Orange Pi 3 LTS not recognizing Wi-Fi adapter

[iMagz]

Creating a bug report/issue

• [*] I have searched the existing open and closed issues

Required Information

• DietPi version | 10.0.0 Beta, 9.20.1, 9.18.1, 9.16.3, 9.15.2, 9.14.2, 9.13.2, 9.12.1, 9.11.2, 9.10.0, 9.9.0
• Distro version | bookworm, trixie, & forky
• Kernel version |
  Linux DietPI 6.12.58-current-sunxi64 SMP The Nov 13 20:34:41 UTC 2025 aarch64 GNU/Linux,
  Linux DietPi 6.12.47-current-sunxi64 #1 SMP Thu Sep 11 15:21:47 UTC 2025 aarch GNU/Linux,
  Linux DietPi 6.12.23-current-sunxi64 #1 SMP Thu Apr 10 12:39:41 UTC 2025 aarch GNU/Linux,
  Linux DietPi 6.6.44-current-sunxi64 #1 SMP Sat Aug 3 06:54:42 UTC 2024 aarch GNU/Linux
• SBC model | Orange Pi 3 LTS (aarch64)
• Power supply used | 5V 2.1A
• SD card used | Kingston 32GB Micro SDHC

Additional Information

• Can this issue be replicated on a fresh installation of DietPi? YES

• Bug report ID | e0d846e5-ce62-4d62-ad69-3d5a8f08c7ad

Steps to reproduce

1. Boot DietPi on a Orange Pi 3 LTS.

Expected behaviour

• It should automatically always receive an internet connection when the Ethernet cable is connected appropriately and detect the Wi-Fi adapter.

Actual behaviour

• It DOES NOT automatically always receive an internet connection when the Ethernet cable is connected appropriately and detect the Wi-Fi adapter.

Extra details

• In Armbian it does work. The only thing is that I need to connect via Wi-Fi in order for the Ethernet connection to get detected. I know it's supposed to work independently, but because it works, I haven't given it much time to make the ethernet connection work without a Wi-Fi connection. I mention it because it might give a clue of what is wrong.

[MichaIng]

Which kernel version is used on the Armbian image where it works?

uname -a

Generally we use the same kernel sources, but the exact patch version/build date will be different, and you might use the edge kernel as well.

So you have Ethernet and WiFi both enabled, i.e. configured a way that both attempt to get an IP via DHCP or a static gateway? That would not work, only one can use a default route, the other one would fail to configure.

Check whether both interfaces are detected, and whether/which IP and route they have assinged:

ip l
ip a
ip r

And since you aim to primarily use Ethernet, check logs of its interface configuration:

journalctl -u ifup@eth0

[iMagz]

I have tried with these kernel versions in Armbian, and in both it works the same:

root@orangepi3-lts:~# uname -a
Linux orangepi3-lts 6.12.63-current-sunxi64 #1 SMP Thu Dec 18 12:55:23 UTC 2025 aarch64 GNU/Linux

and

root@orangepi3-lts:~# uname -a
Linux orangepi3-lts 6.12.58-current-sunxi64 #1 SMP Thu Nov 13 20:34:41 UTC 2025 aarch64 GNU/Linux

which I believe is the same as the latest version of DietPi.

In DietPi, it does not detect the Wi-Fi interface, and while it does detect the Ethernet interface, it does not assign an IP.

root@DietPi:~# ip l
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
	link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
2: eth0 <NO-CARRIER,BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state DOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
	link/ether [ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS] brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff

root@DietPi:~# ip a
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
	link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
	inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
		valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
	inet6 ::1/128 scope host noprefixroute
		valid_lft forever preferref_lft forever
2: eth0 <NO-CARRIER,BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state DOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
	link/ether [ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS] brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff

root@DietPi:~# ip r
root@DietPi:~#

In Armbian it detects Wi-Fi and Ethernet interfaces and assigns IPs to both because both interfaces are connected to a different router. The only weird thing is that Ethernet does not connect automatically; for some unknown reason I need to connect via Wi-Fi in order for the Ethernet interface to connect:

root@orangepi3-lts:~# ip l
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
	link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
2: end0 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
	link/ether [ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS] brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
	altname enx[XXXXXX]
3: wlan0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP mode DORMANT group default qlen 1000
	link/ether [ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS] brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
	altname wlx[XXXXXX]

