Hi everybody! Got my Raspberry Pi last week and started 'playing' with it. So far everything works great, but yesterday I got stuck. I tried to connect two USB WiFi Adapters to my Raspberry Pi, but sadly only one is recognized. Image:power adapter and Raspberry Pi pins. Power Adapter. A high quality power adapter is fundamental to a properly functioning RPi. I have 5 power adapters, which were included in Raspberry Pi starter kits. 2 of the 5 adapters provide consistent 5V.
For every version of Raspberry Pi prior to the latest Pi 3, connecting to the internet was achieved in one of two ways; connecting via the Ethernet port or using a USB Wi-Fi adapter.
This article will show you how to set up a USB Wi-Fi adapter with your Pi, using an Edimax EW-7811Un in this example.
Connect Hardware
- Turn off your Raspberry Pi and fit your Wi-Fi adapter into any of the Pi's available USB ports, It doesn't matter which port you use.
- Now is also the time to connect your keyboard and screen if you haven't done so already.
- Turn on your Raspberry Pi and give it a minute to boot up.
Open the Terminal
If your Pi boots to the terminal by default, skip this step.
If your Pi boots to the Raspbian desktop (LXDE), click the Terminal icon in the taskbar. It looks like a monitor with a black screen.
Edit the Network Interfaces File
The first change to make is to add a few lines to the network interfaces file. This sets up the USB adapter to be used, and later on, we will tell it what to connect to.
In the terminal, type in the following command and press Enter:
Your file will already have some lines of text in it, which can be different depending on your version of Raspbian. Regardless, you need to make sure you have the following four lines — some may already be there:
Press Ctrl+X to exit and save the file. You'll be asked if you want to 'save modified buffer', this just means 'Do you want to save the file?' Press Y and then hit enter to save under the same name.
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Edit the WPA Supplicant File
This supplicant file is where you tell your Pi which network to connect to, and the password for that network.
In the terminal, type in the following command and press Enter:
There should already be a couple of lines of text in this file. After these lines, enter the following block of text, adding your specific network details where required:
YOUR_SSID is the name of your network. This is the name that comes up when searching for Wi-Fi, like BT-HomeHub12345 or Virgin-Media-6789'.
YOUR_PASSWORD is the password for your network.
You can add multiple blocks if you need your Pi to connect to different networks depending on your location.
Optional Step: Turn off Power Management
Raspberry Pi 3 2 Wifi Adapters
If you have any issues with your Wi-Fi adapter dropping connections or becoming unresponsive, it may be the driver's power management setting causing you problems.
Raspberry Pi 2 Compatible Wifi Adapters
You can turn off power management by simply creating a new file with a line of text inside it.
Enter the following command to create this new file:
Then enter the following line of text:
Once again exit the file using Ctrl+X and save under the same name.
Reboot Your Raspberry Pi
That's everything you need to do to set up a Wi-Fi adapter, so now we need to reboot the Pi to put all of these changes into effect.
Type the following command in the terminal to reboot, then hit Enter:
Your Pi should restart and connect to your network within a minute or so.
Troubleshooting
If your Pi doesn't connect, there are a few obvious things you should check:
- Power Supply: Try a different, stronger power supply. Wi-Fi can be demanding on power.
- Adapter: is it fitted properly? The Pi's USB ports can be quite tight at first use.
- Adapter: Is it compatible?
- Network: Is your network up? Are other devices connected?
- Network: Double check the details you entered in the supplicant file.
- Reboot: Try again, just in case.
Setting up a Raspberry Pi with wireless is easy enough with the right USB WiFi dongle.
Not just any dongle will work since the Chipset must be compatible.
Common Chipsets are RTL8188CUS, RTL8187, and the Ralink RT5370 and others.
There are other compatibility issues when it comes to the Pi mainly the power supplied to run the dongle.
This has become less of a issue than the early days of the Pi when USB hubs often were used to boost the USB power.
Many wireless dongles have been used with the Raspberry Pi and have been confirmed as working.
Remember depending on the Distro that is used there can still be compatibility problems. While one Distro can be Plug and Play with one adapter another Distro may have problems.
As always be sure to read the reviews on Amazon or elsewhere to be sure a adapter fits your setup.
*This post contains affiliate links which at no cost to you allows us earn a commission on product purchases.
Our Picks for Top 10 WiFi Dongles for the Raspberry Pi
Panda 300Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter – Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10, Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, Lubuntu, Zorin, Kali Linux and Raspbian Wheezy
The Panda Panda PAU05 is a small unit that uses the Ralink RT5572 Chipset.
