# RTL8821AE no longer detected

## tenspd1370

Hi all

After an emerge -uaVDN @world, my RTL8821AE is no longer even detected by lspci.  At first I thought it was because I upgraded my kernel from 4.20.7 to 5.0.9, but I made sure that I had all the CONFIG*RTL* modules that I had in 4.20.7 checked in 5.0.9.  I know it worked before because I have been using the wifi device on this desktop for about a year now.  I suspect it is something is missing from the current linux-firmware package because when I dropped back to my 4.20.7 kernel, I had the same behavior as the 5.0.9.  Please forgive me - I am at work running from memory right now.  I can post any configurations necessary tonight once I find a network cable I can run across my living room tonight, but for now I am going from memory.  Things I noticed:

1.  As I mentioned above, before updating, lspci listed the device, after it does not

2.  lsusb shows a bluetooth device, which makes sense because before I had both working, but rarely used the bluetooth

3.  kernel dmesg shows rtl8821a_config.bin as missing - I have read that that may not actually be necessary for wifi

4.  I tried turning off bluetooth in the kernel all together and just leaving wireless rtl8821ae modules checked, didn't help

Does anyone know of anything or seen anything similar that they might know a solution that I could try before I dig out network cables?  Otherwise, please let me know what configurations you may need to see if you think you can help.  I am all out of ideas, but would like to figure this out.  I don't think the dogs will let me leave a cable running across my living room  :Smile: 

Thanks!

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## Jaglover

If this is a PCI device and it does not show up in lspci then it is dead (or disabled in hardware).

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## tenspd1370

Hmmm - ok.  It may be time to come up with an alternate solution.  I don't know why it would die between upgrades though - maybe the missing rtl8821a_config.bin is causing something?  Of course, that is always a possibility - I mean, I guess when these things go, they just go - it isn't like they slowly degrade somehow....

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## Drasica

I know this is more than a year later, but thought OP might be interested to know that I experienced the same issue today. It persisted across reboots, but then I booted into a liveusb to confirm whether it was software or hardware issues, and the card reappeared in lspci. TBD how long the card will stick around and keep working.

So yes, probably a hardware issue with the card itself, or possibly in the BIOS/pcie system. Figured I'd add another datapoint

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