Where to buy Open Source Network Card or Network Adapter(HW)

mate2go · 14 February 2019 17:13

Hi!

Where can I buy "Open Source Network Card or Network USB Adapter"?

Online Shop?

stevecook172001 · 14 February 2019 21:21

If you have to buy hardware, this means it is not open source. It is privately produced in order to make a profit. Do you mean where can you buy a piece of hardware that has open source drivers available for it?

lah7 · 14 February 2019 23:07

Open source hardware, where you have the schematics, blueprints and such can be found at some shops mentioned at the bottom of this page:

Where can I learn more about open hardware?

We recommend checking out the Open Source Hardware Association's site, as well as Wikipedia's entry on open source hardware. Companies like SparkFun, Adafruit, and Lulzbot also supply parts and equipment used in hardware prototyping.

-- https://opensource.com/resources/what-open-hardware

The best approach for finding hardware is to research the chipset beforehand, especially for wireless. If it's in the Linux kernel or there's source code available for it, it'll be open source / Linux compatible. Otherwise, it may need "binary blobs" from a package or may not work at all.

https://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_Wi-Fi_Device_IDs_in_Linux

I had success with this dual-band USB Wi-Fi adapter:

mate2go · 15 February 2019 11:27

I search for a NETWORK PCIe card or NETWORK USB LAN Adapter (not WiFi) that can I trust.

Which chipset of an network-card can we trust?

Realtek?

Are there open hardware pcie network-cards or a USB LAN adapter (not WiFi) out there to buy?

mate2go · 15 February 2019 11:41

Maybee this?
Can I surf the web with this?

lah7 · 15 February 2019 20:56

No, it doesn't look like these products are what you're looking for. It sounds like you want a USB to Ethernet adaptor. I suspect you're looking for hardware that have an open source driver, rather then open hardware as mentioned that would include schematics and diagrams for studying and modifying.

I haven't personally found any one brand specifically, but when online shopping, keep an eye out for clues like "Linux 3.x" support.

For example, I purchased an off-the-shelf USB to Ethernet adaptor like this one from Amazon:

It says it has a AX88179 chipset, which is widely supported on a variety of operating systems.

0b95:1790 ASIX Electronics Corp. AX88179 Gigabit Ethernet

This driver is in the Linux kernel. The source code can be found here:

github.com

torvalds/linux/blob/master/drivers/net/usb/ax88179_178a.c

/*
 * ASIX AX88179/178A USB 3.0/2.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Devices
 *
 * Copyright (C) 2011-2013 ASIX
 *
 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
 * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
 * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
 * of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
 *
 * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
 * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
 * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
 * GNU General Public License for more details.
 *
 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 * along with this program; if not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 */

#include <linux/module.h>

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mate2go · 15 February 2019 21:07

Thanks! I will try it out next month.

szbnwer · 18 February 2019 06:39

hi there!

here u can find some goodies that u can consider
https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom

bests!

mate2go · 18 February 2019 10:33

Nice shop @ szbnwer

szbnwer · 18 February 2019 12:48

im a bit confused, but pick one:

~"nice shop, @szbnwer":
actually thats not a shop, but certified products from various shops

~"nice, shop at szbnwer":
lol, not my stuffs

btw there are other cool places around, like https://puri.sm for neat new notebooks and soon a great ohw phone (i wrote this cuz 1st ive thought that old libreboot powered notebooks are the only solution for having an owner controlled notebook, just as those that are on the link i gave previously)

mate2go · 18 February 2019 15:25

ah ok Let me check it...

mate2go · 20 February 2019 14:13

The h-node project aims at the construction of a hardware database in order to identify what devices work with a fully free operating system. The h-node.org website is structured like a wiki in which all the users can modify or insert new contents. The h-node project is developed in collaboration and as an activity of the FSF.

Good site... for Open Hardware SEARCH + information.

https://h-node.org/