DKMS is a system utility which will automatically recompile and install this driver when a new kernel is installed. The quick way to open a terminal: Ctrl+Alt+T (hold down on the Ctrl and Alt keys then press the T key)ĭKMS is used for the installation. You will need to use the terminal interface. Another method to enable temporary internet access is to keep a wifi adapter that uses an in-kernel driver in your toolkit. One method is to use tethering from a phone. There are numerous ways to enable temporary internet access depending on your hardware and situation. Temporary internet access is required for installation. Experienced users are welcome to alter the installation to meet their needs. The installation instructions are for the novice user. Note: Some adapter makers change the chipsets in their products while keeping the same model number so please check to confirm that the product you plan to buy has the chipset you are expecting. Often you can indentify adapters that are "multi-state" as they are advertised as "free driver" or "free installation driver." If you are looking to buy a USB WiFi adapter for use on Linux, MAC OS, *NIX or anything besides Windows, it is a good idea to seek out single-state adapters. It is a good utility but if you buy adapters that are "multi-state," that is one more potential headache you may have to deal with when something goes wrong. Most modern Linux distributions ship with a utility called "usb-modeswitch" that will handle this issue for you if it has the correct information for your adapter. The problem is that the state of the adapter has to be changed for the adapter to show up as the device that you expect, in this case, a WiFi adapter. That won't work on Linux or MAC or any other non-Windows OS so the adapter sits there in flash drive or CDROM mode. When plugged in, they act like a flash drive or CDROM and on Windows will attempt to start installing the Windows driver.
Some USB WiFi adapters have proprietary Windows drivers onboard. Warning: Beware of "multi-state" USB WiFi adapters.
Raspberry Pi OS () (ARM 32 bit) (kernel 5.10)
LMDE 4 (Linux Mint based on Debian) (kernel 4.19) Linux Mint 20 (Linux Mint based on Ubuntu) (kernel 5.4)
Linux Mint 20.2 (Linux Mint based on Ubuntu) (kernel 5.4)