3 weeks of mounting frustration with usb Nic

[HammerDamag3d]

Ok, sorry if things get a little long, I'm a 55yr old who's ever known windows since win95. The pinnacle of windows for me was 7 pro. It's been a downward slide since. I absolutely hate windows 11. With my current windows 10 pro getting one last crippled year for my 30 bucks, I figure I should be starting to seriously look other options up.
My laptop is an Asus q526f, upgrades are M2 1tb (windows 10 pro, and a crucial 2tb 2.5" SSD (for Linux). No, I can't just delete windows yet, unless someone is offering to take over my CAD duties for awhile. So it remains dual boot untill.im comfortable with things in Linux.
My kubuntu is the 24.04 that's less than a 2 week old download. It's installed and working just fine, even the bootloader is going well for me. (In popOS and debian I tried it kept breaking n going back to windows only)

I have an assortment of USB wifi cards in front of me
1. Old TP-Link ac600
2.brostrent ax1800 model: Axl
3. Wavlink ax5400
The laptop's built NiC chunked a couple yrs ago when the damn thing slid out the car seat n hit the ground

I have tried to initiate the inxi from above and about 70 other things found about the web...seems nothing is installed with kubuntu...
I have tried cording my phone to the laptop to leech a connection to connect to download drivers for anything to get the NiCs working, stays connected but then doesn't apt get....
All these WiFi are plug n play in windows as soon as you snap one into the USB slot. I have no other computer that I can load Linux into to leach that way, I have no hardline jack on the laptop. I have a work cellphone and my dual boot laptop.

I've been to a few other sites n groups that claim to be newb friendly only to be roasted that I not an expert in a weekend or because I currently require windows to remain. I'm about to give up and just deal with 11.

I have no delusions of being some PC whizz, but over the years lots things from windows has sunk in quite well enough that in that environment I wouldn't be here asking.
Is there a way to download what I need thru windows to one of the many 32g USB sticks I use for work and slide over to Linux to use for installing these drivers and dependencies?

If I can't get it to connect to the Internet, it's a paperweight. I want to explore the Linux open source cad/can and 3d side of things to see if it can become a replacement to SOLIDWORKS and 3ds.

Sorry bout the no copy paste thing, but , yeah, I'm not magician

Old Man Hammer.

[TinyTim]

Make sure I'm hearing you right. You want a driver plus dependencies for one of these NiC's. 1. Old TP-Link ac600
2. brostrent ax1800 model: Axl
3. Wavlink ax5400
That you can download using windows onto a thumb drive, and then install it onto Kubuntu 24.04.
I can see your dilemma. I would know how to install the driver if your Kubuntu 24.04 could be hard wired. You have come to the right place, but wait for the veterans to comment. When I came from Windows, once I learned how to get around in the terminal to find all the files, directories and (mount points instead of drives), how to update without wrecking it, that the Linux kernel is tiny and the components are connected to the kernel with kernel modules, it got a lot easier. I'm older than you and it took me about 1.5 years to grasp it, from viewing your question I can tell you will catch it faster than I. Hang in there. Edit: I work for a publisher, using Libredraw, GIMP, Inkscape, Gwenview, Atril Doc Viewer, Only Office, I don't know much about CAD, however there are many free open source versions... LibreCAD - OpenSCAD - FreeCAD / Some paid versions BricsCAD or VariCAD.

[claydoh]

I'm a 55yr old

Ahhh....a young whippersnapper
(a lot of us here are less young than you )

I am surprised the the brostrend doesn't work ootb, at least on Kubuntu 24.04 and newer -- we don't know which Kubuntu version is being used here.I could see there being issues with older releases, with kernels before 6.2
I have a similar adapter from this company, and it Just Works on 24.04, and good enough to connect (and install the bros driver) in 22.04.
https://linux.brostrend.com/

if you tether, and use any proxy or firewall or similar security app on the phone, this might be blocking things

stays connected but then doesn't apt get....

Can you tell us exactly what apt shows when you see this? it might provide us an idea about what is going on and we can maybe get that part working?

USB WiFi has always been a major pita on Linux due to poor support from the chip manufacturers (Realtek usually) and there seems difficulty in creating Linux ones from scratch, or they iuse oddball firmware or something that keeps them from being included in the Linux kernel.

Internal wifi cards, particularly from Intel, Just Work (about 99.5% of the time), but they don't make USB ones.

[HammerDamag3d]

Ok, am at work now, but will try n get more info to y'all once home this evening. And thanks for trying to assist my clueless arse gang 🙂

[HammerDamag3d]

Alright, I sure hope pic links work here 😵💫
Basic kubuntu info:

Kubuntu info https://imgur.com/gallery/B2SNdzo

CMD from the read before you post in help the new guy bit:

No get apt install inxi https://imgur.com/gallery/fTjd2Pk

Found my way to the dev manager to find broken onboard:

Broken onboard in dev manager https://imgur.com/gallery/eFH5U

Like I said, under windows any and all 3 work fine ofc the ac600 is slow AF...but works.

There are some settings on my cell that are beyond my control to change due to it company property n all that jazz.

What I have at my disposal here at home is one laptop with dual boot configuration. Windows 10 pro, and this kubuntu I'm attempting to get working. There's an Xbox s th wife has somewhere, but that's what I have to work with.

🤔...Just an afterthought the wife mentioned to me outta no where, lol, would one of those USB to cat adapters n then jacking straight to the router work as a hardline?

Cable Matters Plug & Play USB to Ethernet Adapter with PXE, MAC Address Clone Support (USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet, Ethernet to USB, Ethernet Adapter for Laptop) Supporting 10/100/1000Mbps in Black https://a.co/d/4DhI88Y

[claydoh]

You can copy and paste the terminal text into a reply, which will be easier to read, as well as easier for us to copy/paste ourselves when looking for things
Also, you probably can upload images now that you have 3 posts



So it says it can't connect to the repo archives. Are you able to access the internet elsewhere?
i assume you have actually connected to a WiFi ssid, and it shows as connected?





(don't mind my odd theming and modified system tray, etc)

under windows any and all 3 work fine ofc the ac600 is slow AF...but works.

Of course, as the hardware and drivers are created and supported bu the manufacturer for Windows. Linux drivers are poorly supported by the manufacturers, and more often without their support at all. So it is up to the volunteers and hobbyists to make and hack on them.
I really don't know why the Brostend dongle doesn't work - it has support in the kernel now, so drivers are already present.

Broken onboard in dev manager https://imgur.com/gallery/eFH5U

The link is broken, and I have no idea what you mean by "Broken onboard in dev manager" means.

🤔...Just an afterthought the wife mentioned to me outta no where, lol, would one of those USB to cat adapters n then jacking straight to the router work as a hardline?

Smart wife
Yes, that would work, especially with reports from users that it is Linux compatible. Most should be, iirc. but the brand is a decent and well known one as well.

[HammerDamag3d]

Smart wife
Yes, that would work, especially with reports from users that it is Linux compatible. Most should be, iirc. but the brand is a decent and well known one as well.

She will be all smug about this,......you have noooooo idea. 🤦

I'll order it first thing in the morning and then revisit this once I give it all a whirl. Ty, in the meantime I'll DEF be lurking n reading.

Old Man Hammer

[claydoh]

This reminds me I need to get a USB hub with an Ethernet port on it. My current one doesn't. It does mean one more cable to stash in my bag though, lol

My wife's Thinkpad lost wifi yesterday morning, right when she needed to upload important things of course. I of course didn't have an Ethernet cable (hers has a port). It ended up being from an update to her 'security' software. Ditched that, and all was good.

Stupid Windows lol.