Knowledge Base

Helium is a decentralized wireless network using low power smart devices (IoT) to transmit and receive data to and from the internet. Coverage providers for the Helium Network are known as "miners". Miners purchase a Helium Hotspot to use RF radio signals to provide coverage in return for payment in Helium tokens (abbreviated as the cryptocurrency HNT). Miners earn greater amounts of HNT if they transmit and receive with more Helium hotspots, so hotspot placement and antenna strength are key factors in HNT earning potential.

Click here for additional information on Helium.

Rokspots.com is our Rokland website for Miner sales. 

Click here to join the Helium Community discord.

You can also join our official channel in the Helium Community discord!

Search the area you will be installing your miner to make sure it has optimal conditions. You can do so on the Helium Explorer Map. 

One of the best choices you can make is getting an appropriate antenna for your location, whether you're in the city, suburbs, or out in a rural environment. Typically in the suburbs, you'll be best off with a 4 to 8 dBi antenna. You won't need as much vertical range as in a city so this would provide a good trade-off between the horizontal reach and vertical beamwidth of the antenna. For rural environments, we recommend the 8 to 10 dBi antenna. This will offer maximum range for reaching those far away hotspots. 

Learn more about how to choose an appropriate antenna for your miner here.

Once you've selected your antenna, you're going to need to select a compatible shielded cable. Shielding is what prevents electrical interference.

Here are additional shielding facts:

- The higher the shielding the stronger the signal sent from your hotpot. 

- Choosing a cable with a higher shielding grade will offer less dB loss.

- The most common shielding grades are 200, 400, and 600. 

You can learn more about the Helium Network on our Rokland Super Tech YouTube Channel, Rokland's Blog and the Helium Website.

Rokland Antennas are tuned to 900-930 MHz with the exception of our 4 dBi antenna which is tuned to 830-960 MHz and our 5 dBi Omni Outdoor 868 MHz antenna.

The antenna frequency you need depends on which country you are installing your antenna in. 

Here are the antenna frequencies for some countries:

- United States: US915

- Canada: US915

- Mexico: US915

- Puerto Rico: US915

- United Kingdom: EU868

- France: EU868

- Spain: US868

- Australia: AU915

- Brazil: AU915

-India: IN685

- Costa Rica: AS923_1

If you can't find your country in the list, don't worry! You can click the link below to find the antenna frequency of your country!

Click here for ALL

When you purchase a new antenna for your Helium miner, your witness list will not update automatically and immediately after changing antennas. Your witness list is cumulative of the last 5 days of activity. For example:

Monday: 10

Tuesday: 6

Wednesday: 9

Thursday: 4

Friday: 7

Witness total = 36

In the above check, we have 36 witnesses. Notice the count varies by day, even though the above example is the same miner, in the same location, with the same antenna. Now we install a new antenna on Saturday, but we don't change the specs in our Helium app. On Sunday our list looks like this:

Tuesday: 6

Wednesday: 9

Thursday: 4

Friday: 7

Saturday: 6

Witness total = 32

It would appear our new antenna has caused a drop in witnesses, but we actually witnessed more on Saturday then we did on Thursday. Clearly, waiting one day is not enough. So we wait several more days and our count looks like this:Friday: 7

Saturday: 6

Sunday: 8

Monday: 9

Tuesday: 8

Witness total = 38

It is getting better, but our count is still varying by day with no change to the antenna. This is normal, as witness count also depends on activity of other miners around you. 

If you update your antenna specs, miner location, or elevation in the Helium app when you update your antenna, your witness count will be reset. So let's revisit the above scenario, and assume you did one of these things. In our first set above, we had 36 witnesses. So on Saturday we change the antenna gain and elevation in the app, now our list looks like this:

Witness total = 0 (because the count reset).

So we wait until Monday and our list looks like this:

Saturday: 8

Sunday: 9

Witness total = 17

It would seem like huge drop, right? You were "seeing" 36 witnesses before you changed the antenna, but now you see only 17. Remember, the 17 is cumulative of the last two days, whereas the 36 was of the previous five days. This is why it is important to give your new antenna five days to fully propagate the witness list. Check your activity to ensure your new setup is working. After your witness count resets, you should still see beacon activity on your miner. If you have waited 24 hours and there is no activity, then something could be wrong. Do not wait 5 days if there is zero beacon activity going on your miner.

Click here to watch YouTube guide. 

In theory yes, however, having your antenna outdoor will always offer superior performance to having it indoors. Drywalls, concrete, and wood can impact signal strength. The higher the antenna is mounted the better. 

HOA is not allowed to restrict radio towers/antennas. You are legally allowed by the FCC to set up a radio antenna/tower for personal use. 

There are no real-world performance differences. Some customers purchase the low profile because they don't have much space or prefer the look of the low profile antenna.

