URTWN(4) | Device Drivers Manual | URTWN(4)

# NAME

`urtwn` — Realtek RTL8188CU/RTL8188EU/RTL8188FTV/RTL8192CU/RTL8192EU USB IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless network device

# SYNOPSIS

`urtwn* at uhub? port ?`

# DESCRIPTION

The `urtwn` driver supports USB 2.0 wireless network devices based on Realtek RTL8188CU, RTL8188CE-VAU, RTL8188EU, RTL8188FTV, RTL8188RU, RTL8192CU and RTL8192EU chipsets.

The RTL8188CU, RTL8188EU and RTL8188FTV are highly integrated 802.11n adapters that combine a MAC, a 1T1R capable baseband and an RF in a single chip. They operate in the 2GHz spectrum only. The RTL8188RU is a high-power variant of the RTL8188CU. The RTL8188CE-VAU is a PCI Express Mini Card adapter that attaches to the USB interface.

The RTL8192CU and RTL8192EU are highly integrated multiple-in, multiple-out (MIMO) 802.11n adapters that combine a MAC, a 2T2R capable baseband and an RF in a single chip. They operate in the 2GHz spectrum only.

These are the modes the `urtwn` driver can operate in:

BSS mode
  Also known as infrastructure mode, this is used when associating with an access point, through which all traffic passes. This mode is the default.
monitor mode
  In this mode the driver is able to receive packets without associating with an access point. This disables the internal receive filter and enables the card to capture packets from networks which it wouldn't normally have access to, or to scan for access points.

The `urtwn` driver can be configured to use Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA1 and WPA2). WPA2 is currently the most secure encryption standard for wireless networks supported by OpenBSD. It is strongly recommended that neither WEP nor WPA1 are used as the sole mechanism to secure wireless communication, due to serious weaknesses. WPA1 is disabled by default and may be enabled using the option "`wpaprotos` wpa1,wpa2". For standard WPA networks which use pre-shared keys (PSK), keys are configured using the "`wpakey`" option. WPA-Enterprise networks require use of the wpa_supplicant package.

The `urtwn` driver can be configured at runtime with ifconfig(8) or on boot with hostname.if(5).

# FILES

The adapter needs firmware files to run, which are loaded on demand by the driver when the device is attached:

/etc/firmware/urtwn-rtl8192cT
/etc/firmware/urtwn-rtl8192cU
/etc/firmware/urtwn-rtl8192eu
/etc/firmware/urtwn-rtl8188eu
/etc/firmware/urtwn-rtl8188ftv

# HARDWARE

The following adapters should work:

Airlink101 AWLL5088
Alfa AWUS036NHR
Approx APPUSB300NANO V1
Aus. Linx AL-9604R1S
Asus USB-N10 NANO
Asus USB-N10 NANO B1
B-Link BL-LW05-5R
Belkin F7D1102 Surf Wireless Micro
Comfast CF-WU710N v4
D-Link DWA-121
D-Link DWA-123 rev D1
D-Link DWA-125 rev D1
D-Link DWA-131 rev B, E1
D-Link DWA-133
D-Link DWA-135
Digitus DN-7042
Edimax EW-7811Un
Edimax EW-7811Un v2
EDUP EP-N8508
Elecom WDC-150SU2M
Full River FR-W100NUL
Hercules Wireless N USB Pico HWNUp-150
IO-DATA WN-G150UM
ISY IWL4000 USB Wireless Micro Adapter
Mercusys MW150US V2
Netgear WNA1000A
Netgear WNA1000M
Netgear WNA1000Mv2
On Networks N300MA
Patriot PCUSBW1150
Planex GW-USEco300
Planex GW-USNano2
Planex GW-USValue-EZ
Planex GW-USWExtreme
POWCHIP POW-N18
Prolink WN2201
Sitecom WL-365
Sitecom WLA-2100 v2
Solwise NET-WL-UMD-606N
TP-LINK TL-WN722N v2
TP-LINK TL-WN723N v3
TP-LINK TL-WN725N v2
TP-LINK TL-WN821N v4
TP-LINK TL-WN821N v5
TP-LINK TL-WN822N v4
TP-LINK TL-WN822N v5
TRENDnet TEW-648UBM

# EXAMPLES

The following example scans for available networks:

`# ifconfig urtwn0 scan`

The following hostname.if(5) example configures urtwn0 to join network “mynwid”, using WPA key “mywpakey”, obtaining an IP address using DHCP:

    join mynwid wpakey mywpakey
    inet autoconf

# DIAGNOSTICS

urtwn0: error N, could not read firmware ...
  For some reason, the driver was unable to read the microcode file from the filesystem. The file might be missing or corrupted.
urtwn0: device timeout
  A frame dispatched to the hardware for transmission did not complete in time. The driver will reset the hardware. This should not happen.

# SEE ALSO

arp(4), ifmedia(4), intro(4), netintro(4), usb(4), hostname.if(5), ifconfig(8)

# HISTORY

The `urtwn` driver first appeared in OpenBSD 4.9.

# AUTHORS

The `urtwn` driver was written by Damien Bergamini <damien.bergamini@free.fr>.

# CAVEATS

The `urtwn` driver does not support any of the 802.11n capabilities offered by the adapters. Additional work is required in ieee80211(9) before those features can be supported.

March 27, 2025 | Debian