Installing new Realtek RTL8188EU Wi-Fi Driver on VU+ SoloSE / Vu+Duo2 / Vu+Solo2 with OpenPLi

Setting up a USB Wi-Fi adapter on Enigma2-based set-top boxes, such as the VU+ Solo / Vu+Duo2 / Vu+Solo2 running OpenPLi 8.3, can be surprisingly complex. Many users encounter persistent problems, especially when using Realtek-based adapters like the RTL8188EU. This article outlines a real-world troubleshooting process, explores the challenges that may occur, and provides step-by-step solutions for getting your Wi-Fi working smoothly.

Common Problem: Wi-Fi Disconnects or Not Detected

Many users using VU+ Solo with OpenPLi 8.x (from 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3) report that their USB Wi-Fi adapters either don’t connect reliably or aren’t detected at all. The issue typically manifests as follows:

• The Wi-Fi interface appears and disappears
• The connection drops when using a mobile hotspot
• No WLAN interface is visible
• „dmesg | grep wlan” shows no output

In our case, the USB Wi-Fi adapter based on the Realtek RTL8188EU chipset failed to maintain a stable connection when paired with a mobile phone acting as a hotspot.

Despite trying multiple adapters and even updating OpenPLi to the latest version (8.3), the issue persisted. In each scenario, the system either failed to detect the adapter or dropped the connection intermittently.

Step-by-Step Debugging Process VU+ SoloSE / Vu+Duo2 / Vu+Solo2 with OpenPLi

1. Verify USB Detection (Eingma, OpenPLi)

First, we confirmed that the system recognizes the USB device:

lsusb

Output:

Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0bda:818b Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8188EUS

This confirmed that the adapter was physically recognized. However, the driver was either missing or not properly installed.

2. Check Network Interfaces

ifconfig -a

Initially, no wlan0 interface appeared, indicating the driver wasn’t loaded.

3. Look for Kernel Messages

dmesg | grep wlan

If nothing appears, the kernel has not attempted to load a driver for the Wi-Fi adapter.

4. Attempt to Install Driver via opkg

OpenPLi uses the opkg package manager. The obvious first step was:

opkg update
opkg install rtl8188eu

However, this returned the error:

* opkg_prepare_url_for_install: Couldn't find anything to satisfy 'rtl8188eu'

This means the required driver is not available in the OpenPLi 8.3 feed for our hardware/kernel combination.

Manual Installation of the rtl8188eu Driver VU+ SoloSE / Vu+Duo2 / Vu+Solo2 with OpenPLi

Given that opkg could not locate the driver in the repository, we chose to manually install a compatible .ipk package.

1. Download the IPK Package

We did a compatible file named rtl8188eu_git-r2-bh4_ from bh3:

Download driver for OpenPli Vu+ SoloSE
Download driver for OpenPli Vu+ Zero
Download driver for OpenPli Vu+ Solo
Download driver for OpenPli Vu+ Solo2
Download driver for OpenPli Vu+ Duo
Download driver for OpenPli Vu+ Ultimo
Download driver for OpenPli Vu+ Uno

rtl8188eu_git-r2-bh4_vusolose.ipk

This file was placed onto a FAT32-formatted USB stick and inserted into the VU+ Solo.

2. Install Using opkg

opkg install /media/usb/rtl8188eu_git-r2-bh3_vusolose.ipk

3. Encountered Dependency Issue

Installation failed with:

nothing provides update-modules needed by kernel-module-r8188eu

This indicates a missing dependency: update-modules, which is not included in OpenPLi 8.x (OpenPli 8.1, OpenPli 8.2, OpenPli 8.3).

Modifying the .ipk File to Remove Dependency Openpli

To work around this, we modified the .ipk file to remove the dependency:

• Extract the IPK (it’s an ar archive):

ar x rtl8188eu_git-r2-bh3_vusolose.ipk

• Unpack the control archive:

tar -xzf control.tar.gz

• Edit control file to remove the line:

Depends: update-modules

• Repack the archive:

tar -czf control.tar.gz control postinst postrm
ar r rtl8188eu_fixed.ipk debian-binary control.tar.gz data.tar.gz

• Attempt to install the modified file:

opkg install /media/usb/rtl8188eu_fixed.ipk

This too resulted in:

Refusing to load file as it matches the installed version.

Final Fix: Change Version to Trick opkg (Vu+ Zero / VU+ SoloSE / Vu+Duo2 / Vu+Solo2 with OpenPLi)

To bypass opkg’s version check, we edited the control file again and changed:

Version: git-r2-bh3

to

Version: git-r2-bh4

After rebuilding the package:

opkg install /media/usb/rtl8188eu_bh4.ipk

The driver installed successfully, but showed a warning:

update-modules: command not found

This was harmless. We simply ran:

depmod -a
modprobe 8188eu

Finally, wlan0 appeared in ifconfig.

If you haven’t already restarted the decoder after installation:

reboot

Connecting to Wi-Fi (VU+ SoloSE / Vu+Duo2 / Vu+Solo2 with OpenPLi)

Once wlan0 was available, we proceeded to the GUI:

Menu → Setup → System → Network → Adapter Settings

From there, we selected wlan0, scanned for networks, entered the Wi-Fi password, and connected successfully.

Extra Tips for Mobile Hotspot Users

If you’re using a mobile hotspot (like Wi-Fi from a phone), note these tips:

• Ensure your phone uses 2.4 GHz only (not 5 GHz)
• Disable battery-saving features
• Set the SSID broadcast to always visible
• Use a fixed channel (e.g., channel 6 or 11)

These settings help maintain a stable connection.

Conclusion (VU+ Zero, VU+ SoloSE / VU+ Duo2 / VU+ Solo2 / VU+ Solo / VU+ Ultimo with OpenPLi)

Installing and configuring a Realtek RTL8188EU-based Wi-Fi adapter on a VU+ Solo with OpenPLi 8.x is not straightforward due to missing drivers and dependencies in the official feed. However, with a bit of manual work — extracting, modifying, and rebuilding the .ipk package — it is absolutely possible to get the adapter working.

If you face similar issues, this guide should help you work through the most common obstacles. As an alternative, switching to a system like OpenATV is also a viable option, as it includes broader Wi-Fi support by default.

Package OpenPli 8.1, OpenPli 8.2, OpenPli 8.3