Realtek WiFi Fix for Linux (RTL8852 / rtw89 family)

Fix Realtek Wi-Fi 6 / 6E / 7 cards that don't work on Linux — no WiFi option, no networks showing, "No Wi-Fi adapter found", or WiFi missing entirely after installing Ubuntu / Linux Mint / Debian / Pop!_OS on a newer laptop.

If your laptop has a Realtek RTL8852 (or RTL8851 / RTL8922) WiFi card and Linux acts like there's no WiFi at all, this one-command installer fixes it. It worked on an HP laptop whose WiFi was broken for 6+ months — this repo exists so you don't have to go through that.

Why this happens: these Realtek chips are newer than the WiFi driver built into many kernels. Ubuntu 22.04 (kernel 6.8), for example, simply doesn't recognise them, so no WiFi device is ever created — and running system updates never fixes it, because you stay on the same old kernel. This installs the updated driver and makes it stick.

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✅ Is this the fix for me?

YES, this is for you if ALL of these are true:

1. Your laptop's WiFi card is Realtek and one of these chips:
   • RTL8851BE
   • RTL8852AE
   • RTL8852BE (including the -VT / -VS variant, a.k.a. RTL8852BT, PCI id 10ec:b520)
   • RTL8852CE
   • RTL8922AE
2. On Linux there is no WiFi at all (no WiFi toggle, no networks, only wired/USB works).
3. You're on a kernel older than 6.12 (Ubuntu 22.04, Mint 21, Debian 12, etc.).

You probably DON'T need this if:

• Your WiFi chip is Intel, Broadcom, Qualcomm/Atheros, or MediaTek — those need different drivers.
• You're on Ubuntu 24.04.3+ / kernel 6.14+ — these chips usually work there out of the box.

How to check your WiFi chip

Open a terminal and run:

lspci -nnk | grep -iA3 -e network -e wireless

If you see Realtek and an id like 10ec:b520, 10ec:b852, 10ec:b851, 10ec:c852, or 10ec:8922 — this fix is for you.

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🛠️ Step-by-step install

You need the internet for a few minutes during install (to download build tools). No WiFi yet? Use one of these temporarily:

• Phone USB tethering (plug phone in via USB → enable "USB tethering" in phone settings), or
• A wired Ethernet cable, or a USB WiFi dongle.

Step 1 — Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T).

Step 2 — Make sure git is installed:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git

Step 3 — Download this fix:

git clone https://github.com/Vesto-Design/realtek-wifi-fix-linux
cd realtek-wifi-fix-linux

Step 4 — Run the installer (optionally add your 2-letter country code, e.g. US, GB, NG, IN, DE):

sudo ./install.sh US

The script auto-detects your Realtek card, installs the driver, the firmware, and loads it. It takes ~2–3 minutes.

Step 5 — Reboot:

reboot

Step 6 — Connect to WiFi from the network menu (top bar), or in a terminal:

nmcli device wifi list                                  # see networks
nmcli device wifi connect "YourNetwork" password "YourPassword"

🎉 That's it — your WiFi should now work, and it will keep working through future kernel updates (the driver rebuilds itself automatically).

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🧰 Troubleshooting

"It built but WiFi still doesn't appear after reboot" + Secure Boot is ON. The driver is auto-signed, but the signing key may need enrolling once:

sudo mokutil --import /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.der

Reboot → on the blue "MOK Management" screen choose Enroll MOK → Continue → enter the password you just set. Reboot again.

WiFi device shows up but finds no networks. Set your country so all channels are enabled (use your real country code):

sudo iw reg set US

Then rescan. Also make sure a router/hotspot is actually in range.

Wrong country / moved country. Re-run sudo iw reg set XX or edit /etc/systemd/system/wifi-regdom.service.

Check it installed:

dkms status rtw89          # should say "installed"
nmcli device status        # should list a "wifi" device

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🔁 Uninstall

sudo ./uninstall.sh

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❓ FAQ

Will a kernel update break it again? No. It's installed via DKMS, which rebuilds the driver automatically whenever your kernel updates.

Is it safe? It uses the well-known, open-source morrownr/rtw89 driver (GPL-2.0), bundled here so it works even offline-ish and at a known-good version. Source is in rtw89/.

Does this fix Bluetooth? No — this is the WiFi driver only.

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🙏 Credits & License

• Driver: morrownr/rtw89 and the upstream Linux rtw89 developers — GPL-2.0. All credit for the driver goes to them.
• This repo just bundles it with an easy installer and instructions.

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