You can learn more about antenna height and if that affects the gain or not in this blog post:

https://store.rokland.com/blogs/news/understanding-helium-antennas

The performance difference between the Rokland Outdoor 5.8 dBi Helium Antenna and the Rokland Outdoor 6 dBi Helium Antenna is minimal if at all noticeable. The two antennas are tuned in a very similar manner, and the real-world performance difference will be marginal. 

The more noticeable differences between our 5.8 dBi and 6 dBi antenna would be the connectors and height of the antennas. The Rokland 5.8 has a N-Male connector with a profile of 32 in. While the Rokland 6 dBi has an N-Female connector and has a low profile design using less fiberglass for lower protrusion at 21.6 in. With these differences being noted, the choice of cable and the preferred height of the antenna will be more determining factors on which antenna to choose, rather than for performance as they both produce very similar results. 

You can learn more about antenna height and if that effects the gain or not in this blog post:

https://store.rokland.com/blogs/news/understanding-helium-antennas

Click here to watch YouTube guide. 

Yes, the same shielding performance. It's just made by different manufacturers. 

Learn more about Coaxial Cable terms here. 

We find LMR, RFC, and CFD to be great brands in our own testing, and RFC specifically to offer the best overall value. 

Learn more about our choices in cables here.

dBi is not the same as dB loss, this is a very common misconception.

dBi measures the antenna’s beam width and will always stay the same. An 8 dBi antenna is always sending its signal out in the same path as determined by the dBi number.

dB (not dBi) loss is the loss measured from cables or other connectors that decrease the total strength of the antenna. Our rule of thumb is to keep total dB loss under 2.5

dBi concerns beam width, while dB is signal loss decreasing the total distance the signal will travel from the antenna.

If you plan to purchase an upgraded antenna you want to pair the new antenna with an appropriately shielded cable. The cable shielding reduces signal gain loss between your antenna and your Helium hotspot.  As the length of your cable increases so does your gain loss. For lengths up to and including 20 ft. we recommend 200 or 240 grade shielding. For lengths above 20 ft. we suggest 400 grade, and if you're needing a cable over 60ft. the 600 grade is ideal. 

For more cable questions or for a custom cable quote reach out to us in the live chat or at sales@rokland.com

Click here to read a Reddit article with quite a few solutions on port forwarding.

Before returning your antenna, you may want to remember these key things.

1. Time- it can take a few days, in rare cases up to a week for a miner to synch with a new antenna. If it has only been online for a day or two, and you are seeing some beacon activity in the Helium app but no witnesses and/or low rewards or worse results than your factory antenna, more time may be needed.

2. Double-check connections- if you have no activity at all on the miner and 0 earnings and more than 24 hours have passed, double-check to make sure your antenna cable is fully connected to the miner, and the antenna is fully connected to the cable. Make sure the antenna is upright and not laying down or at an angle.

3. Elevation/change location- If you have some activity but lower than desired, elevation could help. If you are testing the antenna indoors at ground level, moving it outside and higher up can help.

If you are still not seeing results, please contact our staff and we can further assist you with the return.

A lightning arrestor connects the antenna to the antenna cable. It passes the RF signal from one to the other through a medium that, when it gets too much power, it breaks, just like a fuse. 

A lightning arrestor will NOT stop a direct lightning strike. All a lightning arrestor really does is protect your electronics against the static electricity that can build up during a storm. 

About 50% of our customers opt to ground their antennas. A lighting arrestor is not mandatory.

Most customers use 10-gauge copper wires to ground their Helium setups.

The magnetic base is not built to be weatherproof but you can seal off the connection points with weatherproof tape if you want to install it outside. Furthermore, since the base is coated in powder, the coat could chip off if debris falls on it.

WiFi 6E is the latest iteration of wireless technology, providing faster internet speeds, lower latency, and improved network efficiency. WiFi 6E is ideal for streaming high-quality video content, gaming, and other bandwidth-intensive applications. Additionally, WiFi 6E provides support for more connected devices, ensuring that all devices connected to the network receive a fast and stable connection.

However, there are also some negatives associated with WiFi 6E. New WiFi 6e routers can be expensive. Additionally, some WiFi 6E routers do not allow you to separate the frequency bands, not allowing you to select which band you want to use at that very moment, which can cause problems with compatibility and performance, making it seem like an onboard WiFi card is better than a power WiFi USB adapter, even though that may not be the case. This can be frustrating for users who want to customize their network settings for optimal performance.

Another potential downside of WiFi 6E is that it may not travel as far as previous wireless technologies, such as WiFi 5 or 4. This is because the higher frequency bands used in WiFi 6E are more susceptible to interference from walls, furniture, and other obstacles. As a result, WiFi 6E signals may not be able to penetrate through walls and other barriers as effectively, limiting their range and making them more suitable for smaller spaces or environments with less interference. However, this limitation can be offset by using additional access points or mesh networking technology to extend the range of the network.