It is a widely used chipset with Linux and wireless penetration testing.
It is a good low-cost unit that works well with the Pi.
…….
Edimax EW-7811Un 150Mbps 11n Wi-Fi USB Adapter, Nano Size Lets You Plug it and Forget it, Ideal for Raspberry Pi / Pi2, Supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux (Black/Gold)
The Edimax EW-7811Un is a Wireless-N dongle that works with the Pi.
It works only in the 2.4 GHz range.
The chipset is the Realtek RTL8188CUS which also is compatible with many other operating systems.
If you need a small cheap WiFi dongle for your RasPi than this is a good one to get.
…….
Panda Ultra 150Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter – Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10, Mac OS X 10.4-10.10, Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, BackTrack5 R3, Kali Linux and Raspberry Pi 1/Pi 2
The Panda PAU03 is another small cheap RasPi compatible WiFi dongle.
It is a basic wireless-N, 2.4 GHz dongle.
The thing that makes it stand out is the variety of operating systems it is compatible with from the Raspberry Pi to Windows 10.
It is a good USB adapter to have around to get quick wireless on most any machine.
Chipset: Ralink 5370
…….
Alfa Network 1000mW High Power Wireless G 802.11g Wi-Fi USB Adapter with 5dBi Antenna AWUS036H
The Alfa AWUS036H is a good adapter that is very popular in the Pen Testing community.
It is able to go into monitor mode which is necessary to hack WiFi signals.
It is only a 2.4 GHz wireless-G USB adapter which uses the Realtek RTL8187L chipset.
Different sized dBi antennas can be used with the AWus036H which gives it good distance. While it is starting to show its age it is still a good USB adapter to use with a RasPi.
…….
Netis WF2151 Wireless N600 Dual Band USB Adapter, Supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux, 5dBi High Gain Antennas, Free USB Cradle
The Netis WF2150 is a Dual Band 2.4 GHz 5GHz USb dongle.
It uses the Ralink RT5572 Chipset and is a Wireless-N adapter.
If you need an adapter to work in the 5 GHz range than this is worth taking a look at.
…….
Alfa AWUSO36NH High Gain USB Wireless G / N Long-Rang WiFi Network Adapter
The Alfa AWUSO36NH is another Pen Testing USB adapter that works good with the Raspberry Pi.
It uses Wireless-N at 2.4 GHz.
Like most Alfa adapters the antenna size can be swapped out for better range.
Chipset: Ralink RT3070
…….
Wifi With Antenna For Raspberry Pi – Instructions Included – PLUG and PLAY
This generic USB adapter was built specifically with the Raspberry Pi in mind.
It uses the RaLink RT5370 chipset and has been tested with a variety of operating systems form Raspbmc to OpenElec.
A 2dBi antenna is included and is a 802.11n, 2.4 GHz dongle.
…….
Edimax EW-7811UTC AC600 Dual-Band USB Adapter, Mini Size Easy to Carry, Supports Both 11AC ( 5GHz Band ) and 11n ( 2.4GHz Band ) Wi-Fi Connectivity, Upgrades your PC / Laptop for Exceeding Streaming and Faster Download
The Edimax EW-7811UTC has been known to work with the Raspberry Pi after installing the drivers.
Some distos it will work out of the box while others it doesn’t.
For those looking to get a 802.11ac USB dongle working with the Raspberry Pi this one is worth looking into.
Remember the RasPi has a USB 2.0 socket which can only move data at 433Mbps. While this is a faster speed than Wireless-N max of 300Mbps, USB 2.0 cant take full advantage of 802.11ac speeds.
Chipset: RTL8812au
Read here for more information on the Edimax EW-7811UTChttps://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=102323&p=782878
…….
Wi-Pi Raspberry Pi 802.11n Wireless Adapter
This small dongle has been around awhile and works with many setups.
Wireless-N, 2.4Ghz
Chipset: Ralink 5370
…….
Rosewill USB Wireless adapter / WiFi adapter / Wifi Dongle , N150 Wireless dongle , 150Mbps Wireless USB adapter – Ideal for Raspberry Pi (RNX-N150NUB)
This is a newer USB dongle that is sold as being Raspberry Pi capable.
802.11n / 2.4GHz.
Summary
Since the the operating systems that run on the Raspberry Pi are based on Linux most USB adapters that run with Linux are also RasPi compatible.
Keep in mind that the operating system being used can effect the dongle in some cases. While most driver libraries are simply loaded into most distributions there can be compatibility issues in some scenarios.
