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Does the Qualcomm Atheros AR9160 Wireless Network Adapter [AR9001 802.11(a)bgn] work on Linux?

Supported. Kernel ID match for pci — Linux 3.0 or earlier. Driver-family firmware is listed in linux-firmware. Install the appropriate distribution firmware package.

Technical details

Device categoryWi-Fi adapter
BusPCIe
Device IDs168c:0027
Kernel driverpci
In kernel sinceLinux 3.0 or earlier

Firmware requirement

Driver-family firmware is listed in linux-firmware. Install the appropriate distribution firmware package. This is a driver-family list, not a per-device requirement. Optional features and other chips may use different files. Presence is checked against linux-firmware WHENCE File and Link records, including patterns.

FirmwareManifest check
ath9k_htc/htc_7010-1.4.0.fwListed in WHENCE
ath9k_htc/htc_9271-1.4.0.fwListed in WHENCE

Firmware packaging varies by distribution; consult Debian firmware guidance or Arch network setup guidance. A missing manifest entry does not mean the device is unsupported.

Which distros work?

DistroKernelRequirements
Arch Linux✅ 7.2Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package
Fedora 44✅ 7.2Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package
Fedora 43✅ 7.2Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package
openSUSE Tumbleweed✅ 7.2Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS✅ 7.0Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS✅ 6.8Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS✅ 5.15Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package
Debian 13✅ 6.12Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package
Debian 12✅ 6.1Kernel ID match available; install the appropriate distro firmware package

Default kernels as of 2026-10-07; distributions may backport drivers. This table compares kernel ID-table support, not tested connectivity or firmware package availability.

Is this my device?

Run lspci -nn and look for 168c:0027. Paste IDs into the home lookup.

Sources

Listed ID matches are not hands-on tests of speed, Bluetooth version, or every device feature. See how this works and more Wi-Fi adapters.