X96 mini S905x, builtin wifi chipset RTL8189ES working with recompilation

[bthoven]

I found this box running Armbian at much cooler temperature than H603. Running around 40+-70c depending on ambient temperature and cpu load. The cpu never throttle.

 

TV Box Name X96 mini

CPU amlogic S905X

Armbian build file name: Armbian_20.10_Arm-64_focal_current_5.9.0_desktop.img

DTB file used: meson-gxl-s905x-p212.dtb

Kernel Version: 5.9.0

Distribution Installed (focal, buster, etc): focal

Working Ethernet (Yes/No): yes

Max Ethernet Speed that works (100/1000): 100

Does wifi work (Yes/No): No after boot. But managed to compile from source (RTL8189ES) and now it is working (see attaching working 8189es.ko)

Does bluetooth work (Yes/No): no

Does HDMI audio work (Yes/No): didn't test

Additional Comments (provide any additional information you feel is important):

to make the wifi works, using the attached .ko file:

# Enable the driver
sudo cp 8189es.ko /usr/lib/modules/5.9.0-arm-64/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/
sudo depmod -a
sudo modprobe 8189es

 

In case you want to compile by yourself:

# Install kernel headers
wget https://users.armbian.com/balbes150/arm-64/deb/linux-headers-current-arm-64_20.10_arm64.deb
or download from https://disk.yandex.ru/d/_rQgn_FosYuW0g/20.10/deb
sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-current-arm-64_20.10_arm64.deb

# Download the wifi driver
git clone https://github.com/jwrdegoede/rtl8189ES_linux.git
 

# Compile,
cd rtl8189ES_linux/
make -j4 ARCH=arm64 KSRC=/usr/lib/modules/5.9.0-arm-64/build

# Enable the driver
sudo cp 8189es.ko /usr/lib/modules/5.9.0-arm-64/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/
sudo depmod -a
sudo modprobe 8189es

8189es.ko

[SteeMan]

Note that the X96 Mini box name is very generic.  There are many different manufacturers that make boxes with that name and each manufacturer may use different components (i.e. wifi chips) in their specific boards.  So don't assume that the above will work for you unless you verify that you have the same wifi chip on your board.