[VNT]

i've been looking at alpha adapters but the one i see on youtube are almost all discontinued...

my question is wich one do you guys use and what range are you getting ?

Bonus are drivers hard to get on a distro like kali or ubuntu !

[BiNBo]

This is something that's often kind of glazed over, but generally you're looking for chipsets that support two main features if you want to do wireless pentesting. Those are going to be monitor and broadcast. Monitor refers to "traffic monitor" or packet capture capabilities. Broadcast in turn referring to the ability to create/broadcast networks. In short you need a wireless card that let's you not only listen, but talk. That being said, also keeping in mind your want for ease of use with various distros. I would recommend any of the following.

• Alfa AWUS036ACH - Uses the RTL8812AU chipset, supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and has good Linux compatibility for network analysis tools
  


• Panda Wireless PAU09 - Uses the Ralink RT3072 chipset, reliable monitor mode support, though only 2.4GHz
  


• TP-Link TL-WN722N (v1 only) - Uses the Atheros AR9271 chipset, has excellent driver support and is popular for legitimate security testing
  

I'll let you find the links for vendors local to you.

[DramaKing]

This is something that's often kind of glazed over, but generally you're looking for chipsets that support two main features if you want to do wireless pentesting. Those are going to be monitor and broadcast. Monitor refers to "traffic monitor" or packet capture capabilities. Broadcast in turn referring to the ability to create/broadcast networks. In short you need a wireless card that let's you not only listen, but talk. That being said, also keeping in mind your want for ease of use with various distros. I would recommend any of the following.

• Alfa AWUS036ACH - Uses the RTL8812AU chipset, supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and has good Linux compatibility for network analysis tools
  


• Panda Wireless PAU09 - Uses the Ralink RT3072 chipset, reliable monitor mode support, though only 2.4GHz
  


• TP-Link TL-WN722N (v1 only) - Uses the Atheros AR9271 chipset, has excellent driver support and is popular for legitimate security testing
  

I'll let you find the links for vendors local to you.

By "broadcast" do you mean packet injection?

Anyway, it's pretty universally known in wireless pentesting that Realtek WiFi adapters should be avoided due to their out-of-band "drivers" and complicated install.

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Not counting WiFi 6, I have essentially this: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802845133815.html. It's about $10 more than what I paid, but it should have about 6 dBi of gain. It's not long-range, but it's better than built-in adapters.

[BiNBo]

By "broadcast" do you mean packet injection?

Anyway, it's pretty universally known in wireless pentesting that Realtek WiFi adapters should be avoided due to their out-of-band "drivers" and complicated install.

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Not counting WiFi 6, I have essentially this: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802845133815.html. It's about $10 more than what I paid, but it should have about 6 dBi of gain. It's not long-range, but it's better than built-in adapters.

If you'd like me to be a bit more direct. Yes, I was referring to packet injection. I initially tried to be more general, but since you're asking specifically - adapters with both monitor mode and packet injection are typically used for security testing and network analysis. Also, while that's a valid point about Realtek adapters, I'm not sure universally is the terminology I'd use but nonetheless. RTL8812AU-based devices like the Alfa AWUS036ACH are common, cheap, and easily obtained. For a hobbyist, they tend to be fine (ime). However, If you wanted to look towards more professional grade solutions then yes, you'd want to stick to something more like the Atheros chipsets, such as those based on the ath9k_htc.