I have MX Linux KDE, most recent update. It runs on kernel 6.1.0-40. I am using a mini pc with a Realtek 8852BE network card.
I had always had wired internet for that machine, but now I have to be happy with wifi. The problem, unlike any of my other OSs, is that it sees each wifi channel as having a 0 signal strength and fails to activate wlan0. I went around for hours with Claude AI to solve it and it was unable to resolve the issue. It finally suggested just going to MX Tools, Package Installer and look for firmware-realtek (which I havenât tried yet).
I looked online without Claudeâs help and found this page on github about installing driver support. GitHub - lwfinger/rtw89: Driver for Realtek 8852AE, an 802.11ax device
The problem is that they recommend using DKMS packaging, which may be a step or two beyond my skill level.
Any tips? Should I try Claudeâs (seemingly simplistic) last suggestion or should I take the plunge and try the DKMS route?
Hi Cliffe,
Is this card a very new model? If so you may have trouble with a buggy driver. @abu is right, if you can see the device, it has a driver, but it may not be working properly.
I have had exactly that issue with a realtek ethernet card in the past. The solution was to down load a newer driver version direct from realtek, and install it.
You will have to keep doing that until MX catches up with driver versions.
What @abu said is also possible⌠you may not have configured the card properly.
What happens if you use a live MX usb drive⌠does it find the internet via the realtek card?
Right, but if the problem is that you have misconfigured the card, the live usb will work, because it will autoconfigure its primary network connection.. That will distinguish between the two possibilities.
Yes, that will get you a new set of drivers and firmware.
Dont try to change to an MXahs kernel⌠i tried that once and it screwed things up badly. I you have to go to MXahs, do a fresh install.
The live USB has no option for even turning wifi on. It only had wired and Io modes. I tried manually adding using the router name, nothing.
I also just had a lengthy round-and-round with Claude, who suggested that I had conflicts with two versions of the same driver. It/They/ suggested blacklisting the older names. Well, I created a blacklist file which did nothing on reboot. THere are indeed two sets of driver names. $ lsmod | grep rtw
rtw_8852be 16384 0
rtw_8852b 372736 1 rtw_8852be
rtw89pci 90112 1 rtw_8852be
rtw89core 741376 2 rtw89pci,rtw_8852b
mac80211 1175552 2 rtw89pci,rtw89core
cfg80211 1146880 4 wl,rtw89core,mac80211,rtw_8852b
Could something this simple be the cause? If so, how do I resolve the conflict?
I didnât know anything about iwd so I installed it. It really looked promising; it found my router and there were **** for signal. But when I ran the connect command, it returned âOperation failedâ with no explanation.
Wifi works in Win 11, Debian 13 and Linux Mint. No doubt it is an issue with MX or the kernel (MX has my oldest kernel).
About kernels: This one is not in the mxahs repo:
Package: linux-image-6.9.10-amd64-unsigned Version: 6.9.10-1~mx23+1
It sounds like you might be facing the same Wi-Fi problems I had. My Windows favoring HP laptop would disconnect every few minutes, and the driver often wouldnât work after waking from sleep.
Hereâs what finally fixed it for me:
Open a terminal and run: sudo nano /usr/lib/modprobe.d/70-rtw89.conf
This opens a text editor. Copy and paste this exact line into the file: options rtw89_pci disable_clkreq=y disable_aspm_l1=y disable_aspm_l1ss=y
Save and exit: Press Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter.
Restart your computer.
This tells the Wi-Fi driver to turn off some power-saving features that were causing trouble. This solution should work for Kernel 6+. See my journey to this fix on GitHub: [Link to GitHub]
A quick tip: My Wi-Fi shows up as wl01. If youâre stuck, sometimes itâs best to try this with a fresh start. Good luck!
Have a look at @maniganala 's reply⌠he seems to know what he is doing here.
It is a simple edit. You must try it, before bothering with anything else.
