One of the unique features about the Librem 5 is its modular cellular modem and WiFi/Bluetooth cards. This not only aids in repairing hardware, it also means when new, compatible cards become available (or previous cards unavailable), we have the flexibility to change modules.
Up until December 2022 all Librem5 phones had been shipping with the Redpine RS9116 M.2 module. New Librem 5 Phones are now shipping with the SparkLAN WNFB-266AXI(BT).
Read the rest of Angus’s post here:
That’s pretty cool. I placed an order from Purism yesterday. If I had waited a day, I definitely would have picked one of these up. I’ll probably order one eventually.
You could always place a new order and ask support if they would ship them together if it hasn’t shipped.
Yeah, I checked that right after reading the article and I already got the shipping notice for the previous order. It’s fine though, I’ll just order the new card later.
Will backordered Librem 5’s receive the new wifi card?
Awesome news!
Yes, as of January, all the phones we are shipping, including backordered Librem 5s, include the new card.
Are they available in the store for those of us with RedPine cards? Will HSP work with the new card as well?
There’s a link in the article and details about features.
I didn’t see anything about HSP for calls, but maybe I’ll do some more digging about it.
For upgrading (I already ordered one…lol) will the card be flashed by you guys or will I have to do that once it’s in my phone?
Double-check with support. It might depend on what OS updates you have applied on the phone already.
HSP can be made to work with Sparklan cards, yes - however, some updates will be needed in PureOS that aren’t there yet.
Ok thanks, I’m hoping in general the BT will perform better with this card. I just emailed support about the upgrade procedure, I’ll report here what they tell me, unless you want to enlighten us @dos?
Usually it’s just a matter of making sure your OS is up-to-date and replacing the card. Only in case your phone is old enough that it has been shipped without firmware jail flashed on it you’ll have to do that yourself.
Ok I should be good then because I just received my phone a month ago or so.
How do I check this? Is there a shipping date, when the jails were flashed? In the article I did not found any hints.
What about active support for the redpine module? As I read in the article, programming the driver for that one is not finished yet. Do you plan to cancel support for the redpine, so it is better for me to change to SparkLAN?
In summary, I love to tinker with my Librem5! Thank you Purism =)
If there are firmware files in /usr/share/firmware-librem5-nonfree/firmware/brcm, you’re all set.
Apparently SiLabs is resuming support for its mainline Linux driver for Redpine cards, so if that actually materializes we’re going to pull all their improvements into our kernels.
Are there any power consumption differences you are aware of between the 2 cards?
a) Does that mean the new modem is in L5’s shipped since January first or starting February first?
(I would think it is the first option, but the article seems somewhat belated if this really is the case.)
b) Is there a command to check which modem is on board?