# Dongle A dongle is a small device that receives a mobile broadband signal, often containing a SIM card and plugging into a computer port. This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles. ## Do You Need a USB Wi-Fi Adapter for Raspberry Pi? DevFeed: [Do You Need a USB Wi-Fi Adapter for Raspberry Pi?]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Karen Rangi Published: 2026-09-17T02:03:01Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [RaspberryTips]() Topics: [Raspberry Pi](), [Wi-Fi](), [USB](), [Dongle]() Tags: [beginner-s-guides](), [dongle](), [pi-4](), [raspberry-pi](), [raspberry-pi-5](), [usb](), [wi-fi]() ### AI overview This guide explains when a Raspberry Pi needs a separate USB Wi-Fi adapter. Most models have built-in wireless, while boards without Wi-Fi require a dongle; adding one may also improve wireless performance. ### Source excerpt A common question when you first get a Raspberry Pi is whether you have to purchase a separate USB adapter for Wi-Fi. If so, should you get one? I'll help you figure out whether you need one and what to look for if you do. Most Raspberry Pi models have built-in wireless and don't need... ## Latent Powers DevFeed: [Latent Powers]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Armin Ronacher Published: 2026-09-05T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Armin Ronacher]() Topics: [Dongle](), [Hacking](), [Rust](), [Embedded Software Dev](), [Protocol (disambiguation)](), [Raspberry Pi]() Tags: [ai](), [dongle](), [firmware](), [hacking](), [protocol](), [raspberry-pi](), [rust](), [soc](), [thoughts](), [usb]() ### AI overview A developer experiments with modifying a cheap CarPlay dongle to run custom code while preserving regular CarPlay functionality. After receiving a different SoC than expected, they use LLM-assisted discussions to flash the device and compile CatPlay, a Rust reimplementation of the CarPlay protocol, for the hardware. ### Source excerpt A few weeks ago I felt like it would be fun to see if I can make one of those cheap Chinese CarPlay dongles run something other than the stock firmware. The idea was that rather than just forwarding CarPlay, why not do something more interesting with them? They all work quite similarly: they act as bridges between your car and the phone. From there they deal with video and audio streams and pass some other data through. Most of them also bring up a custom UI for pairing and have a web interface that your phone can reach for updates. Long story short: I had a conversation with Fable and Sol via Pi about what could be done with such a dongle or whether I should use a Raspberry Pi instead if I wanted to do my own thing there. I figured it might be quite fun to run my own code while still allowing regular CarPlay to pass through. Through working with the LLM I learned about CatPlay, which is a Rust reimplementation of the CarPlay protocol that can run on Carlinkit devices. In particular, it can run on the Carlinkit Mini Ultra, which I figured would be easy enough to buy. I do have a few CarPlay adapters around, but I did not have that particular model, so I bought one on Amazon. Twenty-four hours later, I had a device in my hand that was branded as a Carlinkit Mini Ultra, but instead of being the Ingenic device that the original author used, it turned out to be something else. This is normally where the story would stop. However, it's 2026. Armed with a bit of knowledge about how these systems work, I managed to have some fruitful discussions with Kimi K3 and Sol and figure out how flash the device and in turn, how to make CatPlay compile for that SoC. I guess that hacking these USB devices is not necessarily hard, but it's laborious and you can easily end up bricking your devices. It also just sucks because sometimes you need to work with someone else's code that does not itself run on your machine. In the past, I would abandon many such projects for lack of tenacity. ## Quick update: May 2026 DevFeed: [Quick update: May 2026]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: LoRa Left-handed operational Radio authority; Obviously Published: 2026-05-18T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Home Assistant](), [lora](), [Matter](), [Pinephone](), [zigbee](), [Kernel](), [Pinephone-Pro](), [USB](), [Crystal](), [Dongle]() Tags: [2026](), [community](), [crystal](), [dongle](), [eol](), [home-assistant](), [kernel](), [lcd](), [pinedio](), [pinephone](), [pinephone-pro](), [pinetime](), [pinevoice](), [protocol](), [table](), [update](), [usb](), [zigbee]() ### AI overview Pine64's May 2026 update covers the PineVoice Home Assistant speaker, PineTime and PineTime Pro hardware, PineDio USB LoRa development, and recent PineTab2, PinePhone, PinePhone Pro, and PineTab-V software updates. It also reports instability in the PineDio adapter caused by an overheating crystal oscillator. ### Source excerpt Table of contents Whats been going on recently? PineVoice PineTime/PineTime Pro LoRa? (Left-handed operational Radio authority, obviously) Important recent community updates: Do you have something to share? Contact Community PineStore Whats been going on recently? Hello everyone, we wanted to do a quick update on what's been happening recently. Life has been pretty busy but there's lots of nice things happening in the background that we'd like to share. PineVoice The PineVoice Home Assistant speaker (formally PineVox) is in its final stages. Production begins. Further on this, there will be limited bundle with this device which will include a PineVoice, Zigbee dongle, power supply and two matter modules. Pair it with a SBC of choice and run your Home Assistant instance locally! PineTime/PineTime Pro The current PineTime LCD is EOL and a new one is replacing it, though it is essentially the same display. These will be shipping in the next PineTime batch. New PineTime Pro samples have been received by developers. Shiny! LoRa? (Left-handed operational Radio authority, obviously) The PineDio USB LoRa Adapter is at the focus of a new effort to begin progress on potential new LoRa devices. MeshCore is the current protocol target for the USB LoRa Adapter along with help from the pyMC_core library project. The current problem with the device is that the crystal oscillator is heating up too much and can cause clock frequency drifting instability. In a nutshell that means your messages come out garbled. This may eventually be fixed with a TXCO (Temperature-Compensated Crystal Oscillator) to maintain a stable clock frequency. Important recent community updates: DanctNIX PineTab2 updates (including factory image) Adam Piggz: PinePhone, PinePhone Pro, PineTab2 all updated to kernel 7.0, and improved USB config. Zypper ref and dup to update. machaddr@mastodon.sdf.org: with their new Gentoo PineTab-V image Do you have something to share? Do you have news to share with the communit