Overall, WiFi 6E has its pros and cons, but it is undoubtedly a significant advancement in wireless technology that can greatly enhance the internet experience. While it may come with some initial costs and potential compatibility issues, the benefits of faster speeds, more reliable performance, and better connectivity make it a worthwhile investment for those who demand the best from their wireless networks.

AWUS036AML is a tri-band WiFi client, that works on 2.4 Ghz, 5 Ghz, and 6 Ghz. 6 GHz is the fastest band, but also short range. This is because as frequency goes up, data speed goes up and range decreases. Slower/lower frequencies have greater range.

All WiFi 6E routers also broadcast 3 separate WiFi networks, one for each band. In most cases though, your device only detects one "network" or SSID associated with the router. Many WiFi 6E routers, like Amazon's EERO Pro 6E, use smart connection technology to only broadcast one network name instead of three separate ones. Then, when you connect a device to the WiFi network, the router places you on one of the 3 bands. If your ALFA AWUS036AXML is not showing as many bars as your onboard card, it is probably not on the same network, even though it may appear to be. If you are further from the router, you may have a 3 or 4 bar connection to the 6 GHz band, while your built-in laptop card has a 5 bar connection on 2.4 Ghz. But, because of smart connect technology, it would appear that the devices are on the same network.It is easy to check to see what band your WiFi card is on by going to the network properties.

In the above scenario, our laptop has 4 bars of signal to our EERO Pro 6E, while the AWUS036AXML has only 1 bar. The reason is because we are very far from the network, and the EERO has placed the internal card on 2.4 Ghz, but kept the AWUS036XAML on 6 Ghz, where the signal is weak, and the speed is slow.Because the EERO Pro 6E does not allow you to turn off the Smart Connect feature and broadcast a separate WiFi network for each band, we recommend a 6E WiFi router that does, such as the TP-LINK Archer AXE75, so that you have the freedom to connect to 2.4 or 5 Ghz signals when further away from the router.In the router settings for the TP-Link AXE75, you can broadcast a separate WiFi network for 2.4 Ghz, 5 Ghz, and 6 Ghz. If your AWUS036AXML is showing fewer bars than your onboard card, it is most likely because though they are connected to the same WiFi router, they are actually on different bands and networks. And that may not be bad- in some cases throughput on 6 Ghz with a four-bar connection may be better than full bars on a 2.4 GHz.

Just the same- if your AWUS036AXML is showing slower speeds with full bars on a WiFi router, it could be the so-called "Smart Connect" feature of the router has placed your ALFA adapter on 2.4 Ghz instead of 6 Ghz. Another reason why choosing a WiFi router with the ability to send out different networks is essential for ensuring the best WiFi performance.

Does having 3 separate networks coming from my router mean devices won't be able to communicate with each other locally?

No, by turning off smart connect on most routers and enabling the broadcast of three separate SSIDs, you are not changing the router and creating 3 fully separate WiFi networks. Your router is going to put different devices on different bands anyway, it just may not be the most optimal band for your device when the smart connect feature is enabled. In our testing, we were able to print wirelessly and connect to a music server on the Linksys HydraPro 6E even when connected to one of the three separate WiFi networks the device broadcasted. Note, this may not be the case if you enable a separate Guest network. 

USB hubs sure come in handy, especially when you have a lot of USB peripherals to use with your PC like a mouse, keyboard, microphone, speakers etc. However USB hubs can also disrupt powerflow to devices and cause disconnections with USB WiFi clients. To understand why, it is important to understand how USB hubs work.

USB hubs without their own power source simply divide power of a single USB port to multiple devices. A mouse, keyboard, or microphone don't use very much power- 20 to 40 mA. Standard USB ports output 500 mA. So using a multi-port USB hub won't be an issue with these types of low power devices. 500 mA is more than enough to power three 40 mA devices.But what about a USB hard drive, or a USB WiFi booster? These devices use close to all of the 500 mA output from a USB port. Therefore, using with a USB hub typically means you won't get enough power to the device, or plugging in another device to the hub may cause a disconnect.For example, when testing a popular low-cost USB hub available on Amazon, we found that our USB hard drive was not recognized. And if we plugged the hard drive into the hub while an ALFA USB WiFi booster was plugged into the PC, the ALFA adapter disconnected from the computer. Plugging in the hard drive surged the power on the port and caused our devices to not work correctly. This also happened when plugging in USB to HDMI video adapter.

