Wardriving guide

USB LIVE BOOT SETUP (Optional)

1. Create a Bootable USB with Persistence

- Download the Kali Linux Live ISO from the official Kali website.

- Use Rufus to write the ISO to your USB drive. Rufus is required for persistence to work correctly.

Rufus Settings:

- File system: FAT32

- Cluster size: 64 kilobytes

- Enable persistence and allocate as much space as possible.

2. Boot into Kali Live

- Choose the "Live Boot" option at startup.

- Once on the desktop, create a test file (e.g., a text file).

- Reboot and check if the file is still there. If it is, persistence is working.

3. Update Kali (Critical Step)

Run the following commands in Terminal:

    sudo apt update

    sudo apt upgrade -y

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FIXING REPOSITORIES & SYSTEM TIME (If Needed)

1. Reset Kali Rolling Repository:

    sudo bash -c 'echo "deb http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main contrib non-free non-free-firmware" > /etc/apt/sources.list'

2. Fix Time Sync Issues:

    sudo timedatectl set-ntp true

    sudo systemctl restart systemd-timesyncd

    timedatectl   # Use this to verify time is correct

3. Re-run the update/upgrade:

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

4. Optional Cleanup:

    sudo apt clean

    sudo apt autoremove -y

5. Reboot if needed:

    sudo reboot

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GPS CONFIGURATION

1. Install GPS Tools:

    sudo apt install -y gpsd gpsd-clients python3-gps

Bonus (for Kismet compatibility):

    sudo apt install -y kismet gpsbabel gnuplot

2. Set GPS Device:

Edit the GPSD config file:

    sudo nano /etc/default/gpsd

Find the line starting with DEVICES= and change it to:

    DEVICES="/dev/ttyACM0"

Save and exit (Ctrl + X, then Y, then Enter).

3. Restart gpsd:

    sudo systemctl restart gpsd

4. Verify GPS Lock:

    cgps

    xgps

Wait a few seconds to see GPS coordinates appear.

5. Troubleshooting GPS:

    sudo systemctl start gpsd         # Start GPSD

    sudo systemctl status gpsd        # Check if it's running

    sudo systemctl enable gpsd        # Enable GPSD at boot

    sudo systemctl restart gpsd       # Restart GPSD

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ALLOW GPS DATA IN KISMET

1. Edit Kismet Config:

    sudo nano /etc/kismet/kismet.conf

Scroll to the GPS CONFIGURATION section. Find this line:

    # gps=gpsd:host=localhost,port=2947

Uncomment it (remove the #), so it reads:

    gps=gpsd:host=localhost,port=2947

Save and exit the file.

2. Restart Kismet:

    sudo systemctl restart kismet

3. Launch Kismet:

    sudo kismet

Open the Kismet web interface and check for live GPS coordinates.

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INSTALL REALTEK DRIVER FOR ALFA AWUS036ACS (RTL8812AU)

1. Install Dependencies:

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

2. Download the Driver:

    cd /usr/src/

    sudo git clone https://github.com/aircrack-ng/rtl8812au.git

3. Install the Driver with DKMS:

    sudo dkms add ./rtl8812au

    sudo dkms build 8812au/5.6.4.2

    sudo dkms install 8812au/5.6.4.2

4. Reboot the System:

    sudo reboot

5. Verify the Device:

After rebooting, run:

    iwconfig    # Check for wlan interface

    lsusb       # Ensure USB adapter is detected

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ONE-LINER SCRIPT FOR RAPID SETUP (Optional)

Run this on a fresh Kali install to handle driver setup automatically:

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

    git clone https://github.com/aircrack-ng/rtl8812au.git && \

    cd rtl8812au && make && sudo make install && sudo depmod -a && \

    echo "88XXau" | sudo tee -a /etc/modules && \

    echo 'ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0bda", ATTR{idProduct}=="8813", RUN+="/sbin/modprobe 88XXau"' | \

    sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/8814au.rules && \

    sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

🔧 How to Install Realtek Drivers for RTL8812AU and RTL8814AU on Kali Linux

If you're running Kali Linux and using a Realtek-based USB Wi-Fi adapter — such as the ALFA AWUS036ACS (💻 RTL8812AU) or ALFA AWUS1900 (📡 RTL8814AU) — you may notice your adapter doesn't show up with iwconfig out of the box. This guide walks you through installing the correct drivers for these chipsets, step by step.

🧠 Realtek Driver Overview

Not all Realtek chipsets are supported by the same drivers. For RTL8812AU, use the aircrack-ng/rtl8812au repository. For RTL8814AU, use the morrownr/8814au repository — it's more up to date and works better for that chipset (and also supports RTL8812AU).

🔍 Step 1: Identify Your Adapter

Run the command: lsusb

Look for a line like:

"Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8812AU"

or

"Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8814AU"

Once you know your chipset, follow the appropriate installation method below.

🔧 Method 1: Installing RTL8814AU Drivers (Recommended for ALFA AWUS1900)

🧹 Step 1: Remove any conflicting drivers

Run these commands:

sudo rm -rf /etc/udev/rules.d/8814au.rules

sudo rm -rf /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/88XXau*

sudo modprobe -r 88XXau

sudo depmod -a

📦 Step 2: Install required packages

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

⬇️ Step 3: Clone and install the driver

git clone https://github.com/morrownr/8814au.git

cd 8814au

sudo ./install-driver.sh

🔁 Step 4: Reboot your system

sudo reboot

🔎 Step 5: Verify the adapter is active

Run: iwconfig (you should see wlan1 or similar)

Then run: lsmod | grep 8814au (you should see the driver loaded)

🔧 Method 2: Installing RTL8812AU Drivers (For ALFA AWUS036ACS)

📦 Step 1: Install required packages

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

⬇️ Step 2: Clone the driver repository

cd /usr/src/

sudo git clone https://github.com/aircrack-ng/rtl8812au.git

🔧 Step 3: Install with DKMS

sudo dkms add ./rtl8812au

sudo dkms build 8812au/5.6.4.2

sudo dkms install 8812au/5.6.4.2

🔁 Step 4: Reboot

sudo reboot

🔎 Step 5: Verify the adapter

iwconfig

lsusb

⚡ Optional: RTL8812AU One-Liner Setup Script

If you want to install everything in one command (for RTL8812AU only), run:

sudo apt install -y dkms build-essential libelf-dev linux-headers-$(uname -r) && git clone https://github.com/aircrack-ng/rtl8812au.git && cd rtl8812au && make && sudo make install && sudo depmod -a && echo "88XXau" | sudo tee -a /etc/modules && echo 'ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0bda", ATTR{idProduct}=="8813", RUN+="/sbin/modprobe 88XXau"' | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/8814au.rules && sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

✅ What’s Next?

Once your Realtek adapter is working, you can:

🛰 Enable monitor mode using airmon-ng

📡 Scan nearby networks with airodump-ng

🔐 Capture wireless packets using Wireshark or Kismet

💥 Test packet injection for pentesting

Need help setting up monitor mode or using Kismet? Reach out or check out the full Wireless Pentesting Toolkit Guide.