T2 WiFi Question

[vader1111]

I am thinking of connecting one of my T2s to my network using a TP-Link T4UH, which uses the RTL8812AU chipset. I tried this a year or two back, when the T2 was running 4.4 or 16.1, and I couldn't get it to work. I subsequently discovered that I just needed to install the driver for the chipset, but by the time I figured it out I'd already gone with Plan B (ethernet connection from the T2 to a WiFi extender). I'm keen to see if the T4UH gives me faster connection speeds than the 100Mbps ethernet connection to the WiFi extender. Maybe it will, maybe it won't - it's an experiment.

I had a look last night, and I couldn't see the driver for the RTL8812AU chipset in the "Add Plug-ins" area. Does this mean that the driver is now installed automatically with 17.5, and doesn't need to be installed as a Plugin?

My T2s are both currently running 17.5 20180417.

I did a quick search for "8812", and found a post by @Grumpy_Geoff, which includes the 8812 on a list of "Available Drivers" (in the U4 Wifi Issues thread). I'm hoping this means that using the TP-Link device is now just a matter of Plug and Pray.

Are there any tricks I should be aware of, in attempting to connect the T2 using this device?

Does the T2's rear USB port have enough power to drive this device, or do I need to invest in a powered USB hub?

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Yep, the RTL8812AU driver is a part of 20180417 -

Code: Select all

root@beyonwizt4:~# opkg list-installed *8812au*
enigma2-plugin-drivers-network-usb-rtl8812au - 1.0-r1.2
kernel-module-8812au-3.14.2 - 5.1.5-r1.5
rt8812au - 5.1.5-r1.5
root@beyonwizt4:~#

I believe the adapter requires USB 3.0, so I don't think you'd be able to directly connect it to a T2 USB 2.0 port. I'm not sure that you'd get much benefit even if you connected it via a powered USB 3.0 hub, as I don't think the USB 2.0 port in the T2 would get you much more than 150Mbps. A T4 caps out at around 200Mbps, and it has a more powerful cpu..

[vader1111]

Yep, the RTL8812AU driver is a part of 20180417 -

Code: Select all

root@beyonwizt4:~# opkg list-installed *8812au*
enigma2-plugin-drivers-network-usb-rtl8812au - 1.0-r1.2
kernel-module-8812au-3.14.2 - 5.1.5-r1.5
rt8812au - 5.1.5-r1.5
root@beyonwizt4:~#

I believe the adapter requires USB 3.0, so I don't think you'd be able to directly connect it to a T2 USB 2.0 port. I'm not sure that you'd get much benefit even if you connected it via a powered USB 3.0 hub, as I don't think the USB 2.0 port in the T2 would get you much more than 150Mbps. A T4 caps out at around 200Mbps, and it has a more powerful cpu..

150Mbps is still more than 50% faster than I get with my existing setup, using the T2's 100Mbps ethernet connection to feed a WiFi extender.

The best I can get with my existing setup is 10.4MBps, and most of the time it's around the 8-9MBps range. That's compared to 11.4MBps from the other T2, which is a wired connection all the way. Those are the transfer speeds FileZilla reports, when I'm copying files from the T2s to my PC.

I'm aware that the T2 only has USB 2.0 ports, so I'm not expecting miracles. I'll be happy if I can get a connection which is approximately the same speed as my current solution - anything faster is a bonus.

I'm hoping to move to a mesh WiFi network, doing away with my existing WiFi extenders - hence the purpose of my experiment.

[MrQuade]

Wireless 150Mbs isn't actually 150Mbs. I'd be surprised if the USB adaptor could match what you already have.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

I may have been way out with my 150Mbps throughput. I just tested a file copy on the T2 from the internal drive to an externally powered 3.5" USB drive using the command line whilst the T2 wasn't recording or timeshifting.
2,303,241,956 bytes in 325 secs
7,086,898 bytes/sec
56.7 Mbps

[vader1111]

I may have been way out with my 150Mbps throughput. I just tested a file copy on the T2 from the internal drive to an externally powered 3.5" USB drive using the command line whilst the T2 wasn't recording or timeshifting.
2,303,241,956 bytes in 325 secs
7,086,898 bytes/sec
56.7 Mbps

That's slower than I was hoping to see. I'll give it a go, and see what speeds I get. Worst comes to worst, I just revert back to the existing configuration.