus Kernel 5.18.4 (using Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer) and rebooted to find that my wifi was simply not available.
Reverted to Kernel 5.18.3 and all is fine.
My system config is in my signature, below.
FYI

[rab0171610]

I don't see any info on which wifi card and driver is involved . . .

[TWPonKubuntu]

Oops. TP-Link Wireless adapter (USB) I don't recall the model number but it is several years old.

[rab0171610]

Probably not much anyone here can do but just out of curiosity, can you post the output of:

lspci -knn | grep Net -A3; rfkill list

[claydoh]

Mainline kernels often are missing patches and extras to have them fully working on all hardware, all the time. Basically, sometimes they won't work.
Use a different version, or of course stick to officially supported, and fully-patched kernel sets that have the fullest amount of drivers included.

Also, it might be helpful to list the hardware ID info for the dongle, via lsusb , or the Vendor and Product ID from KInfoCenter.
Unfortunately, TP_link are probably using one of any number of the dozens of Wifi chips out there.
It might be a simple module config change, or a bug in the specific kernel you have, where the module for that card doesn't compile. The hardware IDs might help narrow it down.

[TWPonKubuntu]

lspci (by itself) does not list my TP-Link wireless adapter. I'm not going to run a command line containing "rfkill". Sorry, it is my machine.


lsusb output:

Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:8001 Intel Corp. Integrated Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 005: ID 0a5c:216d Broadcom Corp. BCM43142A0 Bluetooth 4.0
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 0bda:8179 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8188EUS 802.11n Wireless Network Adapter
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 0bda:57c4 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. HP Truevision HD
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 093a:2510 Pixart Imaging, Inc. Optical Mouse
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

The Broadcom BCM43142 wireless adapter is no longer supported by Linux drivers and is not being used for my wireless connections.

The Realtek RTL8188EUS may be the chip used by the TP-Link adapter. I'm not at home and I cannot confirm the chip ID from the original package description.

Sorry, if this is not enough info, but I prefer to not post detailed info about my system (OPSEC).

Thanks anyway.

[Snowhog]

I'm not going to run a command line containing "rfkill".

Why? The command rfkill list only lists; it doesn't "kill" anything.

See man rfkill

If you aren't willing to help us by providing useful information, well, you are hamstringing us.

[claydoh]

Bus 002 Device 004: ID 0bda:8179 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8188EUS 802.11n Wireless Network Adapter

Yup, that's the wifi dongle.

The rfkill command can be useful, but only to see if the device is blocked for some reason. It gives nada about hardware IDs
The lspci command probably won't give info for the USB device.

Since it was working previously, I figure I'd start with kernel version and device ID.
But in any case, the RTL8188EUS is normally well supported out of the box, with no external modules to install or have built, so it likely is a bug in the 5.18.4 kernel build
So.... go back to an unsupported 5.18.3, and wait for an unsupported 5.18.5+ or to a supported stock kernel. Nothing we, or Kubuntu can really do, at least not without digging up patches and kernel bug reports and mailing lists and manually building things.
I'd druther go play Doom Eternal





Seems this is not uncommon:
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=372309
Just happens to be for the same type of device, too.......

[TWPonKubuntu]

Thanks claydoh, I'll wait for Kernel 5.18.5 and see what happens.
Thanks.

[GreyGeek]

The rtl8188eus chip, and its analogs, are common in HP computers. My HP-17cn005U has an rtl8821ce chip. When I tested out the 5.15 kernel it wouldn't recognize my wifi chip.

I went to this site: https://github.com/RinCat/RTL88x2BU-Linux-Driver
and followed the directions, which included recompiling the kernel object, 88x22bu.ko.
It involves using the dynamic kernel module support (DKMS).
RinCat is one of several rtl88 driver sites on GitHub.
Here is another: https://github.com/morrownr/88x2bu-20210702
and https://github.com/cilynx/rtl88x2bu
The first one of these github sourced rtl wifi drivers I got from here: https://github.com/tomaspinho/rtl8821ce
Seems to be a cottage industry up there.

My kernel is the 5.14 version and that driver works great for it. I see that they've increased their support to the 5.18 kernel.
Works great for me.

[TWPonKubuntu]

GreyGeek Thanks, I'll investigate.

[claydoh]

GreyGeek Thanks, I'll investigate.

The rtl8188eus kernel module is not related to the rtl8821ce, and none of the repos listed above are relevant to your device whatsoever.
I have had both.

[TWPonKubuntu]

claydoh Got that. Thanks again. The search continues...

[GreyGeek]

The rtl8188eus kernel module is not related to the rtl8821ce, and none of the repos listed above are relevant to your device whatsoever.
I have had both.

I didn't say they were. I merely pointed out that there are a ton of websites that offer drivers for booting a variety of RTL chips. All TWP has to do is find the driver for her particular version.

[TWPonKubuntu]

<snicker> Misgendered again... Such is society today