wifi cards : solution to get them working?

[shep]

Originally Posted by bsd-keith

You'll find it much easier & quicker just to buy a compatible USB wifi device...

I've found that most TP-Link wifi that I have bought work as urtwn.

There are online databases where you can search for the chipset ID:

https://deviwiki.com/

Two caveats: You need an exact match between the OpenBSD driver and the device.
For example, there are a number of rtl8188xx devices and OpenBSD only supports a few.

Secondly, The manufacturers are notorious for changing chipsets. For example. Someone mentioned the EdiMax EW-7326Ig. There are 2 versions with 2 different realtek chipsets:

https://deviwiki.com/wiki/Edimax_EW-7326Ig_v1
https://deviwiki.com/wiki/Edimax_EW-7326Ig_v2

One last comment about USB dongles vs internal mini pci-e cards: The internal cards have small jacks that attach to an internal antennae. The internal cards have significantly more range. Wif cards step down the send/receive speeds if signal strength is poor.

[hd77]

Originally Posted by Head_on_a_Stick

I think it's a really good sign — the devs recognise that those devices are of such poor quality that they're not worth supporting.

the problem is, this type of technological exclusion results in a type of user's exclusion, because mostly (i truely include myself) users will never change their hardware for software.
i like grapheneos, i will never buy a pixel anyway (just for it), i stay on lineage or postmarketos.
in a way, i would largely understand that end-users, looking forward to use openbsd daily, would require to get wifi working, in addition of graphical support. Looks like in Unix world, except freebsd, hardware is a bit the deciding reason. I was on that forum that somebody adopted haiku due to lack of openbsd support for wifi cards (edit : most precisely : https://daemonforums.org/showthread....2333#post73775 )

i'd be curious about how many nerds interested in openbsd would give up using it because of wifi kind-of-segregation, where almost all others OS supports all hardware nowadays...

for me, it's just a bit near a redflag for an OS choice. And im far of being glad to say that

Originally Posted by Head_on_a_Stick

Do those Broadcom cards actually work reliably in Haiku? I've lost count of the number of support threads I've seen about Broadcom in Linux. It's the only manufacturer to have an entire ArchWiki page devoted to it's wireless devices.

just, how users could figure out if their wifi works well or not?
how users could difference if bad wifi is either due to their software, their own wifi card, the wifi hotspot, or even the presence of other's devices using wifi?

[jggimi]

There is no "gatekeeping" occuring. I'll repeat, once more, what I wrote in my first answer to this thread, a year and a half ago:

The OpenBSD Project will only add hardware support when and where there is a developer who has access to the hardware, an interest in using or supporting it, and sufficient time. In some cases, lack of information from the vendor may prevent or halt development.

[Onauk]

I think it is helpful to remember that OpenBSD is a research operating system developed by volunteers. The financial backing is in no way comparable to other projects like Linux (or MS Windows for that matter). This explains why they cannot support every piece of hardware especially ones undocumented by the manufacturer.

The OpenBSD Foundation received around $500k in donations for 2023[1] whereas the Linux Foundation received $262.6 million[2].

[1] : https://www.openbsdfoundation.org/campaign2023.html
[2] : https://www.linuxfoundation.org/hubf....pdf?hsLang=en

[hd77]

Originally Posted by shep

One last comment about USB dongles vs internal mini pci-e cards: The internal cards have small jacks that attach to an internal antennae. The internal cards have significantly more range. Wif cards step down the send/receive speeds if signal strength is poor.

imho i see only disadvantages to use a USB wifi dongle :
-antenna is ....
-it takes and USB port permanently, not nice for 2 USB ports laptops (that i have)
-the usb port makes it, i guess, slower..
-it can be removed and lost..

