42 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
42 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
# ADR-268: Qualcomm Atheros CSI Platform Strategy
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- **Status**: accepted
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- **Date**: 2026-07-18
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- **Tags**: qualcomm, atheros, csi, ath9k, ath11k, ath12k, simulator
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## Context
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RuView needs a Qualcomm path that is useful before vendor hardware access while
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remaining honest about firmware boundaries. QCA9300 has demonstrated CSI tooling
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through ath9k/PicoScenes-class systems. QCN9074 and QCN9274 have upstream Linux
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connectivity drivers, but upstream ath11k/ath12k support does not by itself prove
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that raw per-packet complex CSI is exported by public firmware.
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## Decision
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1. Use QCA9300 as the first physical baseline: 802.11n, up to 3x3 MIMO and
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20/40 MHz. Accept translated captures from established research tooling.
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2. Model QCN9074 (Wi-Fi 6/6E, 4x4, up to 160 MHz) and QCN9274 (Wi-Fi 7, 4x4,
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up to 160 MHz in protocol v1) as explicitly experimental simulator profiles.
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3. Keep firmware/kernel formats behind a Rust adapter. RuView ingests only the
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validated QCS1 application envelope defined by ADR-269.
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4. Never label simulated frames as hardware. Physical support requires captured
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fixtures, firmware provenance, antenna ordering, scaling and repeatability tests.
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5. Prefer an upstream-reviewed Generic Netlink or relay-style export if modern
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Qualcomm firmware exposes CFR/CSI; do not depend on undisclosed structs.
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## Consequences
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- Development, APIs and downstream sensing can be tested immediately.
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- QCA9300 offers the shortest path to real Qualcomm data.
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- Modern profiles may remain simulator-only until firmware cooperation exists.
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- A translation copy is accepted in exchange for a stable, fuzzable boundary.
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## Links
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- [ADR-269: QCS1 wire protocol](ADR-269-qualcomm-csi-wire-protocol.md)
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- [Linux ath11k supported devices](https://wireless.docs.kernel.org/en/latest/en/users/drivers/ath11k.html)
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- [PicoScenes supported hardware](https://ps.zpj.io/manual/hardware.html)
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- [ADR-270: vendor integration portfolio and acceptance gates](ADR-270-vendor-rf-sensing-integration-program.md)
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