Therefore, if using a USB hub, we recommend a powered hub (one with its own AC power supply) that can draw additional power from an AC source in the event the PCs internal USB hub card cannot provide enough power. But even a powered hub can still cause buffering issues. What about a USB extension cable?As USB cables get longer, they lose the ability to transfer full power. This is known as mA loss, or cable loss. A very short 3ft USB extension cable may be OK with a high power-consuming device like a hard drive or USB WiFi client, but a longer extension like 20 feet may not output enough power.Different brand USB extension cables also vary in quality. Heavy shielded USB extension cables or USB active repeater cables have less power loss than cheaper extension cables. Not all cables are created equally, and use of a low cost of cable or one with lesser shielding may not have enough power to operate your device. 

If you are using the ALFA Network AWUS036AXML with an Eero 6E Pro router, the Eero may put you on the 6 GHz band even if you are further away from the router and get a very weak signal.

Because 6 Ghz signals do not travel far and are only meant for short range transmission, when you are further from the router you may wish to connect your AWUS036AXML band to the 5 Ghz band for better peformance.Some routers like the Linksys HydraPro 6E allow you to setup separate WiFi networks (or SSIDs) for each band. Such as HydraPro, HydraPro5Ghz, and HydraPro6E.The Eero does not, nor does it yet determine if your signal is too weak on 6 Ghz that you should be transferred to 5 Ghz. The result is your performance be very poor with a Linksys Eero if you are further away.

Solution:

When using a USB hub with your computer, there may not be enough power to operate Alfa USB adapters. If you cannot see any networks with your device, try plugging the device directly into a USB port on the computer.

Some PCs have a combination of low power and regular power USB ports. Try the adapter on all of the ports on your computer to see if it works with any.

If your Alfa device is not working, check Device Manager for an error code. Windows error codes provide insight on problems. For Windows 10, with your Alfa adapter connected to a USB port, at the bottom of the screen in the search box, type "Device Manager" without quotes. A small menu will appear- select Device Manager.

When the Device Manager opens, click the + to the left of Network Adapters in the list. This will expand the row and show the different networking devices installed on the computer. Look for one called ""Realtek 8812AU Wireless LAN 802.11ac USB NIC."

Then click it once to highlight it and right-click and select Properties.

In the Properties window, check for an error code or warning message in 'Device Status' and either write it down or take a screen shot to email to support staff.

Then click the Driver tab and record or screen capture the driver version and date. This information will help our staff determine if your device has the latest driver installed.

Connecting to a network with your Alfa USB adapter in Windows 10 is easy, but it is different from previous versions of Windows. When you click the WiFi icon in the bottom right corner of your screen, you no longer see networks for both your internal Wi-Fi card and the Alfa adapter, you see only networks for the internal card.

Just above the list of available networks is a drop down menu and you can toggle between WiFi (the internal card) and WiFi 2 (the ALFA product).

On most PCs, WiFi is the internal WiFi card, and WiFi 2 is the Alfa adapter. If you have a desktop or other PC that does not have a built-in WiFi card, then WiFi will represent the Alfa adapter.

If you have owned other WiFi products before, your Alfa device may appear as WiFi 3 or WiFi 4.

Locate the network you wish to connect to, and click it, then click the Connect button that appears.

If you have an internal WiFi card, you can click the ON/OFF button on the screen next to WiFi to turn it off, which helps ensure your PC is using your Alfa adapter for Internet access.

When attempting to put one of these adapters into monitor mode in Kali Linux, you may get this error (note on your computer, the device may be wlan0 or wlan1, check first to find out- on our PC it is wlan1):

phy0 wlan1 8812au Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8812AU 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WLAN Adapter
cat: /sys/class/ieee80211/phy0/device/net/wlan0mon/type: No such file or directory

Run this command to start monitor mode:

iwconfig wlan1 mode monitor

Then run airmon-ng start wlan1 and it should confirm it is monitor mode.

If that does not work, here is an alternative:

Download the monitor model driver:
apt install realtek-rtl88xxau-dkms

Then, run these commands:

ip link set dev wlan1 down
iwconfig wlan1 mode monitor
ip link set dev wlan1 up
airmon-ng check kill
airmon-ng start wlan1 6

Kernels supported ccording to https://github.com/diederikdehaas/rtl8812AU:

v3.2

v3.16

v4.1.x ~ v4.14.0

v4.15.x

NOTE: Linux kernel version older than v3.16 is usually not supported, only referred versions.

This first article shows the steps. It notes earlier in the summer the process would not work because something from Github was not updated, but as of the person’s August 2018 update, it should work:
 
https://www.learningpenguin.net/2018/01/30/install-realtek-rtl8812au-wifi-driver-linux/
 
See also these useful pages related to RTL8812AU chip and Ubuntu 18.04 and alternative ways to get working:
 
https://github.com/nilportugues/rtl8812au-wifi-driver-ubuntu18.04
 
https://github.com/wheelcomplex/rtl8812au-ubuntu-18.04
 
http://www.kreezcraft.com/ubuntu-17-10-and-edup-ac600-wifi-adapter-2/
 
And here is a general Linux install video that could be helpful though it is not specifically for Ubuntu 18.04:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=XJ0gcA778Ms

ALFA Network Inc. has published this guide on what to do if your R36A router becomes bricked or unsuable during or after a firmware update. Before following the steps in this article, if your screen is disrupted during a firmware update, such as you get a page not found error, do not power off your R36A or take any action. Instead wait at least 5 minutes and try logging back into the system. On rare occasion, your browser may refresh and show an error during a firmware update but the update is still occuring on the back end and will finish normally. 

