New Linux User, WiFi Adapter not Recognized

Hardware Support
1

Hi! I have just recently installed Zorin fresh onto my computer as an inttoduction to Linux as a whole (aside from some minor recreational use on my mobile phone) and presumed the setup would be smooth sailing. I have however come to recognize that my WiFi USB Adapter is not being recognized by Zorin, which means I am unable to connect to the internet bar through USB tethering to my phone. I figure it is some form of driver issue, but this being my first real experience with Linux I am lost and in desperate need of assistance. I have tried for quite a while to solve this issue but to no success on my own.

The WiFi Adapter in question is the NetGear Wireless Adapter AC1900, using RTL8814AU. Any help at all is greatly appreciated, and I apologise for the very beginner issues. Please do request any information needed.

2

Are you able to tether your phone as Hotspot to temporarily get internet, then in terminal, run (each line is a separate command):

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

sudo apt install dkms build-essential git

git clone https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw88

git clone https://github.com/aircrack-ng/rtl8812au.git

cd rtw88

sudo dkms install $PWD

sudo make install_fw

sudo cp rtw88.conf /etc/modprobe.d/

If Secure Boot is enabled on your machine, please see the github page for MOK enrollment.

3

For those aircrack drivers is shown that they are deprecated. Is it better to use the lwfinger ones? Are they not yet included in the kernel?

Screenshot_20251130-073445
Screenshot_20251130-0734451080×2400 288 KB

Screenshot_20251130-073153
Screenshot_20251130-0731531080×2400 276 KB

4

Great catch; thanks for following up and checking on that. Edited post above to apply the LWFinger driver.

No, they are not included in the kernel (I am not really sure why).

1 Like
5

My apologies, I has gone to sleep as it was very late at night in my region. When I woke up this morning, I got my USB tethering sorted and followed these instructions. Should it simply just work now, or is there more setup to it? I did everything as told but it seems the WiFi menu still thinks there is no WiFi adapter plugged in. It's not a problem with the USB connection, the adapter does show up in lsusb and is not plugged into any hub.

6

To clarify, the adapter is shown and the driver is loaded in lsusb?
Or use lsmod to show loaded modules for wifi:

lsmod | grep wifi

7

image
The adapter is indeed shown in lsusb.

It is however not in lsmod. Should I repeat the steps you previously suggested in case something was missed?

Update, upon running "sudo cp rtw88.conf /etc/modprobe.d/" in the terminal nothing happens at all. Entered exactly as seen.

8

In terminal, can you try:

sudo modprobe -r rtw88_8814au

sudo modprobe rtw88_8814au

9

The module rtw88_8814au was not found at all. I requested a list from the rtw88 directory. Here's that if it helps you.

Screenshot from 2025-11-30 16-37-59
Screenshot from 2025-11-30 16-37-59619×558 59 KB

10

What do you see for

modinfo 8814au

11

Not found. Did I install something improperly?

12

I cannot say, since I cannot see your terminal history to see how the commands were run.

The github source states:

Supported Chipsets

  • USB : RTL8814AU, RTL8821AU, RTL8821CU, RTL8822BU, RTL8822CU

Is your card correctly identified?

Under the same page troubleshooting, it says:

The kernel modules for RTL8821CU are used to demonstrate here, you need to change the module name according to the chip that your Wi-Fi adapter uses.

This unloads the modules for RTL8821CU, due to some pecularities in the modprobe utility, two steps are required. If you are not sure the names of the loaded modules for your Wi-Fi adapter, run lsmod | grep -i rtw

sudo modprobe -r rtw_8821cu

This above tells me that the modprobe command we gave above may be slightly off... Maybe

sudo modprobe rtw_8814au

13

I can confirm that it is correctly identified. The list identifies it as follows,
image
And as far as I can find online (through a few pages of sellers), that is indeed consistent with the specs of the device. I have not seen any sources that identify it's chipset as being anything other than the RTL8814AU for this model.

14

Installation Steps for Ubuntu

  1. Add the PPA Repository
    Open your terminal and run the following command to add the necessary PPA for the driver:

Code

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kelebek333/kablosuz && sudo apt -y update


* **Install the Driver**
After adding the repository, install the driver with:

Code

* ```
sudo apt install rtl8814au-dkms
  • Install Additional Tools
    It is recommended to install net-tools and wireless-tools for better network management:

Code

sudo apt install net-tools wireless-tools


* **Reboot Your System**
Reboot your computer to load the new driver.
* **Connect to WiFi**
Use the `iwconfig` command to find your wireless interface and connect to your WiFi network.