A script to setup the ath10k driver

vimanuelt

Here is a script for anyone needing to setup the ath10k driver.

#!/bin/sh

# Script: setup_ath10k.sh
# Purpose: Detect and install the correct ath10k driver on GhostBSD
# Requires: Root privilege via sudo
# Author: Vester-compatible version

set -eu

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Ensure sudo is available and script is run with permission
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
if ! command -v sudo >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "[-] 'sudo' is required but not installed. Please install it first."
  exit 1
fi

if [ "$(id -u)" -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "[*] Root privileges required. Re-running with sudo..."
  exec sudo "$0" "$@"
fi

print_status()   { echo "[*] $1"; }
print_success()  { echo "[✓] $1"; }
print_error()    { echo "[-] $1" >&2; }

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Detect Atheros/QCA chipset via pciconf
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
print_status "Scanning PCI devices for Atheros/QCA chipsets..."
CHIP_INFO=$(pciconf -lv | awk '/Atheros/ || /Qualcomm/ { found=1 } found && /chip=/ { print; found=0 }')

if [ -z "$CHIP_INFO" ]; then
    print_error "No Atheros/QCA chipset detected. This script supports only ath10k-compatible cards."
    exit 1
fi

CHIP_ID=$(echo "$CHIP_INFO" | cut -d'=' -f2 | cut -d' ' -f1)
print_success "Detected chipset ID: $CHIP_ID"

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Map chip ID to the correct firmware package
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PKG=""
case "$CHIP_ID" in
    0x0042*) PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca6174_hw21" ;;
    0x003e*) PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca6174_hw30" ;;
    0x0041*) PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca9377_hw10" ;;
    0x0050*) PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca9887_hw10" ;;
    0x0056*) PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca9888_hw20" ;;
    0x003c*) PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca988x_hw20" ;;
    0x0046*) PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca9984_hw10" ;;
    0x0040*) PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca99x0_hw20" ;;
    *)       PKG="wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod" ;; # fallback
esac

print_status "Mapped chipset to package: $PKG"

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Check if package exists
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
if ! pkg search -q "^${PKG}\$" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    print_error "Package $PKG not found in repositories. Your device may not be supported."
    exit 1
fi

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Install driver package
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
print_status "Installing $PKG..."
if ! pkg install -y "$PKG"; then
    print_error "Failed to install $PKG. Please check your internet connection or try again."
    exit 1
fi
print_success "Package $PKG installed."

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Update boot loader config
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
print_status "Updating /boot/loader.conf..."
{
    sysrc -f /boot/loader.conf if_ath10k_load="YES"
    sysrc -f /boot/loader.conf athk_common_load="YES"
    sysrc -f /boot/loader.conf wlan_load="YES"
} || {
    print_error "Failed to update /boot/loader.conf"
    exit 1
}
print_success "Module load settings applied."

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Load kernel modules immediately
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
print_status "Loading kernel modules..."
{
    kldload athk_common 2>/dev/null || true
    kldload if_ath10k 2>/dev/null || true
    kldload wlan 2>/dev/null || true
}
print_success "Modules loaded."

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Check for network interfaces
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
print_status "Checking for network interfaces..."
IFACE=$(ifconfig -a | grep -Eo '^wlan[0-9]+' | head -n 1 || true)
ATH_IFACE=$(ifconfig -a | grep -Eo '^ath[0-9]+' | head -n 1 || true)

# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#  Final Summary
# ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
echo
echo "================ INSTALLATION SUMMARY ================"
echo " Chipset ID Detected : $CHIP_ID"
echo " Firmware Package    : $PKG"
if [ -n "$ATH_IFACE" ]; then
    echo " Detected Interface  : $ATH_IFACE"
elif [ -n "$IFACE" ]; then
    echo " Detected Interface  : $IFACE"
    echo " You can associate it manually with wpa_supplicant and dhclient."
else
    echo " No active wlan/ath interface detected."
    echo " You may need to run:"
    echo "     ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev ath0"
    echo " Then configure with wpa_supplicant and dhclient."
fi
echo "======================================================"
print_success "Driver setup complete. Reboot is recommended."

Be sure to:
chmod +x setup_ath10k.sh
sudo ./setup_ath10k.sh

vimanuelt

To manually check which firmware package corresponds to your device using the chipset ID (chip= field from pciconf), follow these steps:

1. Identify the Chipset ID

Run this in your terminal: pciconf -lv | grep -A4 -i network

Look for a line like: chip=0x00421cf3

The key part is the first four hex digits after 0x. In the example above, 0x0042.

2. Match it to the Firmware Mapping

Refer to the mapping logic:

Chip ID prefix : Corresponding firmware package

0x0042 : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca6174_hw21
0x003e : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca6174_hw30
0x0041 : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca9377_hw10
0x0050 : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca9887_hw10
0x0056 : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca9888_hw20
0x003c : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca988x_hw20
0x0046 : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca9984_hw10
0x0040 : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca99x0_hw20
Anything else : wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod (generic fallback)

Example:
$ pciconf -lv | grep -A4 -i network

chip=0x00421cf3

→ First 4 hex digits: 0x0042
→ Use: wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca6174_hw21

Then install it: sudo pkg install wifi-firmware-ath10k-kmod-qca6174_hw21