How to install RTL8723AE driver on ubuntu 16.04?

Question

I'm trying to config ubuntu 16.04 on a MSI s12 notebook, but the network adapter (RTL8723AE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter) is not recognized by ubuntu.

$ iwconfig syas:

    lo        no wireless extensions.     
    enp2s0    no wireless extensions.   
    wlp1s0    IEEE 802.11bgn  ESSID:off/any  
              Mode:Managed  Access Point: Not-Associated   Tx-Power=20 dBm   
              Retry short limit:7   RTS thr=2347 B   Fragment thr:off
              Power Management:off

here are the results of $ ifconfig:

enp2s0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 44:8a:5b:41:3e:1d  
          inet addr:192.168.1.54  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::468a:5bff:fe41:3e1d/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:4371 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:5119 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:2875904 (2.8 MB)  TX bytes:586687 (586.6 KB)
          Interrupt:29 

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:3814 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:3814 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1 
          RX bytes:295586 (295.5 KB)  TX bytes:295586 (295.5 KB)

wlp1s0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 54:27:1e:19:7f:12  
          UP BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

In regard to rfkill list Nothing is blocked:

0: hci0: Bluetooth
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: no

Modem Model

$ lspci -vvnn | grep -A 9 Network returns:

01:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8723AE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter [10ec:8723]
    Subsystem: AzureWave RTL8723AE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter [1a3b:2114]
    Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
    Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
    Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
    Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 31
    Region 0: I/O ports at e000 [size=256]
    Region 2: Memory at fea00000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
    Capabilities: <access denied>
    Kernel driver in use: rtl8723ae
    Kernel modules: rtl8723ae

What I already have done?

I Have Followed this solution: https://askubuntu.com/a/645238/196157 which suggests:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:hanipouspilot/rtlwifi
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install rtlwifi-new-dkms linux-firmware

and this one: install a newer driver that says:

wget https://github.com/lwfinger/rtlwifi_new/archive/rock.new_btcoex.zip
unzip rock.new_btcoex.zip
cd rtlwifi_new-rock.new_btcoex
make
sudo -i
make install
echo "options rtl8723be ant_sel=2"  >  /etc/modprobe.d/rtl8723be.conf
exit

Reboot.

I Also installed WICD as instructed here: Installing WICD. But there is no wireless Adapter working.

---

Updates

1. I installed bcmwl-kernel-source package. 1.1. removed.
2. sudo modprobe wl && dmesg | grep wl returns:

3. sudo lshw -C network

  *-network               
       description: Wireless interface
       product: RTL8723AE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter
       vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:01:00.0
       logical name: wlp1s0
       version: 00
       serial: 54:27:1e:19:7f:12
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rtl8723ae driverversion=4.4.0-21-generic firmware=N/A latency=0 link=no multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bgn
       resources: irq:31 ioport:e000(size=256) memory:fea00000-fea03fff

Solution 1

Make the parameter permanent with the terminal:

sudo -i
echo "options rtl8723ae msi=1"  >  /etc/modprobe.d/rtl8723ae.conf
exit

Upon boot you should be all set.

Solution 2

The Problem is solved using this post:

1. Clone project: git clone [email protected]:lwfinger/rtlwifi_new.git
2. Build project: make; sudo make install
3. Remove the old mod: sudo rmmod rtl8723ae
4. Set the mod with the msi flag: sudo modprobe rtl8723ae msi=1

Comments

[ubfan1]

What's module wl doing in there? That's a Broadcom proprietary driver, and should not be used. Blacklist it?

[Odysseus]

I'm going to purge it.

[Odysseus]

but the problem is that how to make sudo rmmod rtl8723ae and ` sudo modprobe rtl8723ae msi=1' permanent?