Alfa AWUS036H.... Dissapointment??

[kiltym]

I do not think it is an issue of sub-par card, but more-so to do with the OS being used and drivers loaded. It seems that amongst the users who report bad connectivity via RTL8187, they all report fantastic connectivity via Windows OS. Strange, I know.

Actually, this isnt strange at all.

I have tested the AWUS036 for a long time with distant access points 1-2 miles, and have had great success with this adapter.

However, when I use it with BT, or Linux, the range and ability to stay connected is miserable.

I would have to point my fingers to the linux drivers vs the windows drivers. The hardware is all the same, so all thats left is the software (for the 8187L).

I am trying to figure out if anyone knows a way to get the AWUS036H to perform as well on Linux as it does on Windows.

For the people that are bummed about the AWUS036H, try in on Windows, you'll see what the hype is about.

Now, if it would just work as well on Linux it would be nice...

Anyone know of anything with this?

Do people get better performance with the mac or ieee drivers?

And to test this, just try to connect and surf the web, thats the easiest test.

Mark

[r4d1x]

I just got 2 AWUS036H's in the mail today and can only say they are amazing. I had previously been using the BCM4312 that is built into my portable and after reading this I decided to test it out myself.

From a range of 5-10 meters from my own AP, I am seeing at least 3x the packets and beacons from the alfa than my broadcom. I am using the packaged 5db antenna and the house is constructed of solid concrete.

Attaching the 9db (also came with it) I don't see much change, but notice a slightly better connection (no more than 5-7 db).

Wondering if maybe you got bunk adapters I decided to try my other one, but the results were the same. I also had a friend setup an AP in his window and I was able to hit it from about 400 meters with the alfa, but the broadcom couldn't even pick it up. I suppose its still possible that you got a bad "card", or something between the signal and your PC isn't working properly.

[kiltym]

I just got 2 AWUS036H's in the mail today and can only say they are amazing. I had previously been using the BCM4312 that is built into my portable and after reading this I decided to test it out myself.

From a range of 5-10 meters from my own AP, I am seeing at least 3x the packets and beacons from the alfa than my broadcom. I am using the packaged 5db antenna and the house is constructed of solid concrete.

Attaching the 9db (also came with it) I don't see much change, but notice a slightly better connection (no more than 5-7 db).

Wondering if maybe you got bunk adapters I decided to try my other one, but the results were the same. I also had a friend setup an AP in his window and I was able to hit it from about 400 meters with the alfa, but the broadcom couldn't even pick it up. I suppose its still possible that you got a bad "card", or something between the signal and your PC isn't working properly.

Have you tried the Alfa in Windows yet?

My concern/issue is that card works better under Windows then Linux. And I am pretty sure this is a driver issue. There is no doubt, under Linux, the card is the best around. The issue I have is its even better when running under Windows with the windows drivers.

I dont think its an issue of bad Alfa's, I am pretty convinced its driver issues with the 8187L under Linux.

Mark

[r4d1x]

Have you tried the Alfa in Windows yet?

My concern/issue is that card works better under Windows then Linux. And I am pretty sure this is a driver issue. There is no doubt, under Linux, the card is the best around. The issue I have is its even better when running under Windows with the windows drivers.

I dont think its an issue of bad Alfa's, I am pretty convinced its driver issues with the 8187L under Linux.

Mark

No I haven't, but I have a strict rule regarding windows boxen and wireless. Basically, it doesn't happen. In fact, my dd-wrt AP doesn't even touch a network, it just exists.

[deal4you]

I do not see them as a dissapointment... Show me other products that gives you a better range? Have you tried Router with 1000mw and 24 db antennas? I use different alfa products and I am wery satisfied with them. Nothing beats them.

[sagaci]

I've got a few Alfa adapters and I have to say that the AWUS036H is my favourite. It just works with pretty much everything. I also have an inbuilt broadcom variety 43xx and while it performs the same in short distance from the AP, the Alfa easily beats it anything over +10m

[Carnivore]

Just a hint to check if your Alfa is working on 1000mw as it should:

root@bt:~# iwconfig

You should see

Tx-Power=30 dBm

If it's <30 dBm, in my case in Backtrack it was 20 dBm out of the box, try

root@bt:~# iw reg set BO

and check again with

root@bt:~# iwconfig

Now it should be working at 30 dBm which gave me way better results then using it on 20 dBm

Bye,

Carnivore

[edriggers]

Just a hint to check if your Alfa is working on 1000mw as it should:

root@bt:~# iwconfig

You should see



If it's <30 dBm, in my case in Backtrack it was 20 dBm out of the box, try

root@bt:~# iw reg set BO

and check again with

root@bt:~# iwconfig

Now it should be working at 30 dBm which gave me way better results then using it on 20 dBm

Bye,

Carnivore

I was having similar issues dropping access points after a few minutes in bt4 final. I installed r2 today to see if this improved the performance any. An iwconfig showed that my Alfa was running at 20dBm out of the box. I tried root@bt:~# iw reg set BO, but it didn't seem to work for me. I experimented a bit and had success with the following command:

root@bt:~# iwconfig <device> txpower 30

The connection to the AP that was continuously dropping last night has been rock solid since. A big thanks to everyone in this thread, hopefully this will help some other people with similar issues.

[jacko]

I just wrote a script to get around this problem.. try connecting through vmwares bridged adapter and use windows to manage the connect

least it works with ettercap dns spoofing to apache and pcap capture.. sslstrip has issues using the bridged adapter though.. could only get it to log but not strip, and from what I could see in the logs, getting errors related to forwarding packets from the ssl server to sslstrip

everything works but slow connecting through bt4 r2.. just night and day between the two in connect speed.. try using windows for the wireless connection.. it seems you can get away with this for ettercap.. maybe someone knows something that can be tweaked in bt to improve it

[Deadboy]

root@bt:~# iwconfig <device> txpower 30

The connection to the AP that was continuously dropping last night has been rock solid since. A big thanks to everyone in this thread, hopefully this will help some other people with similar issues.

I'm having some trouble changing the txpower from 20 to 30 on my ALFA AWUS036H using the command above. I issued the following commands:

ifconfig wlan1 down
iwconfig wlan1 txpower 30

and I receive the following error:
"Error for wireless request "Set Tx Power" (8B26) :
SET failed on device wlan1 ; Invalid argument."

Edit: the above command "root@bt:~# iw reg set BO" does the trick for me.