How to Setup WiFi on Alpine Linux with wpa_supplicant

To get a MediaTek 802.11n WLAN adapter working on Alpine Linux, you’ll typically need to install firmware and drivers for the wireless chipset, and bring up the network interface using tools like iw and wpa_supplicant.

Step-by-Step Guide

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1. Identify Your Chipset

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Run the following to identify your MediaTek Wi-Fi chipset:

lspci | grep -i network
# or for USB dongles:
lsusb

Look for lines like:

MediaTek MT7601U 802.11 n WLAN Adapter

2. Enable Community Repository

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Make sure the community repo is enabled in /etc/apk/repositories:

vi /etc/apk/repositories

Uncomment or add this line:

http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/latest-stable/community

Then update:

apk update

3. Install Required Packages

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Install drivers, firmware, and Wi-Fi tools:

apk add linux-firmware wireless-tools iw wpa_supplicant

4. Check if the Driver is Loaded

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Run:

dmesg | grep mt
lsmod | grep mt

You may need one of these kernel modules:

• mt7601u
• mt76x0u
• mt76

To load a module manually:

modprobe mt7601u

Check if the interface appears:

ip link

You should see something like wlan0.

Connect to Wi-Fi (wpa_supplicant method)

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Create /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf:

ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
network={
    ssid="YourNetworkName"
    psk="YourPassword"
}

Then start wpa_supplicant:

wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

Get an IP:

udhcpc -i wlan0

Tips

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• For headless systems, use wpa_cli or configure wpa_supplicant.conf manually.
• For GUI systems (with X or Wayland), you can use networkmanager or connman.
• Check logs via:

dmesg | tail

For Persistent Setup

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To ensure Wi-Fi connects at boot:

1. Add wpa_supplicant and udhcpc to OpenRC:

rc-update add wpa_supplicant
rc-update add networking

2. Ensure wpa_supplicant.conf is correctly placed and permissions are set.

Not Working?

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If it’s not working :

• Check dmesg for errors. sudo dmesg
• Your chipset might need an out-of-tree driver (rare on Alpine).