

The newer version of the Aircrack-ng guide is also useful for explaining the way to check newer cards for compatibility, although it lacks an easy-to-understand table for compatibility the way the deprecated page does.Īside from Aircrack-ng's website, you can often look up card details on a resource like the WikiDevi database, which allows you to look up details on most wireless network adapters. The older "deprecated" version still contains a lot of useful information about the chipsets that will work with Aircrack-ng and other Wi-Fi hacking tools.


Determining the ChipsetĬertain chipsets are known to work without much or any configuration needed for getting started, meaning that you can expect an adapter containing a particular supported chipset to be an easy choice.Ī good place to start when looking up the chipset of a wireless network adapter you're considering buying is Aircrack-ng's compatibility pages. For example, Panda Wireless cards frequently use Ralink chipsets, which is the more critical piece of information to have. The chip is what controls the behavior of the card, which is why it's much more important to determine the chipset manufacturer than the adapter manufacturer. The second manufacturer is the one that makes the chip that powers the adapter. These manufacturers are responsible for the physical layout and design of the adapter but do not produce the actual CPU that goes inside the adapter. Examples include TP-link, Panda Wireless, or Alfa. The seller is, you guess it, the manufacturer selling the network adapter. Before we dive into those, however, you need to know the difference between manufacturers, so there's no confusion. If you haven't yet purchased the wireless network card you're considering, there are several ways you can check to see if it supports monitor mode and packet injection before committing to a purchase. Option 1: Check an Adapter's Chipset Before You Buy Jump to a Section: Check a Perspective Card | Test an Existing Card | Try an Attack Out to Make Sure It Works Choosing a Wi-Fi adapter requires you to know about a few things, such as the chipset inside, the antenna in use, and the types of Wi-Fi that the card support. This chip, along with the other circuitry in the adapter, translates signals from your computer into radio pulses called "packets," which transfer information between devices. Each wireless network adapter has a chip inside of it that contains its own CPU. These devices may seem a little complicated at first, but they're pretty simple. While this may not seem like much, making a mistake in purchasing a network adapter can add up quickly and be discouraging when first learning about Wi-Fi security. If the internal one doesn't support the modes, an external one will be needed.Įxternal network adapters average between $15 and $40 per card. I found the card in a Lenovo laptop I use to support both, so sometimes it's possible to save by using your internal laptop card for practice when appropriate. While some internal cards may offer some support for monitor mode, it's more common to find that your card isn't supported for tools included in Kali Linux.
