How to install Realtek WiFi Driver After a Kernel Update
(For Kernels 4.18 and older)
If you have an external WiFi dongle and you recently upgraded your kernel, you've probably lost the wifi driver for that device. If you've recently installed a fresh copy of Ubuntu MATE and it did not find your WiFi driver, then hopefully the steps below will help you get your Wifi back up and running again. I use the Realtek RTL8188AU driver for my WiFi dongle. I hope the driver works for you too. If not, then search for the driver that matches your WiFi dongle and follow the steps below, but use your driver name in place of my driver name.
Realtek RTL8188AU Chipset
Steps for Reinstalling Your Realtek Wireless Driver (For kernels 4.18 and older)
1). Confirm your USB wireless adapter is using Realtek chipset
Open a terminal and then type in this command:
lsusb
If you see “Realtek Semiconductor Corp.” in the list, then move to the next step
2). Download the RTL8188AU Wireless Driver (URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bjuftv2yu12h18u/rtl8812au-5.1.5.zip?dl=0)
Download Instructions (URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/97a7hrjnktme29k/Realtek%20RTL8188EU%20Driver.txt?dl=0)
3.) Copy the rtl8812au-5.1.5.zip file to the Downloads folder on your computer.
Then right-click the file and choose Extract Here. This will extract the driver
to the Downloads folder and place them in a subfolder called rtl8812au-5.1.5.
Open the Terminal and type the following, one line at a time.
cd Downloads
cd rtl8812au-5.1.5
make
sudo make install
sudo service NetworkManager restart
Reboot your computer
Steps for Reinstalling Your Realtek Wireless Driver (For kernels 4.18 and older)
1). Confirm your USB wireless adapter is using Realtek chipset
Open a terminal and then type in this command:
lsusb
If you see “Realtek Semiconductor Corp.” in the list, then move to the next step
2). Download the RTL8188AU Wireless Driver (URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bjuftv2yu12h18u/rtl8812au-5.1.5.zip?dl=0)
Download Instructions (URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/97a7hrjnktme29k/Realtek%20RTL8188EU%20Driver.txt?dl=0)
3.) Copy the rtl8812au-5.1.5.zip file to the Downloads folder on your computer.
Then right-click the file and choose Extract Here. This will extract the driver
to the Downloads folder and place them in a subfolder called rtl8812au-5.1.5.
Open the Terminal and type the following, one line at a time.
cd Downloads
cd rtl8812au-5.1.5
make
sudo make install
sudo service NetworkManager restart
Reboot your computer
Illustrated Instructions
1.) Confirm your USB wireless adapter is using Realtek chipset by typing lsusb in the Terminal.
2.) Download the RTL8188AU Wireless Driver and Instuctions (Keep these on a USB or safe place for future use).
Wireless Driver URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bjuftv2yu12h18u/rtl8812au-5.1.5.zip?dl=0
Instructions URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/97a7hrjnktme29k/Realtek%20RTL8188EU%20Driver.txt?dl=0
Wireless Driver URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bjuftv2yu12h18u/rtl8812au-5.1.5.zip?dl=0
Instructions URL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/97a7hrjnktme29k/Realtek%20RTL8188EU%20Driver.txt?dl=0
3.) Make sure the driver is in the Downloads folder, if not copy or move it to that folder. Then right-click the file and choose Extract Here.
This will extract the driver to the Downloads folder and place them in a subfolder called rtl8812au-5.1.5.
This will extract the driver to the Downloads folder and place them in a subfolder called rtl8812au-5.1.5.
This creates a rtl8812au-5.1.5 folder in the Downloads folder.
Open the Terminal and type the following, one line at a time.
cd Downloads
cd Downloads
cd rtl8812au-5.1.5
make
sudo make install (You'll be prompted to enter your password)
Reboot or Restart your computer
After your system restarts, you should notice that you now have WiFi if this method worked for you.
Jun 13, 2018
Powerline Ethernet Adapter:
If you have a desktop computer or a stationary computer and you are using an external WiFi dongle and you are getting tired of re-installing your Realtek Wireless Driver everytime there is a kernel update, then you might want to install a Powerline ethernet Adapter. Powerline ethernet Adapter uses your electrical wires to carry your Internet signal and then on the receiving end the electrical voltage is removed and it only passes your Internet signal. You can get a better understanding on how this works by reading the article called 8 Things About Powerline Adapters You Need to Know First. I purchased the TP-Link AV600 Nano Powerline ethernet Adapter Starter Kit for my Smart TV and it works great.
If you have a desktop computer or a stationary computer and you are using an external WiFi dongle and you are getting tired of re-installing your Realtek Wireless Driver everytime there is a kernel update, then you might want to install a Powerline ethernet Adapter. Powerline ethernet Adapter uses your electrical wires to carry your Internet signal and then on the receiving end the electrical voltage is removed and it only passes your Internet signal. You can get a better understanding on how this works by reading the article called 8 Things About Powerline Adapters You Need to Know First. I purchased the TP-Link AV600 Nano Powerline ethernet Adapter Starter Kit for my Smart TV and it works great.