If your R36A continues to be inaccessible though, follow these steps to attempt to recover. Note that the article references installing an older firmware update as that was the latest version at time of publication, but you can use a newer version. 

Some campgrounds do not use normal Wi-Fi encryption and instead use an advanced login system whereby after a device is connected to the network, the user is taken by web page to a sign in screen. This screens, called splash screens or captive portals, do not always redirect properly with Camp Pro kit and other repeaters.

FIX 1

Try connecting your device directly to campground network and bookmarking the splash screen signin page in your browser. Then go through Camp Pro setup and when finished, attempt to load the bookmark.

FIX 2 (more complex workaround)- requires Windows 10 PC

Remove the USB cable going from your Alfa Tube to your R36A and plug it into your PC instead. Your Alfa Tube should now be plugged into the PC. If the Tube is setup automatically by Windows, go to WiFi and disconnect from any network to which your built-in card is connected. Then go to WiFi 2 per the image below and connect to your campground network.

If your computer does not show WiFi 2 per the above image when the Tube is plugged in, then download and install the Tube-U software from the Rokland web site at this link:

http://www.rokland.com/mask/drivers/rt3070/RT3070-5.1.25.0-Feb16.exe

Once installed, connect to the Campground WiFi under WiFi 2 option of Windows 10 or 8 (or Wireless Connection 2 for Windows 7). Open a browser and login into your service provider and/or accept the terms. Verify you can visit web sites. Then reconnect the Tube to the Camp Pro router and repeat the Camp Pro setup process. If all goes as intended, you should be online immediately after completing Camp Pro setup without the need to go to a signin page.

FIX 3

Contact your camp ground or location technical support for further help and ask them how to configure a "repeater" on their Wi-Fi network. In rare cases some campgrounds or businesses prohibit repeaters and will use splash screen login pages to prevent the Wi-Fi signal from being repeated/shared. This can be done out of network security concerns since if someone leaves a repeater unsecured it makes the whole network vulnerable.

From time to time you may encounter a campground Wi-Fi network that does not use traditional encryption where you enter a password/passkey at the time of connection. Instead, the campground may be using a captive portal login system, where the network is technically open (no password protection), but once you connect and try to go to a web page, you get redirected to a screen where you have to accept a Terms of Service, enter a password, or do both.

Usually with the Alfa WiFi Camp Pro 2/Camp Pro 2 Mini and R36A router, you simply will not see the "hotspot password" field during setup and will proceed to complete setup as if it were an open network. When finished, if you try to go to a web page you will be redirected to the campground's captive portal page to sign in.

But because captive portals are not standardized technology, at some parks this may not happen, and you may be able to see a Connected status on the Camp Pro status page, but you won't be able to get redirected to the captive portal sign in page and thus no web pages will load.

A new workaround to this is to use the R36A router's MAC ID cloning feature. 

The first step in this process is to connect one of your devices, such as your laptop or tablet, directly to the campground network and sign in via the captive portal page. Once signed in, you will need to obtain the MAC ID, aka MAC address of your device. MAC means Media Access Control, and is not related to Apple Mac computers FYI. 

Determining your device's MAC ID may involve Google. Here is how to find it on some more common devices:

1. Samsung Galaxy/Android: Settings > About Phone > Status > WiFi Address
2. Microsoft Windows 10
3. Apple iPhone 10 > Settings > General > About > WiFi Address

MAC IDs consist of letters and numbers with a colon between every two characters, such as 12:1A:12:A1:A0:12 (this is just an example, do not try to use this one), and in order for this feature to work, you must enter the MAC ID correctly during the R36A setup. Therefore we recommend making a screenshot or writing it down and double-checking it. Even one wrong character means this solution will fail.

Once you have the MAC ID of your device, login to your R36A setup area and go through Easy Setup as normal. After you have selected the network and are on the final page of setup, enter the MAC ID where it says "Clone Mac address". 



Then complete setup. The campground should recognize the R36A and grant it immediate Internet access without you needing to go to the captive portal page. This can also be a useful feature if your park network restricts the total number of devices you can connect to their network- with MAC cloning, the R36A does not count against your device limit.

If you encounter any problems, repeat the setup process and remove the MAC ID you entered from the Clone MAC address field and complete setup. This will cause the R36A to join the campground network again with its own MAC address as normal. If problems continue, engage a factory reset per the instructions.

