Peripheral Compatibility

USB Devices

Basic Troubleshooting


# List all USB devices
lsusb
 
# Detailed information
lsusb -v -d VENDOR_ID:PRODUCT_ID
 
# View USB device tree
lsusb -t
 
# USB events in kernel log
sudo dmesg | grep -i usb

USB Storage Devices

USB external hard drives and flash drives are usually plug-and-play. If they are not automatically mounted:


# View device partitions
sudo fdisk -l /dev/sdX
 
# Manual mount
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/usb
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt/usb
 
# Mount NTFS partition
sudo apt install ntfs-3g
sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdX1 /mnt/usb

USB Serial Devices


# Check serial devices
ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM*
 
# Add user to the dialout group
sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER

Printers

Install CUPS Print Service

Ubuntu 26.04 has CUPS installed by default. Confirm the service is running:


systemctl status cups

Add a Printer

GUI: Settings > Printers > Add Printer

Command line:


# Search for network printers
lpinfo -v
 
# Install printer driver packages
sudo apt install printer-driver-all
 
# HP printers
sudo apt install hplip
hp-setup  # Graphical configuration tool
 
# Brother printers
# Download the Linux driver installation script from the Brother website

Print Test


# View configured printers
lpstat -p -d
 
# Print a test page
lp -d PRINTER_NAME /usr/share/cups/data/testprint

Common Issues

If the printer is not detected:


sudo systemctl restart cups
sudo lpinfo -v  # Rescan

Scanners

SANE Scanning Framework


sudo apt install sane-utils libsane-extra xsane
 
# Detect scanners
scanimage -L
 
# Command line scanning
scanimage --format=png > scan.png
 
# Graphical scanning tool
sudo apt install simple-scan

Network Scanners

Edit /etc/sane.d/net.conf to add the network scanner address:


# Add scanner IP
192.168.1.100

Webcams and Video Capture

Webcam Detection


ls /dev/video*
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

USB Capture Cards

Most HDMI capture cards use the standard UVC driver:


sudo apt install v4l-utils
v4l2-ctl --device=/dev/video0 --list-formats-ext

Test with OBS Studio or VLC:


sudo apt install obs-studio
# or
vlc v4l2:///dev/video0

Drawing Tablets

Wacom Tablets

The 26.04 Ubuntu Desktop runs a Wayland session, where Wacom tablets work out of the box. Prefer configuring mapping, buttons, and the pressure curve in GNOME Settings > Drawing Tablet — no extra driver is needed.


# Confirm the device is recognized by the kernel
sudo libinput list-devices | grep -i -A2 -i "tablet\|wacom"

Note

xsetwacom / xserver-xorg-input-wacom only work under X11 (XWayland does not support their tuning) — you only need them when logged into another desktop that provides an X.org session (such as KDE/Xfce):


sudo apt install xserver-xorg-input-wacom
xsetwacom --list devices
xsetwacom --set "DEVICE_NAME" PressureCurve 0 0 100 100

Non-Wacom Drawing Tablets

Some drawing tablets (such as Huion, UGEE) may require additional driver installation:


# Check if it is recognized as an input device
sudo libinput list-devices | grep -i tablet

Game Controllers

Mainstream controllers — Xbox (including the wireless adapter), PlayStation, and others — work out of the box via built-in kernel drivers (xpad, hid-playstation, etc.); there is no need to install xboxdrv (deprecated).


# Detect controllers
ls /dev/input/js*
sudo apt install joystick
jstest /dev/input/js0

General Troubleshooting Steps

Check kernel log after plugging in the device: sudo dmesg -w (real-time monitoring)
Confirm the device is recognized by USB: lsusb
Check if drivers or firmware are missing: sudo dmesg | grep -i firmware
Install the generic firmware package: sudo apt install linux-firmware
Check device permissions and user groups