I got this from AI âŚ
" To get the Realtek 8852BE working on MX Linux, you will likely need to install a newer kernel or a custom driver, as newer Wi-Fi cards are often not supported by default in older Linux kernels. Start by trying to update your system and check for a newer kernel, then you can try downloading a pre-compiled driver from a source like the GitHub repository for the 8852BE chip if the latest kernel doesnât work.
Before you begin
Get a temporary internet connection:
Since your Wi-Fi wonât work, connect to the internet using a USB Ethernet adapter or by tethering from your phone.
Disable Secure Boot:
This is often required for installing third-party drivers, so disable it in your computerâs BIOS/UEFI settings.
Step 1: Gather system information
Open a terminal.
Run the command $ inxi -Fz and copy the output.
Paste the output in your next message on a support forum if you need further assistance.
Step 2: Update your system
Open a terminal.
Run the command $ sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade.
Reboot your computer.
Step 3: Install a newer kernel
MX Linux allows you to choose between different kernels. Check if a newer version is available through the âMX Toolsâ â âUpdate Kernelâ or âKernel Installerâ options.
If a newer kernel is not available in the GUI, open a terminal and use the command $ sudo apt install linux-image-amd64 to install the latest available kernel.
Step 4: Install the driver from a repository
If the new kernel alone does not work, you will need to install the driver from a repository.
Navigate to the HRex39 rtl8852be GitHub repository.
Follow the instructions in the repositoryâs README to download and build the driver, which will likely involve using the git command to clone the repository and then running a build script.
The repositoryâs instructions state that youâll need a kernel version of at least 5.18 to build the driver.
Step 5: Reboot and verify
Reboot your computer again after installing the driver.
Check if your Wi-Fi is now working.
If you still have issues
If you are still having trouble, it is recommended to seek help on the MX Linux forum and provide the output from the inxi -Fz command to get assistance from experienced users. "
@maniganala ,
Hello and welcome.
You seem to have exact knowledge of this problem . Thank you, if you are right it is a very simple solution.
Regards
Neville
Yes, that single file solved my problem permanently. It is one time fix every time a brand new distro is installed. Sad part is that this issue is still there with the latest and greatest kernel version as far as I know.
Letâs see if this solves the issue faced by OP because it could be something else.
Is it not more like Realtek releasing hardware with bug-ridden driver support , then fixing the problems afterwards, sometimes long afterwards.?
or
Are you saying it is faulty installation of drivers and firmware?
Yes. Real problem lies with Realtek Chipsets and their unoptimized drivers for Linux (developer community is also small I believe). And then comes the computer manufacturers where they compound the issue with cheap hardware prioritizing Windows compatibility. I didnât anticipate Wi-Fi/BT issue on my Ryzen based laptop because I never used Ryzen based computers. All my life I used Intel computers and never had driver issues.
Iâm on the latest Kubuntu 25.xx now and it is fully up-to-date.
I love Linux but Iâm forced to use Windows 11 on my laptop all the time because of issues below:
Fingerprint sensor does not work on Linux by default (driver needs to be compiled manually which I did but it cannot detect my finger as fast as in Windows or sometimes it just fails to detect)
Audio output is too low and Mic is slightly crippled in Linux (it was even worse before installing EasyEffects) â real deal breaker
Yes, the Wi-Fi/BT issue of course
Bootup speed of Linux is much slower than Windows
Waking from sleep is like 5-7 seconds on Linux while it is just a second or two on Windows
I purchased this laptop a year ago and Iâm stuck with it for now.
That is sad. Unfortunately it is common with brand new hardware, especially laptops.
There are 5 things you can do
wait. Linux will catch up with some of the hardware issues
there are a couple of distros that make âleading edgeâ versions specifically for this problem. MXahs and Mint Edge. They may help. You could try a live usb.
a rolling release distro (eg Void) will have up to date packages.
build your own distro with Gentoo. That will get you the latest packages.
run your linux in a VM inside Win11
I am surprised that Linux boots slowly. I think it is probably systemd. The fastest booting Linux I know is Artix with the âdinitâ init system. 10 seconds in a VM.
Just some ideas. It is not a dead end , but it is disappointing.