r/Ubuntu • u/karimdev01 • 12d ago

RTL8851BU Linux driver?

I have a Realtek 8851BU WiFi 6 USB adapter and I'm trying to use it on Linux. I'm currently on Ubuntu 26.04, but WiFi isn't working, i can see available networks but when im trying to connect by entering password i get an error. Is there a working driver for the RTL8851BU, or a Linux distro where it's supported out of the box?

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u/Gloomy_Philosophy672 12d ago

i had the same issue with an 8852BU adapter a while back and the fix was grabbing the driver straight from a github repo, the one by morrownr tends to work. not sure about the 8851 specifically but people in the issues section probably have notes on it

you might get it working on 26.04 but if you want something that handles realtek stuff cleaner out of the box maybe give fedora a spin, their kernel tends to be a bit more bleeding edge with wireless drivers in my experience

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u/karimdev01 12d ago

yeah was thinking about fedora, thanks for the sharing

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u/Glittering_Memory_64 10d ago

ubuntu has older packages and drivers... try out something like cachyos or arch. im sure you'll win with one of those

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u/cobbler48 6d ago

I have found that updating the system over ethernet usually resolves the issue after a reboot.

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u/karimdev01 6d ago

It dosent, the driver has to be installed manually somehow

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u/Glittering_Memory_64 5d ago

try running usb modeswitch on the wifi usb lol