Hey everyone! I need some help with my Wi-Fi connection on Linux. I recently installed Ubuntu, but I can't get my Wi-Fi to work at all. I've tried several troubleshooting steps like updating the system and installing proprietary drivers. I've also checked hardware detection using lspci and dmesg, and even tested different kernel versions, but nothing seems to fix the issue. After some research, I discovered that my Wi-Fi chipset, the MediaTek MT7921, has poor support on Ubuntu, especially with Secure Boot enabled and older kernels. So, I switched to Fedora hoping for better support since it usually has newer kernels and firmware, but I'm still facing the same problem—my Wi-Fi doesn't show up at all. Has anyone successfully gotten the MT7921 to work on any Linux distribution? I'd really appreciate any tips or steps that might help. Or are there any other distros you'd recommend that might be more compatible?
4 Answers
Make sure to check the `rfkill` output to see if the Wi-Fi is blocked somehow; that can sometimes be an easy fix!
Just to clarify, are you using Ubuntu 24 or 25? This could also play a role in driver support.
Unfortunately, MediaTek chipsets are not always Linux-friendly. If updating the kernel doesn't work, consider switching to an Intel Wi-Fi card or using a USB Wi-Fi adapter as a backup. It might cost a bit more, but it's usually a more compatible solution.
The MediaTek MT7921 chipset has been supported since kernel 5.12 for PCIe, 5.16 for SDIO, and 5.18 for USB. If you're not running these versions or newer, that's likely your issue. You can check the support details and drivers [here](https://wireless.docs.kernel.org/en/latest/en/users/drivers/mediatek.html). Make sure to update your kernel if it’s not 6.14 or higher; that could help a lot!
What do you think might be causing the issue? I'm curious if there's something else that could be interfering.
I'm on Ubuntu 24.