This is my first time posting here, so be gentle

I'm researching 802.11a/b/g/n USB wireless adapters for an embedded linux project. It needs to support the following encryption protocols:

WEP 64/128
WPA
WPA2 pre-shared key
WPA2 Enterprise – authentication: EAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, PEAP.

I'll be using wpa_supplicant. I'm aware that wpa_supplicant supports WPA-EAP methods. Do all WEP/WPA/WPA2 devices support WPA-EAP? In other words, is wpa_supplicant all that's needed to connect via WPA-EAP? Or, does the device driver and/or firmware also need to support WPA-EAP?

Thanks,
Nate

As long as NIC would be 802.11 capable you would get all encryptions. WPA enterprise coding scheme isn't up to 802.11 NIC, but to support from daemon, which you would use.
wpa_supplicant do provide keys, then it is up to hardware to encrypt and decrypt frames.

You can use virtually any NIC, but I do recommend you something made by Atheros or RaLink or BroadCom - those are best.

Obviously firmware needs to have support for those encryptions - firmware is software of 802.11 NIC. But do not worry, if hardware is capable, then it have firmware, which is capable as well.

P.S. There is no such thing as WPA2! It is not accepted by ieee802.11 working group. Standard is still called WPA, but version 2 (and RSN support).

WizadNoNext, thanks for your reply.

If I understand correctly, wpa_supplicant is responsible for providing the keys, and the NIC firmware is responsable for encrypting them.

I've tried the Atheros carl9170 driver in the past and have had buggy results both on my Ubuntu 11.10 and embedded builds. It doesn't seem to do well in environments with a lot of 802.11 traffic.

I have my sights on the Alfa AWUS051NH. It would use the Ralink RT2870 driver.
Product Page: http://www.alfa.com.tw/in/front/bin/...0NH&Category=0
Driver: http://www.alfa.com.tw/in/front/bin/...ategory=105397

However, I'm uncertain it can do WPA-EAP. Here's a quote from the driver README (downloaded from the second link):

Under features, the driver doesn't note anything about WPA-EAP modes. Would you expect this device to work with WPA-EAP?

Actually I have ALFA AWUS036NH (RaLink RT3070; uses rt2800usb driver). No problems with that one and I am running hostapd on it. Additionally I have card on RaLink RT2561 (RT2561 + RT2661s) works with hostapd as well.

If WPA is stated, then WPA-EAP is implicitly included. WPA is just a scheme and WPA-Enterprise is actually working the same way, but you have radius server behind AP (hostapd have radius server built-in).

Actually I wasn't even trying to go that way, but
Which means, that I didn't explicitly asked for WPA-EAP, but accidently got it. Actually I think I should move completely to WPA-Enterprise and use full capabilities of RSN, to be able to move from one AP to another with very small latency.

Oh BTW, ar9xxx is still in development - try it on most recent kernel, then you would know.