Ask / Submit

[Request] [Jolla Tablet] USB Ethernet

asked 2014-11-19 17:37:33 +0200

Seth gravatar image

updated 2014-11-19 19:27:14 +0200

Nokius gravatar image

As a business user in the line of network operations i would like to see full USB to Ethernet support in the Jolla tablet. If you also would like to see this, up-vote the request! Let Jolla rock the Networking community!

edit retag flag offensive close delete

5 Answers

Sort by » oldest newest most voted

answered 2015-01-15 14:45:13 +0200

bijjal gravatar image

We're investigating what we can do to support loadable modules for external devices using USB. No promises yet on ethernet adapter. However we expect to support USB keyboard to begin with.

edit flag offensive delete publish link more


Thanks so much!

Seth ( 2015-01-15 19:26:09 +0200 )edit

answered 2014-11-20 11:57:05 +0200

mariner gravatar image

updated 2014-11-20 12:00:33 +0200

I did not find this question and I created a similar request. Is it possible to merge it here.

I would like to ask for USB OTG and ethernet capability on the tablet.

The only reason I have not purchased the phone yet is because this feature is missing.

I want to maximise the capability for use offline, so would also like maximum local storage flexibility and capability to use basic software offline (Libreoffice?).

edit flag offensive delete publish link more

answered 2014-11-19 22:24:03 +0200

iourine gravatar image

Not only USB/Ethernet, but also USB/RS-232 and a full-featured terminal emulator software (e.g. a port of PuTTY - hopefully not too much work). Apart from stupid amusements, there is still a lot of RS-232 managed hardware around. Professionals will say thanks for a handy tool.

edit flag offensive delete publish link more


Totally! You can edit the answer to include it. Since its Linux there isn't too big of a need for Putty because we already have SSH in the Linux terminal. What i would like to see is a port of WinBox for programming MIKROTIK Router boards!

Seth ( 2014-11-19 22:35:36 +0200 )edit

As to my own experience, I still need to manage some stupid hardware managed over a physical console port. And there is still a lot of it around. That is why both RS-232 adapter and terminal emulator are needed.

Not to say about putty's convenient setting for sessions etc.

iourine ( 2014-11-19 23:15:59 +0200 )edit

Very true! Now all we need is for people to up-vote the cause so Jolla will decide to implement it!

Seth ( 2014-11-20 03:44:15 +0200 )edit

Seth, you made the wrong accent. My position is that there should be a terminal emulator, this is the principal thing. Be it putty, or minicom, or cu - this is far less esential. Putty is just the most advanced among the abovementioned, with some additional convenience features even on top of the standard ssh & telnet clients.

iourine ( 2014-11-21 10:30:58 +0200 )edit

answered 2014-11-19 19:29:44 +0200

Nokius gravatar image

The Jolla Tablet supports USB-OTG so a USB Ethernet Adapter will work when SailfishOS has the needed diver.

edit flag offensive delete publish link more


Right. You see the point is that I need Sailfish to implement the needed driver and preferably a USB Ethernet Adapter as well. My Galaxy tab S 10.5 supports USB - OTG. I can use it for a variaty of USB type applications (USB Audio, USB FM Radio, etc) but i haven't been able to find a USB Ethernet adapter for it that works. What i'm looking for is the ability to go into settings and right beside "Wireless" see "Ethernet" as a option for configuration without having to muck with downloading drivers and installing them..

Seth ( 2014-11-19 19:34:17 +0200 )edit

Really, this is not a simple thing: there is a lot of USB-Ethernet dongles at the market. 90% of them are based on two Asix chips (a 100Mbps and a 1000Mbps ones) yet shipped with different VID/PIDs, with new models appearing and the old one disappearing from the market without substantial difference between them. It is not easy for a developer to keep an eye on this entire zoo - but this is generally done in Linux, and it is quite possible to port all the VID/PID descriptions to Sailfish.

As to RS-232 adapters, 95% are based on Prolific and 4% on FTDI chips, there are established drivers for both, and this would be sufficient.

iourine ( 2014-11-19 23:22:37 +0200 )edit

Which is exactly why i said i thought Jolla would have to release a "USB Ethernet Accessory". I realize the complexities of driver differences. I believe in Jolla, and have been since they first started. Before Jolla released its phone, i owned a N9 64gb which i still use!

Seth ( 2014-11-20 06:17:19 +0200 )edit

answered 2014-11-19 18:09:51 +0200

Philippe De Swert gravatar image

updated 2014-11-19 22:31:38 +0200

Describe full usb to ethernet support? Btw current Jolla woth developer mode supports an rndis network interface, that apart from a special driver acts exactly like a network interface.

Ok so the request is support for USB network adapters and potentially also rs232. Duly noted, let's see what we can do for you. Including the drivers should probably not be too hard. The UI might be bit trickier.

edit flag offensive delete publish link more



RNDIS Is nice and useful for many different applications but not all. Full USB Ethernet support would mean that They (Jolla) provide a Usb adapter as an accessory. This is because they could integrate the driver into the OS more perfectly and smoothly if they also create the hardware. You should be able to do anything with it that you can do with a computer. Static IP, Gateway, Subnet, DNS, etc.

Seth ( 2014-11-19 18:18:47 +0200 )edit

@Seth: So you mean an USB network adapter? So you can plug in the cable directly? Because otherwise static ip, gateways, subnets, DNS etc can happen over RNDIS too. Since the tablet should have USB-OTG it might work easily but no promises before we had a chance to test it.

Philippe De Swert ( 2014-11-19 18:21:39 +0200 )edit

I want the ability to plug an Ethernet cable (into an USB to Ethernet) adapter that is fully functional and won't provide any major hiccups as so many other USB-OTG adapters on the market do. I'm currently a Android tablet user. Although android is "Linux based", USB support for Ethernet adapters is limited to the Tablet manufacture implementing it (and some sketchy kernel update / tweaks). The end goal in mind for me is to eliminate the use for a PC. I can easily use SSH and many other networking tools from the Jolla OS over Wireless but Ethernet is useful in applications where wireless isn't an option..

Seth ( 2014-11-19 18:28:34 +0200 )edit

I have a Asus Transformer Infinity and a Nexus 7. In the Transformer if you plug in the Ethernet adapter it just works and a configuration option appears in the settings. In the Nexus you need to flash something or root and write some scripts (I don´t remember because I didn´t bother). There is a difference between being able to do it and implementing it in a user-friendly way.

Cicer ( 2014-11-19 21:01:43 +0200 )edit

Yes. I had completely agree as i stated above "USB support for Ethernet adapters is limited to the Tablet manufacture implementing it (and some sketchy kernel update / tweaks)." It needs to be user-friendly and seem-less. Remember the end goal is to completely remove the need for a computer. I'm aware that the transformer had it built in but remember, the manufacture implemented that.

Seth ( 2014-11-19 22:16:51 +0200 )edit
Login/Signup to Answer

Question tools



Asked: 2014-11-19 17:37:33 +0200

Seen: 1,089 times

Last updated: Jan 15 '15