ALFA AWUS036AXER Driver Install Guide for China: Kali Linux, Ubuntu, Debian & Raspberry Pi

The AWUS036AXER is ALFA’s WiFi 6 nano adapter — a compact dongle designed to stay plugged into a laptop permanently. Its RTL8832BU chip is out-of-kernel on Linux below 6.14 but is included natively in Ubuntu 24.04 (kernel 6.8). This guide uses Gitee mirrors for older kernels. No GitHub required.

Security research note: The RTL8832BU has limited monitor mode support. Results vary by kernel and driver version. For reliable packet injection on Kali Linux, the AWUS036ACM or AWUS036ACH are better choices.

Range note: The AWUS036AXER has an integrated non-removable antenna. For security research, adapters with external RP-SMA antennas (AWUS036ACH, AWUS036ACM) provide significantly better range.

Before You Start

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1. ALFA AWUS036AXER adapter
2. USB-A cable
3. Active internet connection

lsusb

Look for:

Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:885a Realtek Semiconductor Corp.

Choose Your Operating System

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• Kali Linux
• Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04
• Debian
• Raspberry Pi 4B / 5

Kali Linux

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Step 1: Switch to China Mirror

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sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

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

sudo apt update

Step 2: Install Build Dependencies

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

Step 3: Clone Driver from Gitee

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git clone https://gitee.com/mirrors/rtl8852bu.git
cd rtl8852bu

NOTE: If that Gitee URL does not load, search Gitee for rtl8852bu and pick the most recently updated fork. You can also download archives from files.alfa.com.tw.

Step 4: Compile and Install

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sudo ./install-driver.sh
sudo reboot

Verify the driver loaded:

lsmod | grep 88x2bu
iwconfig

Step 5: Enable Monitor Mode

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Note: Monitor mode support is limited on the RTL8832BU. The following commands work on most setups but results may vary.

sudo airmon-ng check kill
sudo ip link set wlan1 down
sudo iw dev wlan1 set type monitor
sudo ip link set wlan1 up
iwconfig

Step 6: Test Packet Injection

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sudo aireplay-ng --test wlan1

If injection is unreliable, consider the AWUS036ACM for penetration testing work.

Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04

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Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble) — driver in-kernel, no Gitee needed

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Ubuntu 24.04 ships kernel 6.8, which includes the RTL8832BU driver natively.

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

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

sudo apt update
sudo modprobe 88x2bu
iwconfig

If the module loads and an interface appears, you are done. Proceed to monitor mode steps above.

Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy) — DKMS required

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sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

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

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential dkms git linux-headers-$(uname -r)
git clone https://gitee.com/mirrors/rtl8852bu.git
cd rtl8852bu
sudo ./install-driver.sh
sudo reboot

Debian

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sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

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

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)
git clone https://gitee.com/mirrors/rtl8852bu.git
cd rtl8852bu
sudo ./install-driver.sh
sudo reboot

Enable monitor mode same as Kali steps above.

Raspberry Pi 4B / 5

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Switch to China mirror first:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

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

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y git bc dkms build-essential raspberrypi-kernel-headers
git clone https://gitee.com/mirrors/rtl8852bu.git
cd rtl8852bu
sudo ./install-driver.sh
sudo reboot

Virtual Machine USB Passthrough

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VirtualBox

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1. Settings → USB → Enable USB 3.0 (xHCI).
2. Add filter: Realtek (ID: 0bda:885a).
3. Start VM → lsusb to confirm → follow Kali steps.

VMware

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1. Virtual Machine → USB & Bluetooth → Find Realtek RTL8832BU → Connect.
2. lsusb to confirm → follow Kali steps.

Troubleshooting

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Note on VIF: The RTL8832BU out-of-kernel driver does not support Virtual Interfaces (VIF).

China Mirror Reference

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More Alfa Adapter Guides for China

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• AWUS036ACH China Install Guide — RTL8812AU, high power
• AWUS036ACM China Install Guide — MT7612U, full VIF
• AWUS036ACS China Install Guide — RTL8811AU, monitor mode
• AWUS036AX China Install Guide — RTL8832BU, WiFi 6
• AWUS036AXER ← you are here
• AWUS036AXM China Install Guide — MT7921AUN, L-shape
• AWUS036AXML China Install Guide — MT7921AUN, WiFi 6E
• AWUS036EACS China Install Guide — RTL8821CU, Windows

Questions? Leave a comment below or contact us at yupitek.com.

References

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1. Realtek Official Website
2. ALFA Network Official Website
3. Kali Linux Official Documentation
4. Gitee rtl8852bu Mirror