wireless compatibility - vanilla-wiiu/vanilla GitHub Wiki
While most modern wireless hardware is theoretically capable of connecting to the Wii U, there are factors that can complicate or make this impossible.
Firstly, the hardware must support 5GHz 802.11n. It is possible for some hardware to support the 802.11n (and newer) standard, but still only support 2.4GHz. These are fundamentally incompatible with the Wii U's gamepad access point.
Secondly, Wii U gamepad communication is based on a slightly obfuscated variant of 802.11n. While the modifications are very minor, they require direct low-level access to implement them. If the hardware is "SoftMAC", then the 802.11 communication is handled by software on the CPU, giving us the full control that we need to implement the minor obfuscations. However, if the hardware is "FullMAC", then the 802.11 communication is handled on the hardware itself, and any modifications we attempt to make will be overridden without modification to the firmware.
Due to these factors, the community maintains a list of hardware that is known to work or not work, as well as steps that can make incompatible hardware work.
✅ Working -- All major communication between console and device is functional (video, audio, and input).
❌ Not Working -- Unable to sync or connect.
| Manufacturer | Chipset | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AzureWave | AW-NB037H | ❌ Not Working | Used in the Asus K53SV |
| Broadcom | BCM43224 | ✅ Working | Used in the MacBook Air (2011) |
| Broadcom | BCM4324 | ❌ Not Working | |
| Broadcom | BCM43241 | ❌ Not Working | Used in the Acer Aspire Switch 10 |
| Broadcom | BCM4331 | ❌ Not Working | Used in the MacBook Pro (2011) and Mac mini (2012) |
| Broadcom | BCM4350 | ❌ Not Working | Used in Dell DW1820A M.2 Wireless Card(s) |
| Broadcom | BCM4356 | ✅ Working | Used in the Nintendo Switch, but it requires these patches |
| Broadcom | BCM4360 | ❌ Not Working | Used in the MacBook Air (Early 2015) |
| Broadcom | BCM43602 | ❌ Not Working | Used in the MacBook Pro (Early 2015) |
| Broadcom | BCM4378 | ❌ Not Working | Used in all Macs with the M1 chipset |
| Broadcom | BCM4389 | ✅ Working | Used in the Google Pixel 7 |
| Infineon | CYW43455 | ❌ Not Working | Used in the Raspberry Pi 5 |
| Intel | AC 3165 | ✅ Working | |
| Intel | AC 3168 | ✅ Working | |
| Intel | AC 7265 | ✅ Working | |
| Intel | AC 8260 | ✅ Working | Used in the Thinkpad T470 (depending on configuration) |
| Intel | AC 8265 | ✅ Working | Used in the Thinkpad T470 (depending on configuration), the Thinkpad T480, the Thinkpad X280, the Latitude 7490 (depending on configuration) and the HP Spectre x360 13-ae0xx |
| Intel | AC 9260 | ✅ Working | |
| Intel | AC 9462 | ✅ Working | Used in the Samsung Book (2021) |
| Intel | AC 9560 | ✅ Working | Used in the Lenovo 500e Chromebook 2nd Gen |
| Intel | AX101 | ✅ Working | Used in the Chuwi Gemibook Plus |
| Intel | AX200 | ✅ Working | Used in the Thinkpad X13 Gen 1 |
| Intel | AX201 | ✅ Working | Used in the Thinkpad E14 Gen 2 (Intel) |
| Intel | AX210 | ✅ Working | Used in the Samsung Book Pro (2021) |
| Intel | AX211 | ✅ Working | Used in the Surface Pro 9 (2023) and Latitude 5440 |
| Intel | Advanced-N 6205 | ✅ Working | Used in the Thinkpad T430 |
| Intel | Advanced-N 6235 | ✅ Working | Used in the Toshiba Satellite R945-P440 |
| Intel | PRO/Wireless 5100 AGN | ❌ Not Working | Used in the HP Pavilion DV7 1060ec |
| Intel | WiFi Link 5100 AGN | ✅ Working | |
| MediaTek | MT76x0 | ✅ Working | Used in TP-Link Archer T2UH AC600 USB Wireless Adapter(s) and TP-Link Archer T3U Plus AC1300 USB Wireless Adapter(s) |
| MediaTek | MT7610U | ✅ Working | Used in ASUSTek Computer, Inc. USB-AC50 Wireless Adapter(s) |
| MediaTek | MT7921 | ✅ Working | Used in the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2021), the ASUS ROG Strix G15 (2021), and the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 (2021) |
| MediaTek | MT7922 | ❌ Not Working | Used in the ASUS ROG Ally (2023); Also known as AMD RZ616 on some laptops |
| Qualcomm | Atheros AR9285 | ❌ Not Working | Used in the Acer Aspire One D260 |
| Qualcomm | Atheros AR9462 | ✅ Working | |
| Qualcomm | QCA206X | ✅ Working | Used in the Steam Deck OLED |
| Qualcomm | QCA6174 | Used in the Surface Go (1st Gen); Working audio and input but no video, as below | |
| Qualcomm | QCA9377 | Same as above, but disconnects after ~45 seconds | |
| Qualcomm | QCNFA765 | ✅ Working | |
| Qualcomm | WCN3990 | ❌ Not Working | Used in the Google Pixel 3a XL and the original OnePlus Nord. Hangs on "DHCP ESTABLISHED" |
| Qualcomm | WCN785x | ✅ Working | |
| Ralink | RT5572 | ✅ Working | Used in TP-Link TL-WDN3200 USB Wireless Adapter(s) |
| Realtek | RTL8811AU | ✅ Working | Requires this driver |
| Realtek | RTL8812AU | ✅ Working | Requires this driver |
| Realtek | RTL8821AU | ✅ Working | Requires this driver |
| Realtek | RTL8821CE | ✅ Working | Used in many HP devices; Might require this driver, but is most likely working, though results are currently unconfirmed |
| Realtek | RTL8821CU | ✅ Working | |
| Realtek | RTL8822BE | ✅ Working | |
| Realtek | RTL8822C | ✅ Working | Used in the Steam Deck |
| Realtek | RTL8822CE | ✅ Working | Used in the HP Chromebook 14A and the Lenovo V14/V15 G4 ABP |
| Realtek | RTL8852AE | ✅ Working | |
| Realtek | RTL8852BE | ✅ Working | Used in the ASUS TUF Gaming B650 Plus Wifi Motherboard, TP-Link Archer TX20E PCIe Wireless Card(s) and Latitude 5440 |
| Realtek | RTL8852CU | ✅ Working | Used in the TP-Link Archer TXE70UH AXE5400 USB Wireless Adapter (V1) |
| Realtek | RTW8821CU | ✅ Working | Used in TP-Link Archer T600UB Nano USB Wireless Adapter(s) |
| AICSemi | AIC8800 | ✅ Working | Found in many cheap USB Wi-Fi adapters on AliExpress. |
| Realtek | RTL8723DE | ❌ Not Working (needs more testing) | Might require this driver, but doesn't have 5 GHz connection. |
| Realtek | RTL8812BU | ✅ Working | Used in the TP-Link Archer T3U Plus AC1300 USB Adapter and some versions of the TP-Link Archer T4U Plus. Requires this driver |
| Realtek | RTL8922AE | ✅ Working | Used in the GIGABYTE B850 EAGLE WIFI7 ICE motherboard |