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