search

morrownr / USB-WiFi

USB WiFi Adapter Information for Linux
2.79k stars 178 forks source link

Request: 2.4 Ghz Range (not bandwith) test between all ever released single TX/RX Alfa Network USB adapters #523

Open ieffuie4 opened 1 month ago

ieffuie4 commented 1 month ago

@morrownr you reported many times that you have over 35 usb wifi adapters. I would like to request a special range test. You told few times in the last monts that you have to update the existing range test. There are some legendary Alfa USB adapters out there you do not cover in your current lists. But i think you may still own them.

Could you create following setup? OpenWrt Router with a ath9k based 1TX1RX card. To make the test perfect take some Alfa Network based one. I think the best would be to use a ALFA Network Tube2H, Tube2HP or Tube2HP-F https://openwrt.org/toh/alfa_network/tube2hp running latest OpenWrt in stock settings. Just turn Wifi on because its disabled by default, save&exit. If you do not want to test unencrypted, then turn on WPA2-PSK-AES. If not possible because you do not have a 1TX1RX alfa ath9k router, please take a AWUS036NHA and use this in AP mode.

Please make the most pure range test possible. Do not care that much about how many SSID's are shown or what signal quality is been shown. The only relevant thing is: Does the adapter connect and can load websites? If yes, how far can you get until this is not possible any more? At what range what adapters loose the range-game?

Please test those Alfa adapters in client mode connected to a modern live linux ISO file (for example the shortly released ubuntu 24.10 or 2024.3 kali linux live release) and please use always the same rp-sma antenna fixed to something at a range testpoint so that the antenna can not change its position even a tiny bit when changing the USB adapter while testing the range point. You should turn the adapters into the antenna, not the antenna into the adapters (i think you know what i mean).

AWUS036ACHM AWUS036NHA AWUS036NHR AWUS036NHV AWUS051NH AWUS036EW AWUS036NEH AWUS036H

And if i missed one that you have, then it would be great to also include that one in the test. I know that many drivers reported great signal but you was never able to connect and transfer data when far away and things like that. The test to connect and load websites (browsing the web) cant be faked by anything on the driver side. Please set the Firefox browser setting to always delete all the cache when closing the browser. Close browser after each adapter, change adapter, open browser and browse the same websites again.

This would be the final range test covering the whole Alfa Network company history of relevant products for this use case. Like already tested many times by you and by other people, additional antennas had no benefit so all adapters with more then one antenna are not that interesting for this test.

Thanks a lot for such a range test. It would be sort of a small dream to see such range test released.

morrownr commented 1 month ago

@ieffuie4

I guess I need to get started on a new range test. I'll take what you are asking for and come up with a plan and then we can go back and forth on the details.

I do have a lot of adapters. The number varies as I sometimes send adapters to those who are willing to help work on a driver or test or for various other reasons. My adapters are spread out over the various chipsets. I have adapters from many brands. I have several Alfa and Panda adapter but I also have many other brands. On the list of Alfa adapters you posted above, the only one I have is the ACHM. What I think is that step one is for me to make a list of the adapters that I have and post it here. Maybe that will help us make a plan. Thoughts?

ieffuie4 commented 1 month ago

To my knowledge Alfa is offering hardware to kernel developers. Would you like to ask Alfa to send you the above listed adapters with exception of the ACHM? It would be interesting to see their response. You can also tell them, that you would like to do sort of a "Alfa Networks usb adapters history review" or something like that. Thats why you need at best all single detachable antenna adapters from them they ever released. Many of the Alfa adapters have some sort of a LNA build on to the PCB. So just comparing the chipsets would get some completely different results. Thats the main reason why i told about making the tests with Alfa adapters.

You could of course also just get them second hand cheap off ebay. You wrote that you are from the US so there should be some offers available in the country. Do i expect that you are also interested in such a test and would like to get the adapters on the list even on your own with your money?

Having some entry somewhere that lists your adapters could be in general usefull. But this is a different topic for other usecases then the Alfa Network single TX/RX usb adapters. The Github search system could help people with the same adapters and issues with their adapters to find this github page here and ask a kernel driver developer for help knowing that the developer have the same adapter they have problems with. Do not forget to look every few months at the list to keep it updated when you give out some adapters to others and then do not have them any more for tests.

morrownr commented 1 month ago

Would you like to ask Alfa to send you the above listed adapters with exception of the ACHM?

I actually have a source for Alfa adapters. I do have several Alfa adapters but then I have a lot of non-Alfa adapters also.

I am not well set up to do what it seems that you want. My primary goal with this site is to help users with information regarding usb wifi adapters that can be bought new right now.

Do not forget to look every few months at the list to keep it updated when you give out some adapters to others and then do not have them any more for tests.

I am very careful to not give away the last of any specific chip. I am slowly working on a document that shows my current inventory. I think it will be useful going forward. How about I finish the list and make it public and then we can discuss what to do about a range test.

Regards