ALFA 1000mW High Power USB Wireless Network Adapter (AWUS036H) $16.50 + Free Shipping

Quote from jbloggs : Also saw the following regarding device being authentic http://support.data-alliance.net/...it-beware/

Anyone care to comment on the authenticity of this?

I have sent an email to the manufacturer's (Alfa Network Inc.) sales team to comment and will report back their response.

Quote from TonyF666 : Does it matter what adapter you have to crack WEP keys? Isnt it just the hacking software doing this function?

Right, in the sense that the adapter isn't doing the cracking, just gathering the information needed to get the key. A wireless card that has a driver that lets you put it into "monitor mode" is needed to be able to capture that network traffic. Not all network cards have drivers that will support monitor mode.

Of course you would only want to do that kind of stuff if you were doing a legally authorized pentest or playing around with your personal network as a learning experience.

Anyways it is nice to have one of these usb adapters with a detachable antenna in case you ever need some extra range. Seems like a good price for this one.

Quote from Sam77 : Quick (& noob) question. Does it have to be connected to my laptop? Can't I connect it to my router or modem or just keep it somewhere to get better signal? Sorry, not an expert.

This network adapter is for establishing a wireless connection on a wireless network. Unless your laptop is shockingly old, you don't need it. There are range extenders (repeaters) that extend the range of a network beyond what the router can handle, but this is not that sort of product.

In case it hasn't been mentioned, these suck for normal use. It will help with a horrible signal but not a even somewhat decent signal.

They are too slow and unpredictable for anything like gaming.

Good deal if you need this for cracking tho

I have the Wireless G version, no N, but it's the best adapter I've ever used. Works well with BackTrack 5 too. I highly recommend Alfa's wireless adapters.

Picking one up, despite 1saleaday's atrocious shipping and processing times (I had to email a few times for them to even start processing my mouse order) and mediocre service (only offered me a _partial_ refund--no replacement--for a defective product they sent).

Quote from usertwo000 : Anyone care to comment on the authenticity of this? I have sent an email to the manufacturer's (Alfa Network Inc.) sales team to comment and will report back their response.

there are allot of Chinese knock offs out there. The hologram used to be the only way to find out but i think some of the Chinese ones even have those now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxBUb8PckQM


authentic alpha's are quality products. If your just looking for a normal use but very small adapter I recommend the AWUS036NEH, it comes in at about $25 on amazon with a huge 9dbi antenna.

Quote from usertwo000 : Anyone care to comment on the authenticity of this? I have sent an email to the manufacturer's (Alfa Network Inc.) sales team to comment and will report back their response.

That's interesting...if it does turn out to be fake, I will probably just dispute the charge.

Quote from walsy37 : So can I plug this into my router and extend its range so all of my devices can connect with better range or is it for a specific device (laptop, desktop, tablet) that needs better connection (ie I plug it into 1 device and that 1 device has stronger Wifi connection capabilities).

It is for a single device, it cannot be plugged into your router.

Quote from fmjpower : there are allot of Chinese knock offs out there. The hologram used to be the only way to find out but i think some of the Chinese ones even have those now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxBUb8PckQM

To quote a comment on that video:

it is possible to duplicate the hologram. Alfa changes things up so make things more expensive for counterfeiters. The best way to find out if your unit is authentic is to email Alfa Network directly with your serial and MAC address printed on the back side of the unit, and a link to the retailer purchased from. If the unit is authentic, they will confirm that for you. If it is not, they will refer you to an authorized distributor close to you.

How doe this compare to this one?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/...UTF8&psc=1

Also, anyone know of a unit that would work with a Zyxel MWR-211 wireless router which has a USB port?

If I understand correctly, the high power is to improve transmit range. For reception, it is still dependant on the router that is sending the signal to the adapter, and the antennas used on both ends. The high power aspect of the USB adapter won't help get a faster "download" connection from a router, but using a directional or high-dBi antenna on that adapter will.

Excellent product!

This Wifi adapter allows you to see more APs but not necessarily be able to connect to them at high speed. I had an instance where my netbook was getting 1-2 bars and got higher speed than Alfa with full bars. I suspect they use some kind of hardware trick to make the OS think it's getting higher signal than what really it's getting.

Quote from fmjpower : spoiler alert.....it will never output more than 250mw, no adapter in the US ever will as it's a restriction set by the FCC. A good antenna on any old adapter will do you much better.

Alfa used to offer a modified Realtek driver that allows you to control the output power. It's from 0-100% so I don't know if it allows you to up to 1000mW or not.