Summary: MAC address cloning on R36A will help you get around captive portal network login issues. First you must connect a device like a laptop or cell phone to the campground WiFi network and signin at the captive portal page. Then locate that device's MAC address, and enter it during R36A setup in the Clone Mac Address field. The process will not work if you mistype the MAC address, or if you are using the MAC address of a device that has not successfully joined the campground network already.

If you are trying to access your Alfa WiFi Camp Pro or Alfa WiFi Camp Pro 2 setup area, and are getting a message that the page cannot be found, you may not be connected to the Alfa WiFi Camp Pro WiFi signal.

Out of box, your Alfa WiFi Camp Pro and Camp Pro 2 send out their own WiFi signal. For the Camp Pro it is called 'Alfa_AP'. For the Camp Pro 2 & Camp Pro 2 Mini, it is called WiFi-CampPro2-####. You must join the Camp Pro network before you can get into the setup area.

If using Microsoft Windows 10, be sure to connect your PCs WiFi to the WiFiCampPro signal first.

Then, once you are connected, you can go to the Alfa Camp Setup IP address. For Alfa Camp Pro original version and R36, this is 192.168.2.1

For Alfa Camp Pro 2, this is 192.168.36.1

If you are connected by LAN cable, please ensure your LAN cable is connected to your PC at one end and the LAN port of the R36/R36A at the other (the LAN port is closest to the power connector on the R36).

If you are still unable to get the setup area to load still, please contact your retailer's technical support.

If your router used to work correct but has become unresponsive, or you have forgotten the admin password, you can do a factory reset.

With the R36A powered on, press and hold in the reset button on the bottom side of the unit for about 10 seconds. You will see the SYS light begin flashing very rapidly. Once you see this, release the reset button and wait 180 seconds for reset to complete. Then you should be able to access the R36A admin area just like you did with first time setup without a password. You will be asked to create and verify a new admin password during setup.

One of the most common reasons for setup issues with Alfa Camp Pro 2 is not understanding your device must be connected to the "WiFiCampPro###" network your Camp Pro equipment broadcasts in order for the setup area to load.

Though you are using a web browser to do the setup, the 192.168.36.1 setup IP address is not actually an Internet/web site, it is what is called a local IP address that pulls up the setup software stored on the Camp Pro 2's R36A router. So if your computer is connected to your campground Wi-Fi network directly, the setup IP address will not work.

Join the "WiFiCampPro###" on your device and then it should work. But on some iPads, iPhones, and Samsung phones, depending on your software version and settings, you may join the "WiFiCampPro###" network and find the 192.168.36.1 login IP address still does not load.

The reason is because our phones are getting smarter, and when you connect to a WiFi signal like "WiFiCampPro###" that does not have Internet access yet, you phone assumes you want to be on the Internet immediately so it may then auto-jump onto 4G or a different WiFi network saved in memory (as is the case with iPad).

We are working on an App for configuration that will resolve this type of issue, but in the meantime, here are the solutions:

IPAD

If your iPad is Wi-Fi only and does not use 4G, the only time you may have an issue is if you have already connected to the camp network with the iPad directly. Then, when you connect to "WiFiCampPro### and the iPad detects there is no Internet, it will auto connect you to another network saved in memory, in this case the campground. Go to your list of available networks on the iPad, click on the campground network, and select forget. This should allow you to maintain your connection to "WiFiCampPro###" so you can complete setup

IPHONE AND SAMSUNG GALAXY

Iphones and Samsung phones have the same "saved network" issued as the iPad above, so follow that solution first. But even if there are no networks saved in memory within range, the phones may go one step further and put you onto 4G mobile data when they detect there is no Internet coming through "WiFiCampPro###." The solution is to turn off your 4G mobile data in your phone settings. Now you should be able to maintain a connection to "WiFiCampPro###" long enough to complete setup.

Note that once the "WiFiCampPro###" has Internet at your location, you can turn your mobile data back on. The phones will not have any issues using "WiFiCampPro###" as long as the Camp Pro 2 has Internet. It is only when you first arrive at a new location and are doing the setup that the above issues arise.

When setting up your R36A router in Alfa Camp Pro Kit 2 or Alfa R36A retail standalone, there are two passwords to deal with. The first is the admin password you are required to set the first time you configure the router. The second is the encryption key (Wi-Fi network password) that you give the Wi-Fi network the R36A creates toward the end of the setup process.

Resetting the Admin password

This can only be done by factory reset. With the R36A powered on, press and hold in the reset button on the bottom side of the unit for about 10 seconds. You will see the SYS light begin flashing very rapidly. Once you see this, release the reset button and wait 180 seconds for reset to complete. Then you should be able to access the R36A admin area just like you did with first time setup without a password. You will be asked to create and verify a new admin password during setup.

