linux-drivers/
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw89

Realtek RTL8852/RTL8922 Wi-Fi 6, 6E, and Wi-Fi 7 client adapters

A family of Realtek wireless chipsets covering modern Wi-Fi 6 (RTL8852AE/BE/CE), Wi-Fi 6E, and the newer Wi-Fi 7 (RTL8922AE) PCIe and USB adapters built into laptops and sold as discrete network cards from roughly 2021 through 2025 and beyond.

keep conf=0.94 last_sold=2025 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-wireless
94%

recommendation

It should stay in the kernel because the hardware is current, still shipping in new laptops and as retail NICs in 2025, and the driver is one of the most actively developed in the wireless tree, with support recently extended to Realtek's Wi-Fi 7 8922AE silicon in kernels 6.10 and 6.14. There is no replacement driver, since rtw89 is the modern successor to the older rtlwifi/rtw88 stacks for these newer chipsets.

repository signals

98 files
297,578 source lines
1,699 commits, 5y
+352,061 / −54,204 lines added / removed, 5y
76 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 1,699 total · active in 53/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-05: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-08: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-10: 9 commits · +91,109 −16 2021-11: 14 commits · +9,837 −7,219 2021-12: 14 commits · +263 −179 2022-01: 20 commits · +816 −239 2022-02: 23 commits · +3,212 −1,628 2022-03: 66 commits · +5,026 −878 2022-04: 46 commits · +25,543 −259 2022-05: 35 commits · +7,369 −1,977 2022-06: 19 commits · +770 −521 2022-07: 16 commits · +1,422 −247 2022-08: 32 commits · +28,607 −10,359 2022-09: 81 commits · +28,145 −990 2022-10: 41 commits · +8,474 −117 2022-11: 20 commits · +2,912 −263 2022-12: 22 commits · +1,084 −421 2023-01: 45 commits · +1,327 −599 2023-02: 14 commits · +301 −132 2023-03: 29 commits · +2,086 −375 2023-04: 50 commits · +19,280 −458 2023-05: 38 commits · +4,784 −264 2023-06: 18 commits · +24,262 −5,094 2023-07: 13 commits · +499 −308 2023-08: 36 commits · +3,411 −414 2023-09: 39 commits · +7,350 −1,310 2023-10: 36 commits · +2,303 −361 2023-11: 38 commits · +4,377 −232 2023-12: 32 commits · +5,752 −348 2024-01: 67 commits · +5,101 −794 2024-02: 53 commits · +5,788 −490 2024-03: 24 commits · +1,822 −241 2024-04: 36 commits · +1,397 −2,839 2024-05: 24 commits · +1,756 −502 2024-06: 25 commits · +7,676 −1,977 2024-07: 30 commits · +2,443 −580 2024-08: 30 commits · +2,587 −914 2024-09: 25 commits · +4,947 −2,806 2024-10: 39 commits · +1,266 −327 2024-11: 16 commits · +1,292 −162 2024-12: 16 commits · +408 −125 2025-01: 32 commits · +4,401 −3,367 2025-02: 25 commits · +463 −140 2025-03: 24 commits · +2,317 −310 2025-04: 31 commits · +936 −377 2025-05: 23 commits · +980 −77 2025-06: 73 commits · +4,117 −944 2025-07: 34 commits · +1,565 −227 2025-08: 28 commits · +1,963 −321 2025-09: 18 commits · +646 −131 2025-10: 8 commits · +227 −69 2025-11: 56 commits · +1,904 −664 2025-12: 39 commits · +1,154 −261 2026-01: 73 commits · +4,535 −301 2026-02: 4 commits · +49 −50 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. git.kernel.org

    Upstream directory is actively maintained rather than sunsetted; the provided snapshot metadata also reports 1692 substantive commits in the last 5 years with most recent touch on 2026-01-30.

  2. git.kernel.org

    Upstream Kconfig covers multiple current Realtek Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 parts in this driver family, including 8851BE, 8852AE/BE/CE/CU, and 8922AE.

  3. cateee.net

    LKDDb shows rtw89 is present across current kernel series and binds multiple Realtek PCI/USB device IDs, indicating broad active hardware coverage rather than a legacy-only niche.

  4. cateee.net

    LKDDb shows support for Realtek 8922AE/8922AE-VS Wi-Fi 7 hardware in kernels 6.10+ and 6.14+, evidence that the driver is still expanding to new chipsets.

  5. treexy.com

    Third-party driver index lists many 2025 and 2026 Windows packages and OEM subsystem IDs for the Realtek 8922AE Wi-Fi 7 NIC, consistent with current OEM deployment and new-system sales.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory, confirmed by local shell reads of rtw89 Kconfig and module/device-table entries. No removal/deprecation evidence surfaced: the prompt already shows very high recent upstream activity, and web lore searches did not surface an active removal series. Source acquisition: two kernel.org URLs by canonical recall for the stable git log/tree pages; LKDDb pages from web search results turn0search1 and turn0search0; deployment evidence from web search result turn1search0. Because rtw89 now covers current Wi-Fi 6/6E and even Wi-Fi 7 Realtek parts, there is no natural replacement driver; recommendation is to keep.