I recently bought an Asus M1502YA laptop and tried installing Zorin OS, Linux Mint, and elementary OS. None of them detects the laptop's Wi-Fi hardware. The laptop has no built-in Ethernet port, and I don't currently have a USB Wi-Fi adapter. What's the easiest way to get online and install the correct driver? I'm completely new to Linux, so beginner-friendly instructions would be appreciated.
4 Answers
The quickest temporary option is USB tethering from a phone. Once the laptop has internet access, you can install the needed kernel or driver directly. If that isn’t possible, use another computer to download the required packages or modules onto a USB flash drive, then transfer them to the laptop. You’ll need to identify the exact driver and matching kernel version first.
For a more permanent fix, replace the internal wireless card if it’s removable. An Intel AX210 is commonly used as a replacement and generally has much better Linux support. Check that the card is accessible and compatible with the laptop before buying one.
You don’t necessarily need a Wi-Fi dongle. A USB-to-Ethernet adapter can provide a wired connection through one of the laptop’s USB ports, including a USB-C port if you have one. That would let you install updates and drivers normally.
That laptop appears to use a MediaTek MT7902 wireless card. Support may require a newer Linux kernel than the one included with the distributions you tried. You could temporarily connect your phone with a USB cable and enable USB tethering, then install a newer kernel or the appropriate third-party driver. Fedora KDE may also be worth trying because it often ships newer hardware support, and it’s reasonably beginner-friendly.
Thanks for explaining. I’m completely new to Linux—would Fedora KDE be reasonably easy for a beginner to use?