Compatibility inquiry: High-Power USB WiFi Adapter (RTL8812AU / Alfa AWUS036ACH) on Jetson Thor/Orin

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson Thor
1

Hi NVIDIA Support Team,

I am planning to use an external High-Power USB WiFi Adapter on the Jetson Thor (or Orin) platform to achieve better signal range and bandwidth than the onboard module.

I am specifically looking at the Alfa AWUS036ACH (or other adapters based on the Realtek RTL8812AU chipset).

I have a few technical questions regarding compatibility:

1. Driver Support:
Does the Jetson Linux (L4T) kernel natively support the RTL8812AU chipset?
If not, are there any known issues with compiling standard open-source drivers (like morrownr/8812au) on the Jetson platform?

2. USB Power Supply:
These high-power adapters (like the Alfa AWUS036ACH) have higher power consumption.
Can the Jetson’s USB ports provide sufficient power to drive this adapter directly, or is an external powered USB hub strictly required to prevent instability?

3. Recommendations:
If the RTL8812AU chipset is not recommended for Jetson, do you have any other suggestions for USB WiFi chipsets that have solid driver support and are suitable for high-performance external antennas?

Thanks!

3

Hi,
We have the modules listed in
Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 modules that have been validated with AGX Orin devkits

It is supposed to work the same on AGX Thor. Alfa AWUS036ACH is not in the list and we would suggest consult with the vendor. Jetpack 7 is with Kernel 6.8 and you can check if they have validated the driver on K6.8.