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+---- Thread: Why does it require some proprietary components? (/showthread.php?tid=9104)
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RE: Why does it require some proprietary components? - kuleszdl - 02-29-2020
If you want free wifi firmware, there are not many options. Probably the most popular one are the old ath9k chips. Last year, I asked at the Pine64 stand why they don't use these chips in their devices. The answer was that they are not produced anymore and thus either too expensive or not feasible to be used in larger quantities. Another aspect probably are the lower specs (e.g. only 802.11n instead of 802.11ac).
Personally, I would also prefer more freedom-friendly chips over better specs. However, a device that only requires blobs for modem, wifi and bluetooth is a HUGE step forward compared to current Android devices (apart from the dated devices supported by Replicant the situation is so much worse there). Therefore, I am okay with solving the currently present freedom issues step by step through iterations instead of trying to save the world with one big bang approach.
RE: Why does it require some proprietary components? - MartijnBraam - 02-29-2020
Another issue is that the AR9382 (that's supported by ath9k with open firmware) is not available in a formfactor that fits in a phone. It's also only available in USB or PCIe while the current wifi adapter is SDIO