Resetting the Encryption Key (Wi-Fi network password)

If you know the admin password, you can login to the R36A using an Ethernet cable and reset the Wireless password by going to Local Network > Wireless 2.4G and change the password in the "Key" field at the bottom.

If you have a good strong signal coming to your Camp Pro 2 or R36A router, but every time you go through setup and enter your network password in the Hotspot Password field, you still have a Disconnected status after setup finishes, it may be time to verify the password you are entering for your home network is correct. Even though you may be 99.9% sure, it is always good to be 100% sure. Fortunately this is easy to do if you have a Windows 10 computer.

First, remove any Ethernet cable going between your computer and the Camp Pro 2 or R36A router. Then connect your Windows 10 PC Wi-Fi to your home network. Once you are connected, follow these steps (with screenshots) from our friends at Plannerwire to see on the screen what your network password is. This can be helpful in remembering if there are any capital letters in your password (WiFi passwords are case sensitive), or if that round character is a zero or an O. Click this link to see instructions:

https://plannerwire.net/how-to-find-the-current-wifi-password-in-windows-10/

It is not possible to upgrade the ALFA Camp Pro 2 V2/R36A Router because the Camp Pro 3 includes all new components including a new router, a new Tube, and a new antenna.

In addition, both the new Tube and antenna are dual band, allowing for reception on the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks

Lastly, the router is also designed to support the new Tube, and the old R36A is not compatible.

If you cannot login to your Tube 2H or 2HP, check to ensure you have the LAN cable going from your PC into the LAN port of the Tube power supply, and the other LAN cable going from the PoE port to the Tube. If the cables are hooked up wrong, reverse them to correct.

If the cables are correct, you may need to set a manual IP address on your computer to access the Tubes. For Windows 10, at the bottom of your screen type COMMAND into the search box and open Command Prompt from the search results. In the Command Prompt window, type ipconfig and hit enter.

Look for your Ethernet Adapter, Local Area Connection in the results and find its IPv4 address. If this number begins with 169.254 you need to set a manual IP.

Go to your Control Panel and go to Network and Internet. Open Network and Sharing Center. Click Change Adapter Settings on the left side menu. Locate your Ethernet icon, and click it once to highlight, then right-click and select Properties.

In the Properties window, click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the list to highlight it, then click the Properties button. In the first section, click "Use the following IP address".

In the IP address box enter 192.168.2.103

In the third box called Default Gateway, enter 192.168.2.1

The Subnet Mask box should autofill with 255.255.255.0

When done, click OK. Now remove and reinsert the Ethernet cable to your computer. Wait about 20 seconds and try to login to the Tube again.

Note this article only applies to the Alfa Tube-2HP and not the Alfa Tube-2H.

For range boost, users can enable the long distance feature from the Advanced menu. Select Advanced > Wireless Settings. Check box for "Enable Long Distance" then click Apply.

*this article also applies to Alfa Tube-U(N)

In some cases you may install AWUS036NH but find the WiFi 2 interface does not appear. This means Windows is loading an older driver. The fix is to update the driver to this specific version here. Download this program:

http://www.rokland.com/mask/drivers/rt3070/RT3070-5.1.25.0-Feb16.exe

This file is for Windows 10 and also Windows 7, 8, 8.1 as well in case you have the problem in an older version of Windows.

Once downloaded, run the program. You will be prompted to remove the software. This will remove the older software version. When complete, run this same program again to install the most recent version of our software. When prompted during the installation, please select "Install Driver Only" when given a choice of installation type.

Once the install process has completed successfully, reconnect your AWUS036NH to your PC and try to use it.

If you plug in your Alfa USB device and see the message "USB Device Not Recognized", unplug it and restart your PC, and try it again in a different port. If it works, it was likely a one-time issue with the pins in your USB cable not making full connection with the USB port.

If the problem continues, make sure the cable fits the computer and the Alfa adapter with a correct tight it. Then try a different USB cable if you happen to have another one laying around.

USB Device Not Recognized error happening repeatedly is caused by a malfunctioning USB cable or Alfa USB adapter. If issue persists, contact your retailer for replacement or warranty options.

If you are using TAILS Linux based operating system, our technicians have confirmed that Alfa AWUS036NHA (Atheros AR9271) is natively supported in release 3.7.

Once you have installed TAILS, you can plug AWUS036NHA to your USB port and you will have a separate Wi-Fi connection in your management icon at the top right of your screen.

Doing a factory reset of the Alfa R36 involves more than just pressing the reset button.

To reset the R36, make sure it is powered on, then press and hold the reset button on the underside of the device for about ten seconds.

Release the reset button and wait ten seconds.

Press and hold it again for ten seconds until you see all lights (except power light) flash off completely. Release the reset button and allow 120 seconds to pass for the R36 to finish the reset process internally.

