Realtek RTL8723BS SDIO Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo chip
A low-cost single-chip 802.11n Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth combo radio that connects over the SDIO bus, used heavily in early-2010s budget Atom and ARM tablets, single-board computers, and mini-PCs. It still appears on hardware shipping today, including the ASUS Tinker Board and the original Intel Compute Stick, and replacement modules are still sold new.
recommendation
Worth keeping but flagging as a long-term staging resident, because the hardware is still present in shipping single-board computers like the ASUS Tinker Board and modules are still sold new in 2025, and there is no in-tree mainline driver that covers this specific SDIO chip. Maintenance is clearly alive: a 16-patch cleanup series landed in September 2025 and tree activity continued into 2026. Until a proper mainline replacement appears, removing it would strand real users.
repository signals
sources
- lkml.org
A 16-patch rtl8723bs cleanup series was posted in September 2025, indicating ongoing upstream maintenance rather than abandonment or imminent removal.
- cateee.net
CONFIG_RTL8723BS remains present through 7.0-rc+HEAD and LKDDb lists real hardware users such as the 1st gen Intel Compute Stick and CHIP.
- tinker-board.asus.com
ASUS documentation states the original Tinker Board uses an AW-NB177NF module containing a Realtek RTL8723BS IC.
- asus.com
ASUS still has a current Tinker Board product page online, supporting the view that at least some RTL8723BS-based boards remain in active circulation.
- ebay.com
A 2025 listing shows new RTL8723BS SDIO Wi-Fi/Bluetooth modules still being sold, suggesting ongoing small-volume replacement/embedded demand rather than full market extinction.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local shell inspection confirmed this is real driver code in os_dep with module_init in sdio_intf.c. Local `git log` showed sustained substantive touches into 2026-02, so this is not dormant. URLs were obtained via web search: LKML patch series (turn3search6), LKDDb entry (turn3search0), ASUS RTL8723BS FAQ/doc page (turn2search0), ASUS current product page (turn2search2), and a 2025 new-module sales listing (turn1search0). I found no concrete removal/deprecation thread in the limited lore web search budget; combined with active cleanup traffic, that argues for keep-annotate rather than deprecate/remove. Deployment appears low today: legacy Atom/ARM tablets/SBCs and replacement/embedded niches, with no clear in-tree successor covering this exact SDIO chipset.