Supported distributions
Recent Linux kernels include their own drivers (modules) for most of our adapters, so they work out of the box in the distributions that have them. We suggest that you use the in-kernel drivers and that you only install our drivers if you encounter any issues.
If you open a terminal and run the following command, you’ll see your kernel version. Then use the tables below to verify that your kernel supports the adapter and driver that you are interested in:
uname -r
In-kernel drivers
The in-kernel drivers and the adapters they support are listed in the following table:
| Driver | Adapter | Since Linux kernel version |
|---|---|---|
| rtw88_8812au | Old AC1Lv1, AC3Lv1, before 2019 | 6.13 (2025-01-19) |
| rtw88_8822bu | New AC1Lv2, AC3Lv2 | 6.2 (2023-02-19) |
| rtw88_8821cu | AC5L | 6.2 (2023-02-19) |
| rtw89_8852bu | AX1L, AX4L | 6.17 (2025-09-28) |
| rtw89_8852cu | AX8L | 6.19 (February 2026) |
| mt7921au | AX9L | 5.18 (2022-05-22) |
| rtw89_8851bu | WB1L | 6.17 (2025-09-28) |
| r8169 | P1L | 5.9 (2020-10-11) |
| - | AX5L, AX7L, AX7PL | No in-kernel driver yet |
Recent distributions include all those drivers by default, except for some rare cases; for example OpenWRT wants to be tiny to fit in routers, so it omits most drivers. Also note that on Debian, you might have to install the related firmware packages and reboot for the drivers to work:
sudo apt install --yes firmware-realtek firmware-mediatek
Our drivers
Our drivers and the range of Linux kernel versions they support are listed in the following table:
| Driver | Adapter | From kernel | To kernel |
|---|---|---|---|
| aic8800 | AX5L, AX7L, AX7PL | 4.4 (Ubuntu 16.04) | 6.17 (25.10) |
| 8821au | Old AC1Lv1, AC3Lv1 | 4.4 | 6.8 (24.04) |
| 88x2bu | New AC1Lv2, AC3Lv2 | 4.4 | 6.17 |
| 8821cu | AC5L | 4.4 | 6.17 |
| 8852bu | AX1L, AX4L | 4.4 | 6.17 |
| 8852cu | AX8L | 5.14 (20.04) | 6.17 |
| - | AX9L | In-kernel driver only | |
| - | WB1L | In-kernel driver only | |
| - | P1L | In-kernel driver only |
We maintain our drivers until in-kernel drivers appear for our adapters. Then the in-kernel drivers should be used wherever possible. Our drivers should only be used when no in-kernel drivers exist yet, such as for the AX5L, AX7L and AX7PL adapters, or if using old Linux distributions.
Hundreds of Linux distributions exist so it’s impossible to list or support all of them. Our driver release process is as follows:
💡 Every time a new official Ubuntu, Debian or Raspberry Pi OS version is released, we make sure that we have already uploaded compatible drivers in our repository, for all adapters that don’t have in-kernel drivers.
This means that our drivers support all official Ubuntu, Debian and Raspberry Pi OS versions, including all their derivatives as long as they use the same kernel and are not immutable.
But this also means that we cannot support distributions that frequently have a newer kernel than Ubuntu, such as ArchLinux or PoP!_OS, or distributions that have a modified kernel, such as Kali Linux or Armbian. For these distributions, consider using using one of our adapters that have in-kernel drivers.
A non-exhaustive list of distributions that our drivers support is
- All official Ubuntu flavors and their derivatives with the same kernel, such as Bodhi Linux, Edubuntu, Elementary OS, Feren OS, Freespire, KDE neon, Kubuntu, Linux Lite, Linux Mint, LinuxFX, LXLE, Lubuntu, Netrunner, Nitrux, Peppermint OS, Trisquel, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Cinnamon, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Studio, Ubuntu Unity, Voyager, Xubuntu, Zorin OS.
- All official Debian blends and their derivatives with the same kernel, such as Devuan, MX Linux, Parrot OS, PureOS, Q4OS, SparkyLinux, Ultimate Edition.
- Raspberry Pi OS and its derivatives with the same kernel.
A non-exhaustive list of distributions that our drivers do NOT support is
ALT Linux, antiX Linux, Arch Linux, Arco Linux, Armbian, Artix Linux, Bluestar Linux, CentOS Linux, CentOS Stream, Clear Linux, deepin, EndeavourOS, Endless OS, Fedora Workstation, Garuda Linux, Gecko Linux, Gentoo Linux, Guix, KaOS Linux, Kali Linux, Kodachi, LibreELEC, Linux CNC, Mageia, Manjaro Linux, Oracle Linux, OpenMandriva, openSUSE Leap, openSUSE Tumbleweed, PCLinuxOS, Pop! OS, Puppy Linux, Reborn OS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Scientific Linux, Slackware, Solus, Tails, Tiny Core Linux, Ubuntu Core, Void Linux, Windows Subsystem for Linux
For the distributions that our drivers do not support, consider using one of our adapters that have in-kernel drivers.
📝 Note that if your distribution or architecture is unsupported and you didn’t notice it when you purchased our adapter, you may return the adapter back to Amazon for a refund, as it comes with two years of warranty.