Hi All.
I'd like to install a Wireless USB NIC in my ESXi Host at Home Lab, because I cannot connect a ethernet cable (My PC and my Wireless Router are in different rooms). Is it possible?
Best Regards.
Valter Junior
My gut feeling is no, given that ESXi is built for enterprise-grade rather than consumer hardware, but you might find something here:
VMware Compatibility Guide - I/O Device Search
No, it's not possible. AlessandroRomeo68, that fling is for USB NICs and not USB wireless NICs. ESXi cannot work with wireless adapters. As stated by Scott, this hypervisor is not for consumer-grade hardware.
Think outside of the box in this case, look at a powerline adapter or a wireless bridge. These let you connect the eithernet cables into adapters and on the esxi side its just the standard wired connection.
Hi sjesee.
Actually I'm using a TPLink Powerline Adapter, but this device causes electrical interference in some equipments in my home, and because that I was searching for an alternative solution.
Anyway, thank you all.
Kind Regards.
Valter Junior
if it's a home lab,
Do you have a spare/old wifi router? or a raspberry pi with a wifi card?
Set that into bridging mode and connect it to your wifi network... then plug the ethernet from ESXi to the bridge router/homebrew pi contraption...
That works for my home setup
And yes I agree those ethernet over power line are very noisy!
I hope this helps..
Fouad
That's a good idea! I'll try to do that.
Thank you!
Best Regards.
This works for ESXi 8.0 at least, and it's simple.
How to Add Wireless to a VMware Virtual Machine - Virtualization Howto
I was in the same situation and what I did was configure as a bridge an old TP-link wireless router and then connect the ESXi host with ethernet. it is working wonderfully.
Basically am receiving the network trough wifi and then pass to the PC by cable.