Libre/Open Source Firmware M.2 Wifi Card?
Would someone recommend a Libre/Open Source M.2 card that works with Trisquel? My searches gave me some iffy results and I would prefer to avoid experimenting with purchases too much.
Only one model: Qualcomm Atheros AR9462 (QCNFA222)
Update: It seems that there is another candidate, Qualcomm Atheros AR9565 (QCNFA335), but it's much weaker (1x1 bgn) than AR9462 (2x2 abgn), yet even more expensive on ThinkPenguin.
ThinkPenguin has such.
Indeed there are two ath9k models on ThinkPenguin. But the AR9462 model card sold on ThinkPenguin has only e-key, so they won't be usable on motherboards with a-key M.2 slot. Therefore I suggest that one search "QCNFA222" on ebay or elsewhere.
However, I purchased several AR9462 cards with both a- and e-key, and they were much cheaper than those sold on ThinkPenguin. I spent only 16 CNY (2.3 USD) for one AR9462, which was 25 times cheaper than ThinkPenguin.
by "key" you mean the shape of the "plug" of the card? I did not realize there were different ones... I'll check which I can use in my laptop. Thanks!
Most laptops use a-key M.2 slot, whereas most mini-desktop PCs use e-key M.2 slot. Since you want to use it on a laptop, you probably need to buy such a QCNFA222 card with both a- and e-keys. For example, the QCNFA222 card that I purchased was Dell's original part and it has both a- and e-keys.
If you temporarily have difficulties in finding such a card, and if you want to "financially support" ThinkPenguin, you can purchase its QCNFA335 (AR9565) card. You can also try to purchase a QCNFA335 card from Lenovo (FRU number: 04X6022. Just search for this FRU number and you should get some results).
Update: the QCNFA335 card is a bit narrower (1630 form factor) than the standard M.2 slot for WLAN card (2230 form factor), but it doesn't matter. There's only one way to insert the card into the slot.
"much cheaper than those sold on ThinkPenguin"
Yes but it's nice to support companies that are trying to do the right thing. We don't have many of those and it's good to encourage.
I would go with one from Think penguin if they have one that is the right size for you. They cost more but are actually tested with Trisquel where many places don't so if you want to "avoid experimenting" they would be a great option.
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/catalog/wireless-networking-gnulinux
One can avoid experimenting this way. But one also avoids obtaining knowledge and/or improving skill. A novice will always be a novice.
I totally agree about not wanting to stay at a novice level. Normally I like experimenting! I just don't want to experiment with this particular thing too much until I have swapped out an M.2 card myself. I have never ever used M.2 before. What you are witnessing with my recent questions on this forum is me taking my knowledge of computers and PCs from ~2004 (when I last tinkered with a PC) to to 2020. I have already spent $$$$ on building a "retro PC" and am now building a "~2010" PC and as a result of this experiementation I decided to go ahead and upgrade my laptop which recently had a major failure. I just thought I would add some context to my questioning.
I just got my M.2 wifi card that you recommended and apparently my Lenovo laptop will not support it. Its an unauthorized device. There seems to be no way to get past this unless I use a different BIOS. So, I removed it and put it in my spare parts bin to be used for something else -- back to USB wifi I go!
For a Lenovo laptop that uses M.2 WLAN card, there are many cases:
1, Ivy Bridge based ThinkPad, namely X230s and T431s. There is no Boot Guard so the whitelist restrictions can be removed. They have coreboot implementations.
2, Normal-voltage Haswell based ThinkPad, including L440, L540, T440p, T540p, W540 and W541. There is no Boot Guard so the whitelist restrictions can be removed. Some of said models have coreboot implementations.
3, Ultra-low-voltage Haswell based ThinkPad Edge, namely S and E series. They support Boot Guard but probably not enabled (by burning the programming fuse). It's theoretically possible to support coreboot, and we are working on them. For example, I have one S1 Yoga without Boot Guard enabled.
4, Ultra-low-voltage Haswell based ThinkPad (non-Edge) series, including X240/s, T440/s, and X1 Carbon 2nd. They have Boot Guard enabled so it's impossible to modify the firmware and you won't be able to use AR9462 on them.
5, Broadwell based ThinkPad. They have Boot Guard enabled. You won't be able to use AR9462 on them.
6, Skylake or newer ThinkPad. They have Boot Guard enabled. But it appears that they no longer impose restrictions on WLAN cards. I have a P50 and installed an AR9462 in it.
7. IdeaPad or other product lines. I don't use such series, but it seems that not all of them have whitelist restrictions.
Therefore it's still possible to make use of the AR9462 card, as long as your computer doesn't have Boot Guard.
I have a Thinkpad W541. I don't see it in the list of supported boards: https://coreboot.org/status/board-status.html
I have read some things about removing the whitelist in the BIOS, but it seems a bit risky: https://invidious.snopyta.org/watch?v=ce7kqUEccUM
I never said it was impossible to get this working :)
I'm open to try to get this working, but I think it would cost money + risk of bricking my laptop. Right now I don't know if I care to take that risk.
I have been working on building a desktop and if that goes well, I may consider "gaining experience" with doing this proceedure on my laptop.
There is no Boot Guard on W541, and our community members are working on it.
We already have coreboot implementation for T440p, which is very close to T540p, W540 and W541, and only requires minimal modification. Don't give up hope.
No hopelessness here :) I may attempt the SPI flash method to at least knock out the whitelist. As far as Coreboot, I am not holding my breath for how long that may take to get 100% working. I know I could probably donate my laptop to the cause but I currently use it as my main computer :)
Thanks for the info on the WIFI card though. I at least own it and can use it in the future possibly.