root@orangepi3-lts:~# ip a
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
	link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
	inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
		valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
	inet6 ::1/128 scope host noprefixroute
		valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
2: end0 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
	link/ether [ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS] brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
	altname enx[XXXXX]
	inet [IP ADDRESS NO.1] metric 100 brd [IP ADDRESS NO.2] scope global dynamic end0
		valid_lft 603783sec preferred_lft 603783sec
	inet6 [IP ADDRESS NO.3] scope global temporary dynamic
		valid_lft 3598sec preferred_lft 3598sec
	inet6 [IP ADDRESS NO.4] scope global dynamic mngtmpaddr noprefixroute
		valid_lft 3598sec preferred_lft 3598sec
	inet6 [IP ADDRESS NO.5] scope link proto kernel_ll
		valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
3: wlan0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP mode DORMANT group default qlen 1000
	link/ether [MAC ADDRESS] brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
	altname wlx[XXXXX]
	inet [IP ADDRESS NO.6] metric 600 brd [IP ADDRESS NO.7] scope global dynamic wlan0
		valid_lft 85389sec preferred_lft 85389sec
	inet6 [IP ADDRESS NO.8] scope global dynamic mngtmpaddr noprefixroute
		valid_lft 1244sec preferred_lft 1244sec
	inet6 [IP ADDRESS NO.9] scope link proto kernel_ll
		valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever

root@orangepi3-lts:~# ip r
default via [IP ADDRESS NO.10] dev end0 proto dhcp src [IP ADDRESS NO.1] metric 100
default via [IP ADDRESS NO.11] dev wlan0 proto dhcp src [IP ADDRESS NO.6] metric 600
[IP ADDRESS NO.12] via [IP ADDRESS NO.10] dev end0 proto dhcp src [IP ADDRESS NO.1] metric 100
[IP ADDRESS NO.13] via [IP ADDRESS NO.10] dev end0 proto dhcp src [IP ADDRESS NO.1] metric 100
[IP ADDRESS NO.14] dev end0 proto kernel scope link src [IP ADDRESS NO.1] metric 100
[IP ADDRESS NO.10] dev end0 proto dhcp scope link src [IP ADDRESS NO.1] metric 100
[IP ADDRESS NO.15] dev wlan0 proto kernel scope link src [IP ADDRESS NO.6] metric 600
[IP ADDRESS NO.11] dev wlan0 proto dhcp scope link src [IP ADDRESS NO.6] metric 600

The interface configuration logs in DietPi show this:

root@DietPi:~# journalctl -u ifup@eth0
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi systemd[1]: Starting ifup@eth0.service - ifup for eth0...
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Client 4.4.3-P1
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi ifup[441]: Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Client 4.4.3-P1
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi ifup[441]: Copyright 2004-2022 Internet Systems Consortium.
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi ifup[441]: All rights reserved.
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi ifup[441]: For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: Copyright 2004-2022 Internet Systems Consortium.
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: All rights reserved.
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: 
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: Listening on LPF/eth0/[ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS]
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi ifup[441]: Listening on LPF/eth0/[ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS]
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi ifup[441]: Sending on   LPF/eth0/[ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS]
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi ifup[441]: Sending on   Socket/fallback
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: Sending on   LPF/eth0/[ETHERNET MAC ADDRESS]
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi ifup[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 6
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: Sending on   Socket/fallback
Dec 15 02:29:08 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 6
Dec 15 02:29:14 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 9
Dec 15 02:29:14 DietPi ifup[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 9
Dec 15 02:29:23 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 9
Dec 15 02:29:23 DietPi ifup[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 9
Dec 15 02:29:32 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 15
Dec 15 02:29:32 DietPi ifup[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 15
Dec 15 02:29:47 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 14
Dec 15 02:29:47 DietPi ifup[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 14
Dec 15 02:30:01 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 8
Dec 15 02:30:01 DietPi ifup[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 8
Dec 15 02:30:09 DietPi dhclient[441]: No DHCPOFFERS received.
Dec 15 02:30:09 DietPi ifup[441]: No DHCPOFFERS received.
Dec 15 02:30:09 DietPi ifup[441]: No working leases in persistent database - sleeping.
Dec 15 02:30:09 DietPi dhclient[441]: No working leases in persistent database - sleeping.
Dec 15 02:30:09 DietPi systemd[1]: Finished ifup@eth0.service -ifup for eth0.
Dec 15 02:35:52 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 3
Dec 15 02:35:55 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 7
Dec 15 02:36:02 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 10
Dec 15 02:36:12 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 7
Dec 15 02:36:19 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 13
Dec 15 02:36:32 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 10
Dec 15 02:36:42 DietPi dhclient[441]: DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 11
Dec 15 02:36:53 DietPi dhclient[441]: No DHCPOFFERS received.
Dec 15 02:36:53 DietPi dhclient[441]: No working leases in persistent database - sleeping.

and in Armbian it shows nothing:

root@orangepi3-lts:~# journalctl -u ifup@eth0
-- No entries --

[MichaIng]

Found it: the SBC uses this crappy Spreadtrum/UNISOC WiFi chip, with the 3rd party driver that needs to be loaded manually. For you to fix:

sudo modprobe sprdwl_ng
echo sprdwl_ng | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/dietpi-enable_wifi.conf

I'll inplement this with next release, i.e. this config will be added automatically when WiFi is enabled via dietpi-config.

[iMagz]

I tested it, and it worked! Thank you!

[MichaIng]

Fixed: 7c0a149