Hey there, let's walk through this problem step by step—no need to stress, we'll figure out how to get that WiFi adapter working on your Libre Le Potato's Raspberry Pi OS!

First, let's clarify where WiFi drivers live in Linux #

Linux wireless drivers come in two main parts: kernel modules (the core driver code that interacts with the kernel) and firmware files (small binary blobs the hardware needs to initialize). Here's where to find them on the working Ubuntu system:

• Kernel modules are stored in: /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/
  • The $(uname -r) part automatically fills in your running kernel version (run uname -r in terminal to see it explicitly).
• Firmware files are usually in: /lib/firmware/

You don't need to copy the entire folder—just the specific files for your TL-WN725N. Let's find those first.

Step 1: Identify exactly which driver your TL-WN725N uses on Ubuntu #

1. Open a terminal on the Ubuntu system and run:

   lsusb
   

   Look for your TP-Link adapter (it'll show something like TP-Link TL-WN725N v2/v3 [Realtek RTL8188EU]). Note the Vendor ID and Product ID (e.g., 0bda:8179).
2. Next, find the loaded kernel module for this adapter:

   lsmod | grep rtl
   

   TL-WN725N (especially v2/v3) typically uses the rtl8188eu module. To confirm, run:

   modinfo rtl8188eu
   

   This output will show you the exact filename of the kernel module (e.g., /lib/modules/5.15.0-78-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8188eu/rtl8188eu.ko) and any required firmware files (look for the firmware line, like rtl8188eufw.bin).

Step 2: Verify system architecture compatibility #

Before copying anything, make sure both your Ubuntu and Libre Raspbian systems use the same CPU architecture (32-bit vs 64-bit). Drivers are architecture-specific, so mismatches will break things.

• Run this on both systems to check:

  uname -m
  

  • armhf = 32-bit ARM
  • aarch64 = 64-bit ARM
    If they don't match, copying drivers won't work—you'll need to compile the driver from source instead (more on that later).

Step 3: Copy the required files to your USB #

On the Ubuntu system:

1. Plug in your USB drive and mount it (Ubuntu usually does this automatically).
2. Copy the kernel module file (e.g., rtl8188eu.ko) from the path shown in modinfo to your USB.
3. Copy the firmware file (e.g., rtl8188eufw.bin) from /lib/firmware/ to your USB.

Step 4: Install the drivers on Libre's Raspberry Pi OS #

1. Plug the USB into your Libre Le Potato and mount it.
2. Copy the kernel module to the corresponding directory on your target system:

   sudo cp /path/to/usb/rtl8188eu.ko /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8188eu/
   

   (Create the rtl8188eu subdirectory if it doesn't exist with sudo mkdir -p /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8188eu/)
3. Copy the firmware file to /lib/firmware/:

   sudo cp /path/to/usb/rtl8188eufw.bin /lib/firmware/
   

4. Update the kernel module dependencies:

   sudo depmod -a
   

5. Load the driver manually (or reboot):

   sudo modprobe rtl8188eu
   

What if copying doesn't work? #

Kernel modules are tightly tied to the exact kernel version and configuration. If Ubuntu's kernel is significantly different from Libre's 6.0.12 kernel, the copied module might fail to load. In that case, you'll need to compile the driver from source:

1. On your Libre Raspbian system, install the required tools:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) git
   

2. Clone a trusted third-party driver repo for RTL8188EU (since TP-Link doesn't provide one for your kernel):

   git clone https://github.com/lwfinger/rtl8188eu.git
   

3. Compile and install the driver:

   cd rtl8188eu
   make
   sudo make install
   sudo modprobe rtl8188eu
   

That should get your WiFi adapter up and running!

备注：内容来源于stack exchange，提问作者Keeper717