ALFA Network AWUS036ACM Long-Range Wide-Coverage Dual-Band AC1200 USB Wireless Wi-Fi Adapter w/High-Sensitivity External Antenna - Windows, MacOS & Kali Linux Supported

Let's face it, getting hardware peripherals, especially capable wireless adapters, running smoothly on brand new platforms like the Raspberry Pi 5 can be a real headache. Driver support is often lagging. That's where the ALFA Network AWUS036ACM absolutely shines, particularly for anyone running Kali Linux for wireless security auditing and penetration testing. This adapter is a lifesaver! I plugged it into my Raspberry Pi 5 running the latest Kali Linux ARM image, and it was recognized instantly – truly out-of-the-box. No hunting for obscure drivers, no compiling, no dkms nightmares. This is HUGE, especially on the Pi 5 where compatibility can still be hit-or-miss for many adapters. The underlying MT7612U chipset has solid in-kernel support, which makes all the difference. From a pentesting perspective, this adapter is exactly what you need. It fully supports monitor mode and packet injection, performing reliably with standard tools like the Aircrack-ng suite, Wireshark, and Kismet. Capturing handshakes and injecting packets worked without a hitch. The adapter's long-range capabilities and strong AC1200 dual-band performance mean you can reliably capture traffic from further away and on less congested 5GHz channels, which is critical for effective wireless assessments. If you're setting up a Raspberry Pi 5 for wireless penetration testing or security research and want an adapter that is powerful, reliable, and guaranteed to work without wasting hours on driver issues, the ALFA AWUS036ACM is the undisputed champion. It saves you the setup pain and lets you get straight to work. An essential tool for any Pi 5-based pentesting toolkit. Solid 5 stars

TL/DR: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ANTENNA, just be aware that plugging it into a USB port on your box might cause electrical interference resulting in a buggy system. This is easily resolved by plugging it into a USB hub that's connected to your box but a little distance away. I drive an old HP ProDesk 600 G1 running an old version of Linux. This computer does not come equipped with wifi capability. My new apartment doesn't have a coax cable outlet, only a wifi modem in the closet so my computer was unusable for the internet. This ALFA Network USB dongle is fast and works great! Once plugged into a USB port, the network tools that came with my distro found the network and acquired signal with no trouble at all. All I had to do was select my network and type in a few particulars about my modem. But there's one problem with USB wifi dongles that you might or might not experience. Plugging a wifi antenna into a USB port on your box can cause electrical interference that makes things get weirdly buggy. What do I mean by "buggy"? After a while my wifi signal began dropping out and my network tool struggled to find signal again. Then my mouse and keyboard simultaneously became non-responsive and I had to do a hard shutdown. I decided to reinstall my O/S. While I had my box shut down I moved the ALFA dongle from the front to the back of the box so my cats wouldn't rub against it. After the reinstall my network was stable but my keyboard and mouse began going dead more and more often, requiring hard shutdowns every time. I read on a forum that these problems can be caused by a USB wifi antenna dongle causing electrical interference with USB devices. *CLICK* I unplugged the ALFA Network dongle from the USB port on my machine on the floor and plugged it into a multiport USB hub on my desk that's connected to my computer via USB cable. Removing the ALFA from a direct connection to my box completely solved the problem. I hope that someone finds this helpful.

Arrived quickly and works great for regular Wi-Fi usage. Monitor mode works well but the packet injection is a little finnicky. Great for information gathering but using it for deauth or MITM attacks it isn't the strongest.

This adapter was truly plug and play and worked exactly as described. Setup was quick, performance is solid, and connectivity is reliable. No complaints at all.

This is what I consider to be the second best USB WiFi adapter for use with Kali Linux. What matters for use with Linux is the chipset, and these Alfa adapters with the "M" suffix feature a MedaTek chipset, which seems to be much less problematic than those with RealTek chips. They tend to have fewer issues and are just straight up plug-and-play. Obviously this adapter supports monitor mode and packet injection. The reason I call this the second best adapter is because the AWUS036ACHM has better range and it is more conducive to the use of the Alfa panel antennas for even more range. The downside of that adapter is that it is large and cumbersome, requiring some modification to clamp to a laptop screen securely. Which one you choose probably depends solely on how discrete you need the adapter to be. The ACM listed here is a great choice either way.

It works and fast shipping but not working on Kali for me, definitely speeds up my internet though

Fantastic USB wifi adapter! Great range and strength and speed. Linux compatible, with no driver fuss! If you can't go with an internal WiFi card, this is the next best thing! Comes with a nice USB extension cord, with a dock at the end to stand it upright. Best value for the money!

Awesome works perfect