USB Wi-Fi After Update

[rets34]

After running a full update/upgrade on my Kali machine, my AWUS036NEH has stopped working, other Windows and Linux machines work just fine with it. Before it was just plug and play, but now when I plug it in it doesn't see any Wi-Fi networks normally or if put into monitor mode. Kernel: x86_64 Linux 5.4.0-kali2-amd64.

[Mister_X]

anything in dmesg when you plug the card? Clear it first (dmesg -c), plug the card, and then run dmesg again.

[rets34]

[ 178.686380] usb 2-3: new high-speed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd
[ 178.852447] usb 2-3: New USB device found, idVendor=148f, idProduct=3070, bcdDevice= 1.01
[ 178.852451] usb 2-3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[ 178.852452] usb 2-3: Product: 802.11 n WLAN
[ 178.852454] usb 2-3: Manufacturer: Ralink
[ 178.852455] usb 2-3: SerialNumber: 1.0
[ 179.014796] usb 2-3: reset high-speed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd
[ 179.173391] ieee80211 phy1: rt2x00_set_rt: Info - RT chipset 3070, rev 0201 detected
[ 179.186196] ieee80211 phy1: rt2x00_set_rf: Info - RF chipset 0005 detected
[ 179.187274] ieee80211 phy1: Selected rate control algorithm 'minstrel_ht'
[ 179.190430] usbcore: registered new interface driver rt2800usb
[ 179.229754] ieee80211 phy1: rt2x00lib_request_firmware: Info - Loading firmware file 'rt2870.bin'
[ 179.233355] rt2800usb 2-3:1.0: firmware: direct-loading firmware rt2870.bin
[ 179.233361] ieee80211 phy1: rt2x00lib_request_firmware: Info - Firmware detected - version: 0.36
[ 179.603864] ieee80211 phy1: rt2x00usb_vendor_request: Error - Vendor Request 0x06 failed for offset 0x0404 with error -71
[ 180.834381] ieee80211 phy1: rt2800_wait_csr_ready: Error - Unstable hardware
[ 180.834399] ieee80211 phy1: rt2800usb_set_device_state: Error - Device failed to enter state 4 (-5)

Internal Wi-Fi is fine.
"Unstable Hardware" huh, let me see if I can try another USB Wi-Fi to see.

[Mister_X]

You plugged it on a USB 3.0 port (you can see that with xhci-hcd at the top). Try plugging it on a USB 2.0

[rets34]

I've only got 3.0 on this laptop, they worked fine prior.

[rets34]

Confirmed other dongles and chip-sets are working through the same USB ports.

[rets34]

I have also tried reinstalling firmware-ralink, to no avail.

[rets34]

Update: on 2020.1 now, still having the same issue. Wonder what changed with these newest updates.

[Radio]

I seem to having similar problem. I have a Panda Wireless PAUO6. I read online that it should automatically be detected by Linux.
I have Kali Linux using VMware. I plug the wireless card. When I run the command

dmesg -c

[30626.346953] usb 2-1: Product: 802.11 n WLAN
[30626.346954] usb 2-1: Manufacturer: Ralink
[30626.580923] usb 2-1: reset high-speed USB device number 8 using ehci-pci
[30626.664719] ieee80211 phy6: rt2x00_set_rt: Info - RT chipset 5392, rev 0223 detected
[30627.054221] ieee80211 phy6: rt2x00_set_rf: Info - RF chipset 5372 detected
[30627.058425] ieee80211 phy6: Selected rate control algorithm 'minstrel_ht'
[30627.119802] ieee80211 phy6: rt2x00lib_request_firmware: Info - Loading firmware file 'rt2870.bin'
[30627.119821] rt2800usb 2-1:1.0: firmware: failed to load rt2870.bin (-2)
[30627.119825] rt2800usb 2-1:1.0: Direct firmware load for rt2870.bin failed with error -2


I am completely new to Linux. I doing and learning as I go.

If anyone has advice or solution to above problem that would be great...

[bobdamnit]

I had this issue too. Uninstalling and reinstalling the firmware seemed to fix it. My dmesg looked identical to yours with my AWUS036NEH and I kept getting "unstable hardware" in dmesg until I uninstalled and reinstalled the firmware.

I was also running Kali in Virtualbox and a recent Virtualbox update forced me to add a USB rule for the device using a generic name (alfa), hardware, and vendor ID's as well. At that point, the card would scan for access points using the GUI and also in aircrack-ng after putting the card in promiscuous mode. That update also took the ability to copy between host and VM with clipboard and nothing I've done has gotten it back.

[bobdamnit]

The AWUS036NEH is working perfectly fine for me with 2020.1. Has no issue scanning, injecting, or performing attacks.

Here it is: https://imgur.com/tt43iHH

Relevant dmesg: https://imgur.com/v35zhpY

lsusb: https://imgur.com/nPG2DLP

Monitor mode: https://imgur.com/5M6SJv8

Scanning: https://imgur.com/HiiHEzG

Updated Kali: https://imgur.com/EJEQKqW

Granted, I'm running this in a virtual machine. I think something is wrong with your device.

[zozz]

Same problem with the exact same messages in dmesg, same USB WiFi dongle.

On my PC in VMWare, Kali VERSION="2020.2" works great, even after changing the USB Controller in the VM settings to USB 3.0. But sometimes I need mobility. For that I have a laptop, Dell Latitude E5470 with Kali VERSION="2020.2" freshly installed on the main SSD. Plugging the dongle to any USB port (all 3 of them are USB 3.0) produces the error seen on dmesg thus rendering the dongle useless.

[Ace0000]

Hey My tp link tl-722N was working well on 4.19 but after upgrading to 5.4.0 it is not working and not wifi is showing on kali linux

[zozz]

Workaround for now: Install older version of kali, like 2019.2 uses kernel version 4.19 with which the USB adapter works great. You can do apt update && apt upgrade then apt dist-upgrade until you are on the latest version of stuff, but then when it upgrades to kernel 5.4, don't forget to choose on boot the 4.19 version or set it your default.
It seems something in the new 5.x version of kernel messed up this adapters driver or the USB 3.0 has some changes with power management affecting the driver and hardware to work.

[Ace0000]

Thanks zozz you are great man and thanks for helping me can you share some experience of your's with me it will be great pleasure I appreciate your work and I'm still stuck in some stuff so your guidance can secure me

[rets34]

Workaround for now: Install older version of kali, like 2019.2 uses kernel version 4.19 with which the USB adapter works great. You can do apt update && apt upgrade then apt dist-upgrade until you are on the latest version of stuff, but then when it upgrades to kernel 5.4, don't forget to choose on boot the 4.19 version or set it your default.
It seems something in the new 5.x version of kernel messed up this adapters driver or the USB 3.0 has some changes with power management affecting the driver and hardware to work.

Well I just tried older Kali installs (all the way back to 2018.1) and none of them worked for me. However instead of getting the issue in dmesg. The device just won?t show any networks. However the device works fine on any other OS. Now I?m really confused.

[rets34]

What method did you you use to re-install your firmware?

[Ace0000]

I have old copy of kali 4.19

[illwill]

apt install ralink-firmware

should fix it, if in vm might have to switch to usb 2.0 if not working with 3.0 settings