FAQ - Nossiac/mtk-openwrt-feeds GitHub Wiki

1. Where can I get the driver source code?

I will not publish any driver source code here.

MTK's WiFi drivers do not have an open source licence. That is to say,

The only legal way to get the source code is to sign the NDA and get the code from MediaTek.

However you can always find some code on the Internet, which is for sure leaked from MediaTek's vendors. It's your call on how to use it.

2. I need modules for kernel x.x.x

This is a reasonable request, I wish I can help if I can afford the time.

The original plan was to build the drivers with latest stable release of OpenWrt/Lede. As the project goes on, there will be more possibilities for various kernel support.

Please keep an eye on the project, that's an inspiration for the developers.

3. How can I configure the driver to ......

The mtk-luci-plugin already supports basic operations on MTK WiFi. It's a good example for developers to start their own project.

If you want more advanced features, you should either consult MediaTek, or pay some conpensation.

4. What's the relationship with the mt76 project?

In short, they are totally different implemantions.

The mt76 driver is GPL licensed. It was written from scratch by Felix@OpenWrt. It's much modernized. It follows the latest linux wireless architecture, and uses the latest kernel APIs.

The early stage of mt76's development once got supported by MTK, I guess that is the only connection between the two.

MTK's WiFi driver is non-open, aims for help MTK's clients and vendors make serious products. It runs not only under linux, but also under eCos and VxWorks (that's why its code looks weired). It's not friendly for beginners, as well as hackers.

5. Which one is better for me, MTK's driver or open source driver?

For end users and hackers, you should always try mt76 first. If you are not happy with the current quality, you can fall back on MTK's drivers.

If you are running a serious business, you should consider more, like stability, performance, advanced features, technical support, ...

Here's a short list you should take a look:

Advantages of mtk drivers

Better performance. (if you configure it properly......)
Full chips series coverage.
More advanced features.
Support eCos, VxWorks, ...
Posible technical support from MediaTek.

Disadvantages of mtk drivers

Does not support mac80211/cfg80211. Although cfg80211 is paritially supported in some drivers, but not quite ready for production.
Does not support OpenWrt's uci configuration. That's why I wrote the "mtk-luci-plugin".
Does not support the latest kernel. (depends on how this project goes)
No GPL source code available.

6. I followed the steps from OpenWrt wiki or Google, but the driver does not work as expected.

Note that MTK's driver does not support uci configuration.You should either:

Edit wifi profile directly. that how mtk-luci-plugin does it.

Use an adapter script or application that can translate /etc/config/wireless into MTK's wifi profile. Check uci2dat.