How do you disable in the onboard wifi ?

a7mag3ddon

Hello

I have a Pi3 with latest RPI on i need to disable the onboard wifi so i can test a 5Ghz usb wifi dongle.

I read about adding dtoverlay=pi3-disable-wifi ro the boot/config.txt but that didnt work.

Is there another clean way to do it?

AlexMurphy

@a7mag3ddon There are a few different options / ideas given in this thread.
https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/43720/disable-wifi-wlan0-on-pi-3

herb_fargus

@a7mag3ddon if you're connecting to a 5ghz band then I would imagine it would be a different ssid so the onboard wifi wouldn't even pick it up at all so by default if it shows up on your list with the dongle and disappears without it, that should be sufficient for testing no?

AlexMurphy

@herb_fargus I have dual band and both frequencies have the same SSID. You can split them manually and assign different SSIDs but I think most standard home WiFI just combines the 2 and the device / router decides which to connect to.

herb_fargus

@AlexMurphy fair point, I've always separated mine and set up the 5ghz as a separate ssid like ssid_mobile as I typically use my 5ghz for my phone's and tablets and my 2.5 GHz for my pcs

a7mag3ddon

Sorry i should have said,

Yes i set up a seperate 5ghz just for the Pi, i have put the N usb device in but its been assigned wlan1 and doesnt show my SSID in the list.

I tried those suggestions in the post you linked before making this questions here.

the blacklist file didnt work at all, and the DT overlay suggested to apply isnt in the folder so im assuming thats why that also failed.

With both the onboard wifi turned on and the N usb in, the SSID doesnt not show in the list of available networks (using retropie wifi setup)

AlexMurphy

@a7mag3ddon Is the external dongle working? Some do, some don't with the Pi. It's a driver issue. What dongle / chip-set is it?

EDIT: Just actually re-read your post. It must be working if it was assigned wlan1. Ignore me.

AlexMurphy

@a7mag3ddon Do you have the PIXEL desktop installed? It sometimes makes these tasks a lot easier.

a7mag3ddon

no i dont have pixel desktop installed, would you recommend it? and if i do, how do i make it so retropie used the dongle and shows me the SSID in the wifi list ?

AlexMurphy

@a7mag3ddon You can install it from the setup script. It's in Configuration / tools > raspbian tools ... > Install PIXEL desktop environment. Once installed you can access via the ports section. You just right click on the WiFi icon on the top right and set it up to connect to the SSID you want.

RetroPie does not have its' own WiFi config, it uses the Raspbian one.

a7mag3ddon

I may have done it, i opened rc.local and added if wlan0 down before the exit 0 command. Now i cannot see any of the old wifi hotspots just a single one that says hidden :-/

not sure what that means as the one a i made on the router certainly isnt hidden

a7mag3ddon

still cant see it, going to install pixel desktop now.

AlexMurphy

@a7mag3ddon It's definitely wort a try. It's handy in other ways too.

a7mag3ddon

Ok so installed pixed and it seems the the wireless N dongle might be fake, on the pixel desktop i can still only see the regular networks not the 5ghz one :-(

so frustrating. I do have an old belkin usb dongle one of the first wireless N ones to come to market but have no idea where it is.

Any recommendations for an N that works on Pi ? preferably a stubby usb one?

AlexMurphy

@a7mag3ddon I can't personally recommend one. I use the on-board WiFi with no issues. I have generic dongle for my PiZero but that hasn't been on in a while. It was purchased from thepihut

a7mag3ddon

From the pixel desktop, how do i make sure the internal one is turned off ?

AlexMurphy

@a7mag3ddon Stick in a nonsense WiFi key.

a7mag3ddon

wont that just mean its not connected to a network but still on ?

a7mag3ddon

the pi hut ones are only 2.4ghz

AlexMurphy

@a7mag3ddon Yes on both. Sorry.