Motorcomm YT6801 2.5G Ethernet on Proxmox 9: Success Story

The Problem

Many users of modern Mini PCs (like the Ninkear N150) face a major issue: the Motorcomm YT6801 2.5G network chip is not recognized by Proxmox VE 9 (Debian 13) out of the box. Traditional methods like PCIe Passthrough often fail due to hardware power state issues (D3cold).

The Solution

Instead of fighting with unstable passthrough, we successfully implemented a Host-Level Driver approach using the official Debian Backports. By installing the driver on the Proxmox host and creating a Linux Bridge, we provide stable, high-speed 2.5G connectivity to any Virtual Machine.

Hardware & Software Stack

• Device: Ninkear N150 (Intel N100/N95 range)
• Chipset: Motorcomm Microelectronics YT6801 (1f0a:6801)
• OS: Proxmox VE 9.1.6+
• Kernel: 6.17.13-2-pve (or newer)