Originally Posted by Onauk

OpenBSD is a research operating system

well, a decade ago I would totally agree.
now, regarding this :
https://douglasrumbaugh.com/post/openbsd-thinkpad/
https://jcs.org/openbsd-laptops
https://www.tumfatig.net/2019/an-ope...g-windowmaker/
and especially this :
https://www.openbsd.org/papers/bsdca...bsd-laptop.pdf

makes me thing openbsd definitely leaves the only-research status to get a more general-public-welcomed operating system (it's my thought)

Originally Posted by Onauk

The OpenBSD Foundation received around $500k in donations for 2023[1] whereas the Linux Foundation received $262.6 million[2].

[1] : https://www.openbsdfoundation.org/campaign2023.html
[2] : https://www.linuxfoundation.org/hubf....pdf?hsLang=en

i didnt knew that.. (but it's still better than zero)

Originally Posted by jggimi

There is no "gatekeeping" occuring. I'll repeat, once more, what I wrote in my first answer to this thread, a year and a half ago:

okay, but what about remote-help/assistance?
on several opensource projects, eg for alternative operating system than android-based, it happens that we organize to see how the phone reacts, even by controling it by a dedicated-pc remotely used by the skilled developer (that i am not)

i dont see the matter to have a "temporarly" openbsd installation remotely accessible to help on that..

internet networks works great, better than a decade ago, why not using it?

[jggimi]

For "remote help" there is always OpenSSH available to you and your "remote helper." But that doesn't work well for hardware driver development, where physical access is needed.

Nor does it help with your social issue: the OpenBSD Project isn't run by its users. You and I cannot tell the Project what to do. Or, tell the Project what we want. Instead, the OpenBSD Project is run by its developers, for its developers. We users can come along for the ride if we want.

If a user wants specific hardware supported, that user either finds an interested developer and provides them with test hardware, or that user develops the support themselves and provides the resulting software patches to the Project for consideration.

[rufwoof]

Originally Posted by bsd-keith

You'll find it much easier & quicker just to buy a compatible USB wifi device...

I've found that most TP-Link wifi that I have bought work as urtwn.

Or just tether your phone. Works fine for me on a laptop where OpenBSD doesn't support its wifi (Atheros AR9565).

[blackhole]

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionari...h/labour-under
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dic...prehension-etc

Originally Posted by hd77

the problem is, this type of technological exclusion results in a type of user's exclusion, because mostly (i truely include myself) users will never change their hardware for software.

You seem to completely misunderstand or misinterpret the goals of the project.

Originally Posted by hd77

i would largely understand that end-users, looking forward to use openbsd daily, would require to get wifi working, in addition of graphical support.

"End Users" are a Microsoft Windows things. OpenBSD is not a consumer project which is obliged to support a vast array of hardware in order to bring in more users.

Originally Posted by hd77

i'd be curious about how many nerds interested in openbsd would give up using it because of wifi kind-of-segregation, where almost all others OS supports all hardware nowadays...

You should use those other OS which support "all hardware".

Originally Posted by hd77

for me, it's just a bit near a redflag for an OS choice. And im far of being glad to say that

You seem to presume to speak for others. You should stop that. If the OS doesn't meet your needs, just go elsewhere.

Originally Posted by hd77

just, how users could figure out if their wifi works well or not?
how users could difference if bad wifi is either due to their software, their own wifi card, the wifi hotspot, or even the presence of other's devices using wifi?

This is pure nonsense. Again you seem to be here representing and/or speaking for others. Who are these people?

You've also being posting similar nonsense at the linuxquestions.org site. You seem to post a lot of speculative stuff, then when you're duly corrected and informed, you simply ignore that and repeat the same baseless speculation over and over again.

It seems to me that it's gotten to the stage where you're just trolling. Just stop all the drama and use your top favourite OS which supports all your hardware.

[hd77]

Originally Posted by blackhole

You've also being posting similar nonsense at the linuxquestions.org site. You seem to post a lot of speculative stuff, then when you're duly corrected and informed, you simply ignore that and repeat the same baseless speculation over and over again.

It seems to me that it's gotten to the stage where you're just trolling. Just stop all the drama and use your top favourite OS which supports all your hardware.

Sorry, but my work is well to ask questions to understabd better things
sorry if it hurted you, but for me ask questions (even the same) at multiples places is far of being a bad idea