Asus USB-N66 on Ubuntu

I bought an Asus USB-N66 adapter and here’s how I got it working in Ubuntu (as of 12.10 beta):

Download the driver from the Ralink site (now Mediatek), forget getting it from the Asus site:

http://www.ralinktech.com/en/04_support/support.php?sn=501

http://www.mediatek.com/_en/07_downloads/01_windows.php?sn=501

You’ll be grabbing the RT3573 USB driver.

I always move files I need to compile to the /usr/src directory:

sudo mv Downloads/20120911_RT3573_Linux_STA_v2.5.0.0_Rev1_DPO.tar.bz2 /usr/src
cd /usr/src
sudo tar xvf 20120911_RT3573_Linux_STA_v2.5.0.0_Rev1_DPO.tar.bz2
cd 20120911_RT3573_Linux_STA_v2.5.0.0_Rev1_DPO

 

Next before compiling we need to edit the device ID file to make sure the driver will be loaded when this USB adapter is plugged in so edit the common/rtusb_dev_id.c file and add the device id:

/* module table */
USB_DEVICE_ID rtusb_dev_id[] = {
#ifdef RT35xx
        {USB_DEVICE(0x148F,0x3572)}, /* Ralink 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x1740,0x9801)}, /* EnGenius 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x0DF6,0x0041)}, /* Sitecom 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x0DF6,0x0042)},
        {USB_DEVICE(0x04BB,0x0944)}, /* I-O DATA 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x1690,0x0740)}, /* 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x1690,0x0744)}, /* 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x5A57,0x0284)}, /* Zinwell 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x167B,0x4001)}, /* 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x1690,0x0764)}, /* 3572 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x0930,0x0A07)}, /* TOSHIBA */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x1690,0x0761)}, /* Askey */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x13B1,0x002F)}, /* Cisco LinkSys AE1000 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x1737,0x0079)}, /* Cisco LinkSys WUSB600N */
#endif /* RT35xx */
#ifdef RT3573
        {USB_DEVICE(0x148F,0x3573)}, /* Ralink 3573 */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x7392,0x7733)}, /* Edimax */
        {USB_DEVICE(0x0846,0x9012)}, /* Netgear WNDA4100 N900*/
        {USB_DEVICE(0x0b05,0x17ad)}, /* Asus N66 */   <--add this line
#endif /* RT3573 */
        { }/* Terminating entry */

If you want Network manager to configure this interface then we also need to make sure you have the following line in the os/linux/config.mk file:

HAS_NATIVE_WPA_SUPPLICANT_SUPPORT=y

(if you are looking to get this adapter working primarily for wireless sniffing like me then you don’t need the Network Manager setting)

next we can compile and install:

sudo make
sudo make install

11 thoughts on “Asus USB-N66 on Ubuntu”

  1. Hi,
    I have successfully reached the final step, however, am slightly confused on what to do with the
    “sudo make
    sudo make install”
    lines. I’ve tried specifying directories however, keep reaching errors such as there is nothing to do.
    Can you please post the full commands?
    -Nick

  2. Nick,

    “make” should compile ok, if you are running into issues it may be because you are missing dependancies, can you post the actual errors you’re getting?

    Marc.

      • Nick,

        Make sure you are in /usr/src/20120911_RT3573_Linux_STA_v2.5.0.0_Rev1_DPO/

        You should see the Makefile in there and can run:

        “sudo make” to compile the driver and “sudo make install” to install the driver.

        Also as you are building a kernel module you’ll need to make you have the linux-headers package matching your kernel. (ls /usr/src to see if they are there) If they are missing install with “sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)”

        Marc.

        • Hey,

          I was able to get the sudo make and sudo make install commands to work without any errors occurring, and the linux headers checked out ok. However, I do not see the computer noticing the device yet.
          -Nick

          • Nick,

            Did you edit config.mk to make sure that the following setting is enabled? HAS_NATIVE_WPA_SUPPLICANT_SUPPORT=y

            Also is wireless enabled so Network manager can configure the adapter?

  3. I got all the way through this and something now shows up as ra0 in my network devices, but i cant seem to get it to connect to the internet (I have a built-in card that just gets shit service)

    Any ideas whats going on?

  4. in full:

    $ iwconfig
    lo no wireless extensions.

    wlan1 IEEE 802.11bgn ESSID:”Park Ave Place 2″
    Mode:Managed Frequency:2.462 GHz Access Point: 00:24:B2:88:67:9F
    Bit Rate=12 Mb/s Tx-Power=20 dBm
    Retry long limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
    Power Management:on
    Link Quality=39/70 Signal level=-71 dBm
    Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
    Tx excessive retries:555 Invalid misc:619 Missed beacon:0

    eth1 no wireless extensions.

    ra0 Ralink STA
    Link Quality:0 Signal level:0 Noise level:0
    Rx invalid nwid:0 invalid crypt:0 invalid misc:0

    eth0 no wireless extensions.

    If I do ‘ifconfig ra0 up’ it gives me:

    $ iwconfig
    lo no wireless extensions.

    wlan1 IEEE 802.11bgn ESSID:”Park Ave Place 2″
    Mode:Managed Frequency:2.462 GHz Access Point: 00:24:B2:88:67:9F
    Bit Rate=18 Mb/s Tx-Power=20 dBm
    Retry long limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
    Power Management:on
    Link Quality=37/70 Signal level=-73 dBm
    Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
    Tx excessive retries:595 Invalid misc:666 Missed beacon:0

    eth1 no wireless extensions.

    ra0 Ralink STA ESSID:”” Nickname:”RT2870STA”
    Mode:Auto Frequency=2.412 GHz Bit Rate:1 Mb/s
    RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
    Link Quality=10/100 Signal level:0 dBm Noise level:0 dBm
    Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
    Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

    eth0 no wireless extensions.

    But it still doesnt seem to be connecting

  5. Thank you very much for this article!
    I’ve successfully installed the device.

    But what about Soft AP mode? I want to provide internet network from my wired Ubuntu to my wireless smartphone. Is it possible?

    Manual says that it’s available only for Windows :(

Leave a Reply