This Guide only applies to EW-7811 AC600 Series (EW-7811DAC, EW-7811UAC, and EW-7811UTC) and EW-7822UAC AC1200 USB 3.0 adapters. If you have adapters other than those mentioned, you need to visit our website for the proper Linux driver info.
As of November 2017, the Official Linux drivers for the above-mentioned adapters support Linux kernel up to v4.1 only. Any versions higher than that are not supported. The only workaround is to use an open source driver from GitHub. Here's the link for your reference.
https://github.com/aircrack-ng/rtl8812au
An Ubuntu 18.04 installation is used to test the driver. It is running kernel v4.15.0-22. A Terminal program is being used to run all the commands for compiling and installing the driver. The '$' in front of each command (green color below) is just the prompt to indicate you're just a normal user. You don't need to include it, i.e. do not type it. Commands should be input one at a time.
[1.] Make sure your system has a temporary Internet connection to download all the necessary files.
[2.] Open a Terminal program.
[3.] Make sure your system is up-to-date.
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade
$ sudo reboot
[ Note: Reboot may be needed if the kernel has been updated/upgraded. This step is totally optional. You don't have to do it but it is highly recommended. ]
[4.] Once back to the desktop, open a Terminal program again.
[5.] Make sure you have all the necessary files (headers, gcc compiler, make utility, etc.) to compile and install the driver.
$ sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
$ sudo apt install build-essential dkms git
[6.] Clone the open source driver from GitHub repository.
$ git clone https://github.com/aircrack-ng/rtl8812au.git
[ Note: Right after 'rt' is a letter 'l' (like lemon), not a number '1' (like 1980). And right after 88 is a number '1' (like 1980), not a letter 'l' (like lemon). Typing them wrong will cause GitHub to prompt you inputting a Username and a Password or saying repository not found. ]
[7.] Change directory.
$ cd rtl8812au/
[8.] Compile and install the driver. There are two ways: using dkms as mentioned on the GitHub repository page or manually. Please use either (a.) or (b.) but not both!
(a.) Using dkms(dynamic kernel module support) which will automatically rebuild and install on kernel updates.
$ sudo ./dkms-install.sh
(b.) Manually.
$ make
$ sudo make install
[9.] Restart your system for the new driver to take effect.
$ sudo reboot
That's it!
If you use Step [8](b) to compile and install the driver. You need to re-do it on every kernel update provided that the updated kernel is supported by the open source driver. Otherwise, the adapter is not going to work. Before installing a new driver, please remove the old one using the following commands.
[A.] Manually.
$ cd rtl8812au/
$ sudo make uninstall
$ make clean
$ sudo reboot
[B.] Using dkms.
$ sudo ./dkms-remove.sh
Then, repeat Steps 1~9 above to recompile and reinstall the driver.
If you're running a Linux distribution other than Ubuntu (Debian-based Linux), you need to modify some of the commands accordingly. For example, you need to use 'zypper' in OpenSUSE instead of 'apt' to install updates/upgrades/programs.
Enjoy!
Technical Support Team
Edimax USA
Santa Clara, CA
/*** EOF ***/
Created: 2016-08-22 4:10 PM
Modified: 2018-05-29 10:00 AM