Setting Alfa Network AWUS036ACS — 802.11ac AC600 USB Antenna on a Raspberry pi Zero 2W

Over the past few years, I’ve immersed myself in the world of Raspberry Pis, exploring and expanding my skill set. Among my favorites is the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W — a compact powerhouse with robust support and low energy consumption.

One of my ongoing projects, although not groundbreaking (given the multitude of guides available online), involves turning the petite Pi Zero 2W into a portable WiFi auditing tool. The goal is to enhance my knowledge by analyzing my own network on the go. However, a significant hurdle I encountered is the limited power of the onboard antenna, which supports only the 2.4GHz signal. The solution? Enter the mighty Alfa antenna!

The system on my piZ2W is running kali-Linux

lsb_release -a

Also as the piZ2W only has one micro USB port you need to buy a hub or a adaptator MicroUSB to USB in order to plug the anntena. After that the anntena should be visible (I am using a hub)

lsusb

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

sudo reboot

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

mkdir -p ~/src cd ~/src

git clone https://github.com/morrownr/8821au-20210708

cd ~/src/8821au-20210708

sudo ./install-driver.sh

During the first install I got an error →

The solution was to do this:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo reboot
sudo apt install -y linux-headers-$(uname -r)

After all is instaled the guide I used ask you to run the command

sudo wifite --kill

The problem in my case is that this command desconect me from the raspberry as I am using it through SSH connection, but if you are using it with a propper screen and keyboard, go ahead.

Instead of the --kill I checked the instalation with

sudo wifite

And as you can see in the previous figure, the anntena rtl8821au appears as option 2 in wlan1. This will allow you to check and learn to audit your network with a better antena and including the 5 GHz signal.

Many thanks to this youtube video for all the help! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQZrM_AoJrY