linux-drivers/
drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath10k

Qualcomm Atheros ath10k Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) chipsets

A family of Qualcomm Atheros 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) wireless chips shipped widely from the mid-2010s onward. Covered parts include the QCA6174 and QCA9377 client radios used in many laptops, the QCA988x/QCA99x0/QCA9984 chips used in routers and industrial access points, the QCA4019 SoC behind IPQ40xx mesh routers, and the WCN3990 mobile radio in many Snapdragon phones and Chromebooks.

keep conf=0.84 last_sold=2024 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-wireless
84%

recommendation

It should stay in the kernel because the hardware is still in millions of active laptops, phones, and Wi-Fi access points, and upstream development is clearly ongoing — recent commit history shows steady maintenance from dozens of contributors. New embedded modules based on QCA9984 and similar chips are still being sold in 2025, and the kernel's wireless documentation lists ath10k as a current, supported driver rather than a legacy one.

repository signals

64 files
85,405 source lines
208 commits, 5y
+3,407 / −1,729 lines added / removed, 5y
98 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 208 total · active in 56/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 2 commits · +15 −12 2021-05: 12 commits · +222 −24 2021-06: 3 commits · +3 −17 2021-07: 1 commit · +1 −0 2021-08: 2 commits · +10 −7 2021-09: 4 commits · +32 −10 2021-10: 10 commits · +209 −20 2021-11: 1 commit · +21 −1 2021-12: 5 commits · +37 −125 2022-01: 2 commits · +726 −195 2022-02: 3 commits · +4 −4 2022-03: 6 commits · +59 −39 2022-04: 5 commits · +64 −50 2022-05: 12 commits · +154 −75 2022-06: 4 commits · +8 −7 2022-07: 2 commits · +6 −12 2022-08: 2 commits · +55 −28 2022-09: 6 commits · +169 −165 2022-10: 2 commits · +34 −0 2022-11: 5 commits · +61 −25 2022-12: 1 commit · +1 −1 2023-01: 2 commits · +1 −9 2023-02: 5 commits · +4 −56 2023-03: 3 commits · +11 −14 2023-04: 1 commit · +8 −32 2023-05: 2 commits · +8 −11 2023-06: 5 commits · +9 −25 2023-07: 2 commits · +6 −5 2023-08: 4 commits · +12 −12 2023-09: 6 commits · +53 −75 2023-10: 3 commits · +5 −13 2023-11: 5 commits · +32 −19 2023-12: 9 commits · +52 −51 2024-01: 11 commits · +62 −80 2024-02: 1 commit · +2 −2 2024-03: 3 commits · +54 −34 2024-04: 6 commits · +42 −30 2024-05: 3 commits · +329 −32 2024-06: 2 commits · +4 −4 2024-07: 2 commits · +2 −2 2024-08: 2 commits · +54 −40 2024-09: 1 commit · +4 −4 2024-10: 3 commits · +14 −6 2024-11: 1 commit · +7 −7 2024-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-02: 1 commit · +10 −3 2025-03: 1 commit · +3 −1 2025-04: 4 commits · +102 −98 2025-05: 3 commits · +35 −14 2025-06: 3 commits · +99 −18 2025-07: 4 commits · +26 −24 2025-08: 3 commits · +23 −33 2025-09: 2 commits · +11 −2 2025-10: 5 commits · +293 −69 2025-11: 1 commit · +1 −1 2025-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-01: 4 commits · +69 −13 2026-02: 3 commits · +62 −69 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. git.kernel.org

    Upstream ath10k still has active history; local git metadata and provided stats show substantive touches through 2026, inconsistent with deprecation/removal.

  2. wireless.docs.kernel.org

    Kernel wireless documentation treats ath10k as a current supported driver family for Qualcomm/Atheros 802.11ac devices rather than a legacy-retired stack.

  3. cateee.net

    LKDDb lists ath10k support across many kernel releases and multiple Qualcomm Atheros 802.11ac device IDs, showing broad in-tree hardware coverage.

  4. compex.com.sg

    A QCA9984-based module was still listed for sale recently, supporting the view that ath10k hardware remains available for new embedded/industrial deployments.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory with module entry points and large .c footprint. Lore-first probe used `lore_file_timeline` on the directory path; it returned no matches, likely because that endpoint is file-oriented for this path shape. Follow-up lore regex probes for removal/deprecation timed out, so I fell back to local tree evidence: provided static stats show 195 substantive commits in 5y, 89 authors, and a most recent substantive touch on 2026-01-30; local `git log` also shows 2026 activity. Chipset family was identified from local source inspection (`pci.c`/`core.c`). URLs were obtained via web search for LKDDb and Compex, plus canonical recall for kernel.org log and wireless.docs.kernel.org. Conclusion: active upstream maintenance plus ongoing embedded sales means keep, not deprecate/remove.