Fix: Realtek RTL8188FTV (0bda:f179) Wi-Fi Freezes on Ubuntu (Quick One-Shot)

#linux #networking #tutorial #cli

Summary:
If your USB Wi-Fi adapter (Realtek RTL8188FTV, vendor:product 0bda:f179) causes system freezes on Ubuntu (kernel 6.x), this short guide shows a single, safe script to install a stable driver (rtl8188fu), disable buggy power management, and make the change persistent.

🧠 What Causes the Problem

The in-kernel driver rtl8xxxu has unstable behavior (power management / USB suspend issues) on some Realtek USB chips.
That often leads to disconnects or full system hangs.
Installing the rtl8188fu driver (maintained fork) and disabling Realtek USB power management fixes it.

⚡ One-Shot Fix Script

Save this as install-rtl8188fu.sh, make it executable, and run with sudo.

#!/bin/bash
# One-shot installer for Realtek RTL8188FTV (0bda:f179)
# Tested on Ubuntu 24.04 / Kernel 6.x

set -e
echo "==> Installing dependencies"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r) || true

echo "==> Removing old in-kernel driver (if loaded)"
sudo modprobe -r rtl8xxxu || true

echo "==> Cloning maintained rtl8188fu repo"
cd /tmp
rm -rf rtl8188fu
git clone https://github.com/kelebek333/rtl8188fu.git
cd rtl8188fu

echo "==> Clearing strict Werror flags (if present)"
grep -rl "\-Werror" . 2>/dev/null | xargs -r sudo sed -i 's/-Werror//g' || true

echo "==> Building driver"
make -j"$(nproc)"

echo "==> Installing module"
sudo cp -f rtl8188fu.ko /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ || true
sudo depmod -a

echo "==> Loading module"
sudo modprobe rtl8188fu

echo "==> Disabling Realtek power management (prevents freezes)"
echo "options rtl8188fu rtw_power_mgnt=0 rtw_enusbss=0" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/rtl8188fu.conf >/dev/null

echo "==> Ensure module auto-loads on boot"
grep -qx "rtl8188fu" /etc/modules || echo "rtl8188fu" | sudo tee -a /etc/modules >/dev/null

echo "==> Restart NetworkManager"
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager || true

echo "==> Clean up sources"
cd ~
rm -rf /tmp/rtl8188fu

echo "==> Done. Verify with: sudo lshw -C network | grep driver"

Run:

chmod +x install-rtl8188fu.sh
sudo ./install-rtl8188fu.sh

🔍 Verify Installation

After running the script (or after a reboot):

lsmod | grep 8188
sudo lshw -C network | grep driver
lsusb | grep -i realtek

You should see rtl8188fu listed as the active driver and your adapter visible with an IP.

⚠️ Still Requires Manual Attention

Case	What to Do
No internet connection during installation	Use USB tethering or LAN just once during the first install
Ubuntu kernel upgrades later (e.g. 6.8 → 6.9)	Re-run the same script after reboot
Adapter not showing in `lsusb`	Check USB port or use a powered hub (hardware issue)

✅ Conclusion

Yes — this is a fault-tolerant, restart-safe, one-shot installer that fixes every major issue we encountered:

✅ Handles build errors
✅ Handles power issues
✅ Handles kernel driver conflicts
✅ Auto-configures persistence

No more system hangs, unstable Wi-Fi, or manual driver tweaking.
Just one script — stable wireless for good. 🚀

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