findchip Command in Linux
The findchip command in Linux checks the FIR (Fast Infrared) chipset in a Linux system. Fast Infrared is a form of wireless communication technology that is used to transmit data at higher speeds than traditional IR. Older systems used to support infrared technology for data transfer and other communication purposes with systems that support this technology.
The findchip command is specifically designed to identify the infrared chip in the system.
Table of Contents
Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the findchip command −
- Prerequisites to Use findchip Command
- Syntax of findchip Command
- Options of findchip Command
- Examples of findchip Command in Linux
Note − The findchip command and irda-utils project are largely abandoned due to the non-utilization of infrared technology. The findchip command is deprecated. It is recommended to use the alternatives such as lsmod, lsusb, and lspci.
Prerequisites to Use findchip Command
The findchip is not a standard Linux command. It must be installed. It is a part of the irda-utils package.
To install the irda-utils package on Ubuntu, Debian, and distributions based on them, use the following command −
sudo apt install irda-utils
You may not find this package in the default repository of Ubuntu. You may need to download the source code, using the following command −
git clone https://git.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/irda-utils
After downloading the code, use the make and make install commands to install the package.
Syntax of findchip Command
The syntax of the Linux findchip command is as follows −
findchip [options]
The [options] field is used to specify the options to modify the commandâs behavior.
Options of findchip Command
The options of the findchip command are listed below −
| Options | Description |
|---|---|
| -d | It displays the debug information for troubleshooting |
| -v | It displays the output in verbose |
| -l | It lists all the supported chipsets |
| -h | It displays the help related to the command |
Examples of findchip Command in Linux
This section demonstrates the usage of the findchip command in Linux with examples −
Finding FIR Chipset
To find the fast IR chipset on the Linux system, use the findchip command −
sudo findchip
Note that this command requires sudo privileges.
Listing FIR Chipsets
To list all the supported chipsets, use the findchip command with the -l option −
sudo findchip -l
Debugging a Chipset
To debug a specific chipset, use the -d option with the chipset name −
sudo findchip -d [chipset_name]
Displaying a Detailed Output
To get a detailed output, use the -v option with the findchip command −
sudo findchip -v
Alternatives to the findchip Command
The lsmod command is used to display the modules on Linux. It can also be used to find any infrared module.
lsmod | grep ir
The lspci command is used to list PCI devices −
lspci | grep -I infrared
The lsusb command is used to list all the USB devices, including the devices that support infrared.
lsusb
Various infrared remote-control utilities are still supported by Linux systems, such as lirc and ir-keytable.
Conclusion
The findchip command in Linux is used to identify the FIR chipsets on the Linux system. The FIR is a part of the Infrared Data Association (irDA) standards, which covers a range of data transmission speeds and methods using infrared light. In older systems, infrared technology is used for communication.
The findchip command and its related package irda-utils have not been maintained and hence deprecated. It is recommended to use the alternative options.