For this reason be sure to read the reviews on Amazon or the forums to be sure an adapter is the right for for the distribution you will be running.
…….
Edimax EW-7811Un 150Mbps 11n Wi-Fi USB Adapter, Nano Size Lets You Plug it and Forget it, Ideal for Raspberry Pi / Pi2, Supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux (Black/Gold)
The Edimax EW-7811Un is a Wireless-N dongle that works with the Pi.
It works only in the 2.4 GHz range.
The chipset is the Realtek RTL8188CUS which also is compatible with many other operating systems.
If you need a small cheap WiFi dongle for your RasPi than this is a good one to get.
…….
Panda Ultra 150Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter – Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10, Mac OS X 10.4-10.10, Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, BackTrack5 R3, Kali Linux and Raspberry Pi 1/Pi 2
The Panda PAU03 is another small cheap RasPi compatible WiFi dongle.
It is a basic wireless-N, 2.4 GHz dongle.
The thing that makes it stand out is the variety of operating systems it is compatible with from the Raspberry Pi to Windows 10.
It is a good USB adapter to have around to get quick wireless on most any machine.
Chipset: Ralink 5370
…….
Alfa Network 1000mW High Power Wireless G 802.11g Wi-Fi USB Adapter with 5dBi Antenna AWUS036H
The Alfa AWUS036H is a good adapter that is very popular in the Pen Testing community.
It is able to go into monitor mode which is necessary to hack WiFi signals.
It is only a 2.4 GHz wireless-G USB adapter which uses the Realtek RTL8187L chipset.
Different sized dBi antennas can be used with the AWus036H which gives it good distance. While it is starting to show its age it is still a good USB adapter to use with a RasPi.
…….
Netis WF2151 Wireless N600 Dual Band USB Adapter, Supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux, 5dBi High Gain Antennas, Free USB Cradle
The Netis WF2150 is a Dual Band 2.4 GHz 5GHz USb dongle.
It uses the Ralink RT5572 Chipset and is a Wireless-N adapter.
If you need an adapter to work in the 5 GHz range than this is worth taking a look at.
…….
Alfa AWUSO36NH High Gain USB Wireless G / N Long-Rang WiFi Network Adapter
The Alfa AWUSO36NH is another Pen Testing USB adapter that works good with the Raspberry Pi.
It uses Wireless-N at 2.4 GHz.
Like most Alfa adapters the antenna size can be swapped out for better range.
Chipset: Ralink RT3070
…….
Wifi With Antenna For Raspberry Pi – Instructions Included – PLUG and PLAY
This generic USB adapter was built specifically with the Raspberry Pi in mind.
It uses the RaLink RT5370 chipset and has been tested with a variety of operating systems form Raspbmc to OpenElec.
A 2dBi antenna is included and is a 802.11n, 2.4 GHz dongle.
…….
Edimax EW-7811UTC AC600 Dual-Band USB Adapter, Mini Size Easy to Carry, Supports Both 11AC ( 5GHz Band ) and 11n ( 2.4GHz Band ) Wi-Fi Connectivity, Upgrades your PC / Laptop for Exceeding Streaming and Faster Download
The Edimax EW-7811UTC has been known to work with the Raspberry Pi after installing the drivers.
Some distos it will work out of the box while others it doesn’t.
For those looking to get a 802.11ac USB dongle working with the Raspberry Pi this one is worth looking into.
Remember the RasPi has a USB 2.0 socket which can only move data at 433Mbps. While this is a faster speed than Wireless-N max of 300Mbps, USB 2.0 cant take full advantage of 802.11ac speeds.
Chipset: RTL8812au
Read here for more information on the Edimax EW-7811UTChttps://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=102323&p=782878
…….
Wi-Pi Raspberry Pi 802.11n Wireless Adapter
This small dongle has been around awhile and works with many setups.
Wireless-N, 2.4Ghz
Chipset: Ralink 5370
…….
Rosewill USB Wireless adapter / WiFi adapter / Wifi Dongle , N150 Wireless dongle , 150Mbps Wireless USB adapter – Ideal for Raspberry Pi (RNX-N150NUB)
This is a newer USB dongle that is sold as being Raspberry Pi capable.
802.11n / 2.4GHz.
Summary
Since the the operating systems that run on the Raspberry Pi are based on Linux most USB adapters that run with Linux are also RasPi compatible.
Keep in mind that the operating system being used can effect the dongle in some cases. While most driver libraries are simply loaded into most distributions there can be compatibility issues in some scenarios.
For this reason be sure to read the reviews on Amazon or the forums to be sure an adapter is the right for for the distribution you will be running.