ALFA AC1900 WiFi Adapter - 1900 Mbps 802.11ac Long-Range Dual Band USB 3.0 Wi-Fi Network Adapter w/4x 5dBi External Dual-Band Antennas, TAA Compliant

Verified monitor mode. Great for pentesting. Range is excellent. Was plug and play for me using Parrot OS.

Works with Windows 11 home 64bit, but you have to find windows 11 drivers online. at first it didn't work on windows 11, but after locating the correct drivers it works. I now have both WIFI utility applications installed on my pc, so not sure if the older one can be deleted. I did not find the correct driver on the official Alfa site, which is weird. do some googling and you'll find it. it has increased the signal strength and the download speed literally tripled! didn't think it would make much difference but it did. the comparison is from a high end Lenovo laptop that cost about $1900 2 years ago. so it has the latest wifi standards. this antenna is just a beast. using it outside in my semi truck so the router is located pretty far away. was getting 20 Mbps down and after this antenna got 60-67 Mbps download speed, also doubled the upload speed, its crazy!

I love this thing for daily use where needed for the range and speed, as well as the chipsets capabilities for less common wireless modes/tasks.However, and I blame some distributions as much as the chipset manufacturer, the drivers can sometimes be a beast to get built/installed and configured. It's heavily dependent on your kernel, but I've had experiences where it was as simple as running an install script and others where I've downloaded several versions before getting one that would load. It doesn't help that there is no reliable place to get all the different versions (that's the part I hold against the chipset manufacturer).Overall though, as much of a rant as that sounds like, it's a great adapter. It is highly regarded in wireless security circles, and it's a pretty great adapter for someone who just wants a good strong wireless adapter for daily use.Would be 5 stars if Alfa or Realtek had a driver repository that stayed put and kept older versions. Or better yet, open sourced the drivers so that they would be included in more distros!

GReat

I run this WiFi adapter with Linux Mint 18, and it's excellent. If you buy this for Linux, be sure to install the drivers. I'm using the drivers from zebulon2/rtl8814au on GitHub. I suspect some Linux users gave negative reviews because they had driver issues. The drivers are easy enough to install for most Linux users, but if the terminal scares you, I recommend you take a look at that GitHub repo before you buy this. With that out of the way, here's my review:The range is excellent. This adapter picks up WiFi networks I've never seen before and with surprisingly strong signals. The range is especially good when I stick the adapter to my window with the included suction cup. But I get 100% signal strength connecting to my home's WiFi even when the adapter is clamped above my monitor.The adapter is fast! It's faster than my access point. I tested the speed with iperf3. The other computer was connected via Ethernet. I measured 250 Mbps, which is the best my access point can do. I saw someone else measure 940+ Mbps.It's not perfect, however. The specs aren't detailed enough; they don't say whether this adapter supports MIMO or MU-MIMO. It's sorta big and bulky, though its size might be needed to achieve its excellent speed and range. Also, if you're a Linux user, the driver's likely aren't included in your distro. The drivers are easy to install, and they work well, but the quick-start instructions don't tell you that you need to go to GitHub to get them. Also, if you're a Linux user, you need to know your way around the terminal (a little bit) to install the drivers. Beyond that, the included quick-start guide is terrible. It explains how to install the drivers on Windows XP. I suspect most people are buying this to use with either Linux or Windows 10. It's a bit eyebrow-raising that their quick-start directions are so out of touch. Also, it uses blue LEDs. I don't like blue LEDs, because they can interfere with sleep.This adapter isn't for everyone. But this is a good pick if 1) you're a computer professional or power user. Or 2) you need its range or speed, and you don't mind its size. Or 3) You're a Linux user looking for something high-quality, and you don't mind using the terminal a little to install the drivers.If you're the right kind of customer, then you're gonna like this WiFi adapter.

Windows 10 installation results:As an OTR truck driver, finding a useful WiFi signal, even at a truck stop with paid "premium" extended WiFi access, is never a guarantee. Unless you're footing the bill for a Satellite ($600 just for the mobile SatTV antenna), plus monthly, etc. - we live by WiFi access for downtime entertainment.During my last few overnight stops, I specifically scanned with my phone (a good WiFi gauge) for the "low" spots in the lot. After settling in, my laptop with built-in WiFi could barely see a connection, if it appeared at all with another truck rolling in front of me. Tire Shop buildings are always a good block to a signal. I knew my Roku box was going to be a complete failure on the WiFi front. (NOTE: This is *NOT* compatible with a Roku Box!!!)I connected up my phone Hot Spot to the laptop then plugged in the new external WiFi setup. (I used the phone HotSpot so I could get the latest drivers without installing the entire included CD utility). The entire process took less than 1 minute. New drivers installed, phone hotspot disconnected.Results: My subpar built-in laptop WiFi connection in this situation is now replaced with a completely usable WiFi connection. I was SURPRISED and it works quite well.Pro: It works!Con: short USB3.0 cable could be a bit longer!

Buen rango de sniffing, no evil twins