Complete Guide: Installing All Alfa USB WiFi Adapters on Linux in China - Kali, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi

If you’re reading this, you probably bought an Alfa USB WiFi adapter and found yourself stuck because:

Welcome to the Ultimate Alfa Linux Installation Guide

#

This guide covers the complete steps for installing every Alfa USB WiFi adapter on all major Linux distributions in mainland China, using domestic mirrors throughout, with no GitHub access required.

• You’re in China and can’t access GitHub
• The driver installation seems complicated
• You need to enable monitor mode and packet injection for wireless testing
• You’re not sure which driver your specific Alfa model needs

This guide solves all of those problems. We’ll walk you through installing every Alfa USB WiFi adapter on all major Linux distributions, using only China-accessible mirrors. No GitHub. No frustration.

Why This Guide Exists

#

Alfa USB WiFi adapters are popular among penetration testers, network engineers, and wireless enthusiasts. They support monitor mode and packet injection — features most consumer WiFi adapters don’t have.

But here’s the problem: Most driver installation guides assume you can access GitHub. If you’re in China, that’s not possible. This guide is specifically designed for Chinese users, using only mirrors and resources that work within China’s internet infrastructure.

Quick Model Reference

#

Before we dive in, let’s figure out which Alfa adapter you have and what chip it uses:

AX Series (Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11ax)

#

AC Series (Wi-Fi 5 / 802.11ac)

#

Which Adapter Do You Have?

#

1. Look at the label on your adapter
2. Check the box it came in
3. If you bought it online, check your order history

Once you know your model, jump to that section below or follow the general workflow.

Before You Start: What You Need

#

Make sure you have these ready before beginning:

1. Alfa USB WiFi adapter — The correct model for your needs
2. USB cable — The one that came in the box works fine
3. Powered USB hub — Required if you’re on Raspberry Pi
4. Active internet connection — To reach domestic mirrors in China
5. Sudo privileges — You’ll need admin access to install drivers

Plug in the adapter first to verify your system sees it:

lsusb

Look for your adapter’s vendor ID in the output:

• Alfa adapters show up as 0e8d (MediaTek) or 0bda (Realtek)
• Example: Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0e8d:7612 MediaTek Inc.
• Example: Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:8812 Realtek Semiconductor Corp.

If you see the ID, your adapter is detected. Move to the driver installation section below.

If you don’t see it, try a different USB port, swap the cable, then run lsusb again.

Choose Your Operating System

#

Jump to the right section for your OS:

• Kali Linux
• Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04
• Debian 12 (Bookworm)
• Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)

Already have the driver installed? Skip to the advanced sections:

• Enable Monitor Mode
• Test Packet Injection
• Virtual Interface (VIF) Support
• VM USB Passthrough

China-Accessible Mirror Reference

#

All resources in this guide use these China-accessible mirrors:

Kali Linux Installation

#

Kali Linux comes with wireless tools pre-installed. Getting Alfa adapters working takes just a few steps.

Step 1: Switch to China Mirror

#

Open your sources list:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Replace everything with this:

deb http://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/kali kali-rolling main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

Save: Ctrl+O, Enter, then Ctrl+X. Refresh:

sudo apt update

Backup mirror: If 中科大 (USTC) is slow, use 清华 (Tsinghua): deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/kali kali-rolling main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

Step 2: Install Driver by Chipset

#

AX Series (RTL8832BU)

#

sudo apt install -y rtl8832bu-dkms

AC Series - Realtek (RTL8812AU / RTL8811AU)

#

sudo apt install -y realtek-rtl88xxau-dkms

AC Series - MediaTek (MT7612U)

#

The MT7612U driver is built into the Kali kernel. Verify it loaded:

lsmod | grep mt76

If you see mt76x2u, you’re done. If not:

sudo modprobe mt76x2u

Step 3: Verify Driver Loaded

#

Run lsusb again. Your adapter should show up. Then check wireless interfaces:

iwconfig

Look for wlan0 or wlan1. If the interface appears, the driver is working.

Step 4: Enable Monitor Mode

#

Stop interfering processes:

sudo airmon-ng check kill

Start monitor mode:

sudo airmon-ng start wlan0

Verify:

iwconfig

Look for wlan0mon with Mode:Monitor. Done!

Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04 Installation

#

Step 1: Switch to China Mirror

#

Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble)

#

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ubuntu.sources

Replace with:

Types: deb
URIs: http://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu/
Suites: noble noble-updates noble-security
Components: main restricted universe multiverse
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/ubuntu-archive-keyring.gpg

Save with Ctrl+O, exit with Ctrl+X.

Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy)

#

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Replace with:

deb http://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu/ jammy main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu/ jammy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu/ jammy-security main restricted universe multiverse

Save and exit.

Refresh package index

#

sudo apt update

Step 2: Install Build Dependencies

#

sudo apt install -y git dkms build-essential libelf-dev linux-headers-$(uname -r)

Step 3: Install Driver

#

AX Series (RTL8832BU)

#

Clone from Gitee:

git clone https://gitee.com/mirrors/rtl8832bu.git
cd rtl8832bu
make
sudo make install
sudo dkms add .
sudo dkms install rtl8832bu/5.9.6
sudo modprobe rtl8832bu

AC Series - Realtek (RTL8812AU)

#

Clone from Gitee:

git clone https://gitee.com/mirrors/rtl8812au.git
cd rtl8812au
make
sudo make install
sudo dkms add .
sudo dkms install rtl8812au/$(cat VERSION)
sudo modprobe 88XXau

AC Series - MediaTek (MT7612U)

#

The driver is built into the Ubuntu kernel. Load it:

sudo modprobe mt76x2u

Step 4: Enable Monitor Mode

#

sudo airmon-ng check kill
sudo airmon-ng start wlan0
iwconfig

Look for wlan0mon with Mode:Monitor.

Debian 12 (Bookworm) Installation

#

Step 1: Switch to China Mirror

#

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Replace with:

deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian/ bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian/ bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

Save and exit. Refresh:

sudo apt update

Step 2: Install Non-Free Firmware

#

sudo apt install -y firmware-misc-nonfree

Step 3: Install Build Dependencies

#

sudo apt install -y git dkms build-essential libelf-dev linux-headers-$(uname -r)

Step 4: Install Driver

#

AX Series (RTL8832BU)

#

git clone https://gitee.com/mirrors/rtl8832bu.git
cd rtl8832bu
make
sudo make install
sudo dkms add .
sudo dkms install rtl8832bu/5.9.6
sudo modprobe rtl8832bu

AC Series - Realtek (RTL8812AU)

#

git clone https://gitee.com/mirrors/rtl8812au.git
cd rtl8812au
make
sudo make install
sudo dkms add .
sudo dkms install rtl8812au/$(cat VERSION)
sudo modprobe 88XXau

AC Series - MediaTek (MT7612U)

#

sudo modprobe mt76x2u

Step 5: Install Aircrack-ng

#

sudo apt install -y aircrack-ng

Step 6: Enable Monitor Mode

#

sudo airmon-ng check kill
sudo airmon-ng start wlan0
iwconfig

Look for wlan0mon with Mode:Monitor.

Raspberry Pi OS Installation

#

IMPORTANT: The AWUS036ACH draws ~500mW. The AWUS036ACM draws ~400mW. Always use a powered USB hub to prevent the Pi from throttling or crashing under load.

Step 1: Download Kali Linux ARM64 Image

#

Go to: https://www.kali.org/get-kali/#kali-arm

Pick Raspberry Pi 4 (64-bit) or Raspberry Pi 5 (64-bit). Do NOT use 32-bit — 64-bit is required.

China mirror: If kali.org is slow, use 华为云: https://repo.huaweicloud.com/kali-images/

Step 2: Flash to MicroSD

#

Check your SD card’s device path:

lsblk

Flash the image (replace /dev/sdX with your actual card):

sudo dd if=kali-linux-2025.1-raspberry-pi-arm64.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync
sync

Wait for sync to complete. Boot the Pi. Default credentials: kali / kali.

Step 3: Switch to China Mirror

#

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Replace with:

deb http://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/kali kali-rolling main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

Save and apply:

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y
sudo reboot

Step 4: Install Driver

#

AX Series (RTL8832BU)

#

sudo apt install -y rtl8832bu-dkms

AC Series - Realtek (RTL8812AU)

#

sudo apt install -y realtek-rtl88xxau-dkms

AC Series - MediaTek (MT7612U)

#

sudo modprobe mt76x2u

Step 5: Enable Monitor Mode

#

On a Pi with built-in Wi-Fi, the Alfa adapter shows as wlan1:

iwconfig

Then:

sudo airmon-ng check kill
sudo airmon-ng start wlan1
iwconfig

Look for wlan1mon with Mode:Monitor.

