ZYD(4) | Device Drivers Manual | ZYD(4)

# NAME

`zyd` — ZyDAS ZD1211/ZD1211B USB IEEE 802.11b/g wireless network device

# SYNOPSIS

`zyd* at uhub? port ?`

# DESCRIPTION

The `zyd` driver provides support for wireless network adapters based around the ZyDAS ZD1211 and ZD1211B USB chips.

These are the modes the `zyd` 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 `zyd` 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 `zyd` driver relies on the software 802.11 stack for both encryption and decryption of data frames.

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

# FILES

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

/etc/firmware/zd1211
/etc/firmware/zd1211b

# HARDWARE

The following devices are known to be supported by the `zyd` driver:

3COM 3CRUSB10075
Acer WLAN-G-US1
Airlink+ AWLL3025
Airlink 101 AWLL3026
AOpen 802.11g WL54
Asus A9T integrated wireless
Asus WL-159g
Belkin F5D7050 v.4000
Billion BiPAC 3011G
Buffalo WLI-U2-KG54L
CC&C WL-2203B
DrayTek Vigor 550
Edimax EW-7317UG
Edimax EW-7317LDG
Fiberline Networks WL-43OU
iNexQ UR055g
Linksys WUSBF54G
Longshine LCS-8131G3
MSI US54SE
Philips SNU5600
Planet WL-U356
Planex GW-US54GD
Planex GW-US54GXS
Planex GW-US54GZL
Planex GW-US54Mini
Planex GW-US54ZGL
Safecom SWMULZ-5400
Sagem XG 760A
Sagem XG 76NA
Sandberg Wireless G54 USB
Sitecom WL-113
Sitecom WL-603
SMC SMCWUSB-G
Sweex wireless USB 54 Mbps
Tekram/Siemens USB adapter
Telegent TG54USB
Trendnet TEW-424UB rev A
Trendnet TEW-429UB
TwinMOS G240
US Robotics 5423
X-Micro XWL-11GUZX
Yakumo QuickWLAN USB
Zonet ZEW2501
ZyXEL AG-220
ZyXEL AG-225H v2
ZyXEL G-200 v2
ZyXEL G-202
ZyXEL G-220

# EXAMPLES

The following example scans for available networks:

`# ifconfig zyd0 scan`

The following hostname.if(5) example configures zyd0 to join network “mynwid”, using WPA key “mywpakey”, obtaining an IP address using DHCP:

    join mynwid wpakey mywpakey
    inet autoconf

# DIAGNOSTICS

zyd0: error N, could not read firmware ...
  For some reason, the driver was unable to read the firmware image from the filesystem. The file might be missing or corrupted.
zyd0: could not load firmware (error=N)
  An error occurred while attempting to upload the firmware to the onboard microcontroller unit.
zyd0: could not send command (error=...)
  An attempt to send a command to the firmware failed.
zyd0: sorry, radio ... is not supported yet
  Support for the specified radio chip is not yet implemented in the driver. The device will not attach.
zyd0: device version mismatch: 0xXXXX (only >= 43.30 supported)
  Early revisions of the ZD1211 chipset are not supported by this driver. The device will not attach.
zyd0: 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)

# AUTHORS

The `zyd` driver was written by Florian Stoehr <ich@florian-stoehr.de>, Damien Bergamini <damien.bergamini@free.fr>, and Jonathan Gray <jsg@openbsd.org>.

# CAVEATS

The `zyd` driver does not support a lot of the functionality available in the hardware. More work is required to properly support the IBSS and power management features.

March 25, 2025 | Debian