If you own the Alfa Camp Pro Kit, Alfa Camp Pro 2, Alfa R36, or Alfa R36A, once you are connected to the device you need to open a web browser to open the administrative setup area for the device.

For Alfa Camp Pro original version and R36, this is 192.168.2.1

For Alfa Camp Pro 2, this is 192.168.36.1

If nothing happens when you try to go to the setup area, or the browser reports page not found, read the following:

In order to get the 192.168.X.X page to load your computer must be connected to the Alfa R36/Alfa R36A router either by LAN cable or Wi-Fi.

If you are connected by LAN cable, please ensure your LAN cable is connected to your PC at one end and the LAN port of the R36 at the other (the LAN port is closest to the power connector on the R36).

If it is not working, or you do not have an Ethernet port on your computer, you can connect by Wi-Fi. When your R36 is powered on, join the Wi-Fi signal it broadcasts (Alfa_AP for original Camp Pro, CampPro### for CampPro 2).

Once you are connected by Wi-Fi, wait 30 seconds and then try to access the 192.168.X.X home page.

If you are unable to get the setup area to load still, please contact your retailer's technical support.

Did you know you can turn any Windows 10 PC into an instant hotspot? This means if you have one of our long range Wi-Fi adapters connected to your computer, you can turn on Windows 10 internet sharing so your PC will broadcast a new Wi-Fi hotspot that your other Wi-Fi enabled devices like tablets and phones can use. This is an excellent way to share service from your long range Alfa device while traveling.

If your Alfa AWUS036NH or other Mediatek based product is not working correct on Windows 10, and you see the subject line error in Device Manager, you need to run the installer in Windows 8 compatibility mode. To do this you will need to download the installer from our web site for your product, then take these steps:

1. Locate the downloaded Setup file
2. Right-click the file, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Compatibility tab.
4. Click to select the Run this program in compatibility mode for check box, click Windows 8 with which it is compatible with in drop down list, and then click Apply and OK.
5. Double-click the setup file to start the installation program. Once installation completes, the issue should be fixed

*note: if you are prompted to Remove All during setup, this means the driver was already installed, so you will need to finish the removal process and run the same setup program again to complete installation.

If you are new to PCs or don't use the computer a lot in general, you may find technical support resources intimidating because they may refer to instructions that you are not familiar with. For example, an article may tell you to open Command Prompt, and you don't know what that is.

A command prompt is an app that can be used to get information about devices on your PC by running commands. It can also be used to start or stop Windows services. Here is an article that shows many different ways to open a Command Prompt in Microsoft Windows:

https://www.digitalcitizen.life/7-ways-launch-command-prompt-windows-7-windows-8

[Editor's note: the comment section is not regularly monitored. For tech support, visit our support page. At this time we can only provide support to customers, though we can also answer any questions about compatibility.]

If you own some of our products advertised as Mac compatible, you may be in a situation where they just aren't working. The most likely issue is that on Mac OS 10.11 and later, Apple has SIP protection enabled by default.

What is SIP protection?

Apple defines SIP protection as "...technology in OS X El Capitan and later that's designed to help prevent potentially malicious software from modifying protected files and folders...it restricts the root user account and limits the actions that the root user can perform..."

In other words, it is designed to limit capabilities of your Mac system with the intention of preventing unscrupulous software from doing things it shouldn't. But it also blocks legitimate software from being installed outside of the Apple app store (FYI Apple does not approve WiFi driver software for the app store).

SIP protection locks down system folders to prevent third party software from writing to them. So to use Mac driver installers for most of our Mac compatible products on 10.11 and later, you have to disable SIP protection. Fortunately this is easy to do, read on.

Does disabling SIP your Mac less safe?

It makes it as safe as it was in Mac OS 10.10 and earlier. You are essentially just allowing applications to write to your system folders again. As always, never run any application from a source you don't trust, and always use antivirus software.

How to disable SIP protection

To use any of our Mac installers on most 10.11 and newer Macs, you will need to first disable SIP protection before installing the software. If you already installed the software, uninstall it. Then take these steps to disable SIP protection:

1. Click the Apple menu.
2. Select Restart...
3. Hold down Command key and R key to boot
into the Recovery System.
4. Click the Utilities menu and select Terminal.
5. Type csrutil disable and press return.
6. Close the Terminal app.
7. Click the Apple menu and select Restart...

Now install the software desired and you should be able to use your product.

If you are running an installer for one of our Alfa USB WiFi products on any version of Mac OS, you will be prompted for the Administrator account password. If you have owned your Mac since it was knew, you would have created this password yourself. But if you forgot the password or bought the Mac secondhand and don't know what it is, you will not be able to proceed with driver installation. Therefore your must recover the password.

Here is an excellent article showing three ways to do this. We do not have permission to reprint the text of the article so are linking to it:

http://osxdaily.com/2010/08/10/forgot-mac-password-how-to-reset-mac-password/