===== Support for cfg80211 / mac80211 Linux 802.11 drivers on Android =====

This section tries to document what is required to support 802.11 Linux drivers on Android. 

 


===== The current status quo =====

Android uses wireless-extensions to support its 802.11 drivers. The drivers that Android devices have up to this day used are all using wireless-extensions for communication. The Android codebase also uses a custom wpa_supplicant. The details of this can be found [[http://source.android.com/porting/wifi.html|on android's porting wifi page]] and [[http://blog.linuxconsulting.ro/2010/04/porting-wifi-drivers-to-android.html|on this porting wifi drivers to android]] documentation. 


===== Roadmap =====

The current Android 802.11 interface should change to use nl80211. The proper approach would be to extend nl80211 upstream (where necessary) and use an unmodified wpa_supplicant in Android. 

Doing this will mean adding support to Android for *all* new 802.11 cfg80211/mac80211 Linux drivers. 


===== Work =====

Anyone working on this? 


===== LKML References =====
  * [[https://lkml.org/lkml/2011/2/1/440|Android for mac80211 / cfg80211 802.11 nag v1]] 
  * [[https://lkml.org/lkml/2011/3/23/448|Android PM enhancements]]