Enable Monitor Mode on Any Adapter

#

Once the driver is installed, monitor mode is easy to enable:

Step 1: Check Your Interface Name

#

iwconfig

Note whether it’s wlan0 or wlan1.

Step 2: Kill Interfering Processes

#

sudo airmon-ng check kill

Step 3: Start Monitor Mode

#

sudo airmon-ng start wlan0

Replace wlan0 with your actual interface name if it’s different.

Step 4: Verify

#

iwconfig

Look for your interface ending in mon (like wlan0mon) with Mode:Monitor.

Test Packet Injection

#

This confirms your adapter can send crafted packets — essential for wireless testing.

sudo aireplay-ng --test wlan0mon

Success looks like:

Trying broadcast probe requests...
Injection is working!
Found 1 AP

If it fails:

• Reboot and try again
• Confirm no other process holds the interface (iwconfig)
• Move closer to a WiFi AP for the test
• Ensure you’re using wlan0mon, not wlan0

Virtual Interface (VIF) Support

#

VIF (Virtual Interface Functionality) lets you run multiple interfaces on one adapter simultaneously. For example:

• Managed mode (wlan0) + Monitor mode (mon0) at the same time
• Run while staying connected to a network AND capturing traffic

Which Adapters Support VIF?

#

Creating a Virtual Interface (MT7612U)

#

If you have the AWUS036ACM (MT7612U):

# Create monitor interface while wlan0 stays in managed mode
sudo iw dev wlan0 interface add mon0 type monitor
sudo ip link set mon0 up

Verify both interfaces are active:

iwconfig

You should see:

• wlan0 — managed mode (associated to AP)
• mon0 — monitor mode (capturing all traffic)

Use Cases

#

Capture traffic while staying connected:

sudo airodump-ng mon0

Your wlan0 continues normal operation while mon0 captures everything.

Fake AP + Monitor:

sudo iw dev wlan0 interface add ap0 type __ap
sudo iw dev wlan0 interface add mon0 type monitor
sudo ip link set ap0 up
sudo ip link set mon0 up

Virtual Machine USB Passthrough

#

Running Linux inside a VM? You need to pass the USB adapter through to the guest.

VirtualBox

#

1. Power off the VM
2. Go to Settings → USB
3. Enable USB 3.0 (xHCI) Controller
4. Click + to add a USB filter
5. Select your Alfa adapter (ID: 0bda:8812 or 0e8d:7612)
6. Start the VM

Inside the VM, run lsusb to confirm, then follow the Kali Linux steps above.

VMware Fusion (macOS) / VMware Workstation (Windows)

#

1. Start the VM
2. Menu: Virtual Machine → USB & Bluetooth
3. Find your Alfa adapter and click Connect
4. The adapter appears inside the VM

Run lsusb to confirm, then follow the driver installation steps.

Troubleshooting

#

Appendix: Complete Alfa Model List

#

Final Notes

#

This guide covers all Alfa USB WiFi adapters on all major Linux distributions, using only China-accessible resources. You should now be able to:

✅ Install drivers for any Alfa adapter
✅ Enable monitor mode on Kali, Ubuntu, Debian, or Raspberry Pi
✅ Test packet injection
✅ Use virtual interfaces (VIF) with supported models
✅ Pass adapters through to VMs

Questions or issues? Check out the specific model guides in our series, or contact us at yupitek.com.

Related Guides

#

This is part of the Alfa China Install Guide series:

• AWUS036ACH China Install Guide — RTL8812AU, high power
• AWUS036ACM China Install Guide — MT7612U, best VIF support
• AWUS036ACS China Install Guide — RTL8811AU, budget option
• AWUS036AX China Install Guide — Wi-Fi 6, RTL8832BU
• AWUS036AXM China Install Guide — Wi-Fi 6, compact design
• AWUS036AXML China Install Guide — Wi-Fi 6, ultra-compact
• AWUS036AXER China Install Guide — Wi-Fi 6, enhanced power
• AWUS036EAC China Install Guide — RTL8814AU, high power

Last updated: April 24, 2026

References

#

1. aircrack-ng Official Documentation
2. Linux Kernel mt76 Driver
3. ALFA Network Official Website
4. Kali Linux Official Documentation
5. Gitee Driver Source Mirrors