Also known as RTL8812BU, USB3.0 802.11ac 1200M Adapter, AC1200 USB Wi-Fi, ASUS - USB-AC58 rev A1, ASUS AC1300 USB-AC55 B1, ASUS U2, BUFFALO WI-U2-866DM, BUFFALO WI-U3-866DHP, D-Link DWA-T185 rev. A1, Dlink - DWA-181, Dlink - DWA-182 - D1, Dlink - DWA-183 D Ver, ELECOM WDB-867DU3S, Edimax EW-7822UAD, Edimax EW-7822ULC, Edimax EW-7822UTC, Hawking HW12ACU, Linksys WUSB3600 v2, Linksys WUSB6400M, Mercusys MA30H, Mercusys MA30N, Netgear A6150, TP-Link Archer T3U Plus v1, TP-Link Archer T3U v1, TP-Link Archer T4U V3, TRENDnet TEW-805UBH, TRENDnet TEW-808UBM
Fully drivable by open code over the stock firmware.
Realtek's common 802.11ac dual-band USB Wi-Fi chip, found in many "AC1200 / 1200M" USB 3.0 dongles (TP-Link Archer T3U/T4U, ASUS USB-AC55/AC58, D-Link DWA-181/182/183, Edimax, Netgear A6150, Mercusys MA30H…). The RTL8822BU variant adds Bluetooth. Driven by the mainline Linux rtw88 driver since Linux 6.2 (6.12 or later recommended); the chip loads a Realtek firmware file shipped in linux-firmware. No free replacement firmware exists yet. Writing one is possible in principle (as done before for Atheros open-ath9k-htc-firmware, Broadcom OpenFWWF) but nobody has started. The radio hardware is undocumented, and the firmware licence (LICENCE.rtlwifi_firmware.txt) forbids disassembling it, so a project would have to work clean-room from the open drivers (rtw88, Realtek's GPL vendor drivers) and from observing the chip, keep regulatory radio limits, and get legal advice first. Claim it here if you start.
One known way to put open firmware or software on this device, easiest first. Each one links to the project's own instructions.
No tools, the device stays closed · Linux rtw88 driver
Plug it in: a recent kernel loads the driver by itself. Older kernels can use the out-of-tree morrownr driver.
No install report yet. · Report how it went
OpenDeviceDB links to each project's own instructions and tools; nothing is flashed from this site. Flashing is at your own risk and may void the warranty.
No live claim. If you start working on this device, claim it so nobody duplicates your work.
| Interface | Transport | Status | Confidence | Spec / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi (802.11ac) over USB | usb | documented | high | Linux driver rtw88_8822bu (mainline since 6.2); firmware rtw88/rtw8822b_fw.bin. Find your adapter's id with lsusb. |
| Project | Kind | Origin | License | Freedom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux rtw88 driver | driver | community | GPL-2.0 | Still non-free: stock firmware · Cloud: noneThe driver is free; the chip runs Realtek firmware (rtw88/rtw8822b_fw.bin) loaded from linux-firmware. No free replacement firmware exists; its licence forbids disassembly, so one would have to be written clean-room from the open drivers. |
| morrownr 88x2bu (out-of-tree, old kernels) | driver | community | GPL-2.0 | not stated |
| morrownr USB-WiFi guide | other | community | not stated | not stated |
What stays proprietary or depends on the vendor's cloud once the project is in use, from the project's own documentation.
Not verified. A "verified on hardware" badge requires a replayable test (hardware-replay) run on a real device with a stated firmware version.
AI-assisted Parts of this record were produced with AI tools (claude-code); check the confidence of each interface.
Status and claims as of the build date (2026-10-25). Data licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; imported data keeps its upstream license.