I'm having trouble with my Realtek Wifi dongle on my PC running Pop!_OS. Every time I restart the computer, I have to unplug it and plug it back in for it to work. I've read that some Realtek dongles can have issues with Linux systems. Does anyone have any tips or solutions for this problem?
4 Answers
If you're looking for an easy fix, maybe just try to restart your system less often! Sounds like a joke, but seriously, it might save you the hassle of unplugging and replugging every single time!
Have you tried running 'lsusb -v' in the terminal? This command will give you detailed info about your USB devices. Some Realtek dongles can be a bit tricky, but they generally work well. If it's an older system, you could also consider trying a live version of another Linux distro like Q4OS to see if it makes a difference.
Just a couple of things to keep in mind: your motherboard controls how USB devices are powered and detected via the BIOS/UEFI settings. Make sure that Legacy USB support is enabled and check if your dongle appears in the connected devices list before the OS boots up. After booting, make sure the dongle has the right drivers in the Network Settings. You can install the 'inxi' app to get a detailed hardware report, which includes info about your network devices.
Are you by any chance dual-booting with Windows? If so, you might want to disable the fast startup feature in Windows. It has been known to cause issues with USB devices after a reboot.
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