WiFi adapter AR9271 not scanning with Khadas vim3 running Armbian 24.2.1

[AnG-M]

Hi everyone, I am at my wits end and need help before I lost my eyesight:

I have a Khadas vim3 running Armbian 24.2.1 "bookworm". and i'm attempting to use a Ar9271 wifi adapter to run a hotspot, which partially works as it fails to scan for networks and needs me to specify the channel for it to run.

When running:

Code: Select all

sudo iwlist wlan1 scan

, i get and error stating that the interface does not support scanning

Testing the same adapter on an ubuntu machine proves the opposite as the adapter supports scanning and works out of the box without any issues

both machines are loading the correct 1.4.0 firmware but using different drivers as the Ubuntu machine is running a 5.14 kernel while the Khadas is running 6.6.16

i'm losing my mind trying to get this to work and the fact that the ubuntu machine ran everything out of the box is making me lose whatever hair i have left.

Please let me know what info i can provide to help diagnose this and get to the bottom of it.

Appreciate all the help i can get.

[Aki]

Hello,

Please, modify the subject of the first post to make it more understandable to other forum users and readers; i.e. :

WiFi adapter AR9271 not scanning with Khadas vim3 running Armbian 24.2.1

Moved to "Off-Topic" sub-forum, since it is not about Debian.

[AnG-M]

Hello,

Please, modify the subject of the first post to make it more understandable to other forum users and readers; i.e. :

WiFi adapter AR9271 not scanning with Khadas vim3 running Armbian 24.2.1

Moved to "Off-Topic" sub-forum, since it is not about Debian.

Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't the armbian in discussion Debian based ?. that's the basis to why I posted it in this forum

[Aki]

Hello,

Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't the armbian in discussion Debian based ?

Yes, Armbian is a so-called "derivative" of other distributions. According to [1]:

Armbian comes in two distinct versions, one Debian based, the other is based on a lightweight Ubuntu version.[4]

and according to [2]:

A Debian derivative is a distribution that is based on the work done in Debian but has its own identity, goals and audience and is created by an entity that is independent from Debian.

For example, Debian derivatives:

• can modify Debian source code and create/add their own binaries

• do not necessarily use packages from Debian repositories, nor are Debian packages necessarily compatible with those of the derivative

• may behave differently from Debian at runtime to some extent (e.g. to support specific hardware)

Therefore, derivatives are not necessarily compatible with the native distribution (i.e. Debian).

In this forum they are usually discussed in the off-topic subforum, as they might not behave strictly as a Debian.

Of course, the people who make derivatives know better how to support their users in their forums.

I have a Khadas vim3 running Armbian 24.2.1 "bookworm". and i'm attempting to use a Ar9271 wifi adapter to run a hotspot, which partially works as it fails to scan for networks and needs me to specify the channel for it to run.
When running:

Code: Select all

sudo iwlist wlan1 scan

, i get and error stating that the interface does not support scanning. Testing the same adapter on an ubuntu machine proves the opposite as the adapter supports scanning and works out of the box without any issues

both machines are loading the correct 1.4.0 firmware but using different drivers as the Ubuntu machine is running a 5.14 kernel while the Khadas is running 6.6.16

The home site for the "Kadas VIM3" reports for following binary images:

• https://docs.khadas.com/products/sbc/vim3/os-images/start

What is the image you used ?

--
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armbian
[2] https://www.debian.org/derivatives/index.en.html

[AnG-M]

Hello,

Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't the armbian in discussion Debian based ?

Yes, Armbian is a so-called "derivative" of other distributions. According to [1]:

Armbian comes in two distinct versions, one Debian based, the other is based on a lightweight Ubuntu version.[4]

and according to [2]:

A Debian derivative is a distribution that is based on the work done in Debian but has its own identity, goals and audience and is created by an entity that is independent from Debian.

For example, Debian derivatives:

• can modify Debian source code and create/add their own binaries

• do not necessarily use packages from Debian repositories, nor are Debian packages necessarily compatible with those of the derivative

• may behave differently from Debian at runtime to some extent (e.g. to support specific hardware)

Therefore, derivatives are not necessarily compatible with the native distribution (i.e. Debian).

In this forum they are usually discussed in the off-topic subforum, as they might not behave strictly as a Debian.

Of course, the people who make derivatives know better how to support their users in their forums.

I have a Khadas vim3 running Armbian 24.2.1 "bookworm". and i'm attempting to use a Ar9271 wifi adapter to run a hotspot, which partially works as it fails to scan for networks and needs me to specify the channel for it to run.
When running:

Code: Select all

sudo iwlist wlan1 scan

, i get and error stating that the interface does not support scanning. Testing the same adapter on an ubuntu machine proves the opposite as the adapter supports scanning and works out of the box without any issues

both machines are loading the correct 1.4.0 firmware but using different drivers as the Ubuntu machine is running a 5.14 kernel while the Khadas is running 6.6.16

The home site for the "Kadas VIM3" reports for following binary images:

• https://docs.khadas.com/products/sbc/vim3/os-images/start

What is the image you used ?

--
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armbian
[2] https://www.debian.org/derivatives/index.en.html

You are absolutely correct and I apologize for my naivety. and to answer your question, I used the Armbian image, which then used the DietPi script to modify it further "just to add more complications to my situation of course "

So far, all indications point that this is a DietPi specific issue, as I have tested two additional devices, one running Raspbian Bookworm and DietPi Bookworm, the Raspbian had no issues working out of the box just like the Ubuntu machine, while the other raspberry pi running DietPi exhibited the same behavior as the Khadas Vim 3.

I'm still gonna test with two pure Armbian installations in hopes to isolate the behavior further.

[Aki]

Hello,

So far, all indications point that this is a DietPi specific issue, as I have tested two additional devices, one running Raspbian Bookworm and DietPi Bookworm, the Raspbian had no issues working out of the box just like the Ubuntu machine, while the other raspberry pi running DietPi exhibited the same behavior as the Khadas Vim 3.

I'm still gonna test with two pure Armbian installations in hopes to isolate the behavior further.

Thanks for reporting back.