Does anybody have any recommendations for a fully compatible internal Linux WIFI device running Kubuntu 21.10? I’m thinking of buying a PCIe or M.2 slot (Key E) WIFI device. Here are the specifications for my desktop pc.
Kubuntu 21.10
Fractal Desing R5
Asus HCG850 Gold
Asus TUF Gaming B550-Plus (BIOS Version 2423)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Corsair LPX (2 x 8 GB) 16GB (CMK16GX4M2B3200C16)
Samsung 850 Pro 128GB x 2
Noctua NH-U12S Redux
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM x 2
I can’t really recommend any exact WIFI cards however I would recommend getting one with a Intel chipset. I’ve been using them for years and never really had any compatibility or other problems with them. They generally “Just Work” with Linux.
Not sure if you have thought about this but one thing to keep in mind with a M.2 WIFI card is it may not come with an antenna. So you may have have to get one separately if you go that route.
I wish I could say, “just buy X or Y” but I have close to zero experience with trying out different brands. The most i’ve done is compile lists from various sources.
So my not-so-great answer would be:
If you want one with a FOSS driver (most likely to work out of the box with all distros) there’s a list here though to my knowledge the best is Wireless-N.
For wireless AC/AX/AD with proprietary drivers there’s a list here.
Both lists are a work in progress and non-exhaustive. If you have a good time with a particular card i’d love to hear about it and may add it to a list.
As Kubuntu closely follows Ubuntu it’ll have the support for a lot of wifi with proprietary drivers out of the box but may need a package installed from the repo depending on what you get.
Thank you, I’m sure this will be helpful.
From what i’ve gathered… it’s the chipset on the board that decides compatibility. The model/brand is just the quality of it’s implementation on the PCB.
I have no experience with these kinds of cards except for really old laptops back in the day but I have used USB Dongles I’m recent years to accomplish this. This made it much easier to put WiFi on a desktop but I’m not sure if it’s the best route to take.
Related to this I have been finding compatibility problems with a WiFi extender bought by a family member, too. I hadn’t had time to look into Linux compatibility prior to purchase nor time to chase-up proprietary drivers.