News

If you have followed our blog for some time, you may recall us mentioning Connectify, a software tool that allows you to create a hotspot on your computer and share a Wi-Fi connection. Now the company that makes Connectify has does it again with Speedify.

Speedify is an exciting new service that allows you to bond more than one Internet connection together to increase your Internet speed. For example, if you are using one of our Alfa Wi-Fi USB extenders to get better signal to a network, and you are in a location where your built-in Wi-Fi card still works, you can bond the connections together and essentially use them both at the same time.

From the Speedify web site:

"...The technology behind Speedify’s connection magic is called Channel Bonding. We combine multiple Internet connections – Wi-Fi, cellular, ethernet, etc. – to provide increased bandwidth, lower latency, and better reliability."

Speedify also includes VPN service which helps encrypt and protect your data even when you are connected to an open Wi-Fi connection. Rokland strongly recommends VPN service to all users of Alfa R36A and Alfa WiFi Camp Pro Kit 2.

*Rokland is not affiliated with Speedify and is not receiving any compensation for this post. We are writing about it simply because it could be of great benefit to many of our customers.

Speedify does have a free plan for low-bandwidth users and monthly and annual plans for those who use more data. Read more here.

We are excited to announce the beta version of Rokland Knowledge Base, a comprehensive set of articles and troubleshooting guides related to Alfa Network products.

Rokland Knowledge Base is a searchable categorized collection of support documents for the products we sell. As always, our technical team is here to help by phone or email for any purchases you have made from us. But our knowledge base is a great resource for those that may own Alfa products but did not buy from us (meaning phone and email support is not available), or for those who may need assistance after hours or on weekends.

The articles are limited in number now but we will be adding more resources and materials each week.

Do you need Wi-Fi for your Pi? Our new 802.11n USB Wi-Fi dongle with RP-SMA port and detachable 2 dBi gain antenna is just what you need.

It is approved for the Raspberry Pi Model A, B, B+, Pi 2, and Pi Zero (ALL Models) and it supports packet injection for ethical hacking projects (aircrack, Wireshark).

Read more...

Alfa has not released a driver package for Alfa AWUS036NHA (Atheros AR9271 chipset) beyond Windows 7.

However it has come to our attention that AWUS036NHA can be stable on Windows 8 and 10 using this third party driver. This driver was made for a different brand product which uses the same AR9271 chipset. Note that after installing, the device will appear in Device Manager as "TP-LINK Wireless USB Adapter" instead of Atheros or Alfa. This is because TP-Link is associated with Microsoft as the Device Developer ID.

We have tested the driver extensively and it appears to work with the Alfa AWUS036NHA well. However it should be considered a beta driver until further notice.

We are excited to announce the long awaited second version of the Alfa Wi-Fi Camp Pro kit series is available. Get your Alfa WiFi Camp Pro 2 now.

Rokland Technologies is your Alfa WiFi Camp Pro headquarters. Check out our first look video which demonstrates how to set up the hardware and how to configure the software.

Alfa WiFi Camp Pro 2 is a special kit shipping in one retail box that is designed to pick up a weak Wi-Fi signal and repeat it as your own personal hotspot inside your RV, home, or building. This is ideal for use on boats, RVs and campers, or larger properties.

Rokland Technologies is an authorized Alfa distributor and retailer. Whether you need technical support out of box, at a campground, or need warranty assistance down the road, we are here to help by phone or email. In the Gainesville area? Stop by and say hello to our staff.

Note that we do not advertise or promote the use of AWUS036H on Windows 10. We have better and faster options available for purchase such as the newer AWUS036NH and AWUS036ACH.

But if you already own an AWUS036H and find yourself wanting to use it on Windows 10, here is a quick way how to do it.

The last driver made for this item was December of 2009 for Windows 7. The installer package for Windows 7 does not work on Windows 8 or 10, it just says "incompatible operating system" when you try and run it. So you need to run it in Windows 7 compatibility mode.

Step 1: Download Win7 driver (http://www.rokland.com/mask/drivers/alfa/awus036h_windows_7.zip)

Step 2: Open the downloaded zip file and extract the contents to a place on your computer you can find.

Step 3: Navigate to where you extracted the contents. Right-click the Setup.exe program and select Properties. Click the Compatibility tab and under Compatibility mode choose "Windows 7" and make sure the "Run this program in compatibility mode" is checked. Then click Apply and exit the Properties window. This should bypass the compatibility error.

Step 4: Run the Setup.exe program in full and restart the PC when done.Connect your AWUS036H to the PC and use as normal.

In December 2017, Realtek released driver version 1030.25.701.2017 for Alfa AWUS1900. It was released in a Windows Update package so many of you may already be on this new driver if you have run Windows Update recently.

If you have not, then you can now directly download this driver package here. Once downloaded, open it and run the Setup.exe program inside.

Upon completion, you can check your Device Manager properties for this device (go to Device Manager > Network Adapters > right click this adapter and select Properties, then go to Driver tab) and make sure the driver date now shows 12/25/2017.

Adapters compatible with above driver update:

Alfa AWUS1900
Alfa AWUS036AC
Alfa AWUS036ACH
Alfa AWUS036EAC

It has been seven years since our last web site makeover. We loved our last design, and felt it withstood the test of time, but it lacked some important functionality.

At Rokland we never make changes just for the sake of it, there is always a good purpose. We know our visitors have become used to navigating our site, and the new design may throw some people off at first glance. Where did the categories section go, for example?...

These last weeks have brought devastation to South Florida and Puerto Rico. All of Puerto Rico remains without power and Internet. We thank those that are providing vital relief services.

In the coming weeks as these areas rebuild, in addition to donating funds, our team at Rokland would like to make our time available to the customers of our friends in South Florida and Puerto Rico.

With four integrated gigabit LAN ports, you can easily connect SmartTVs, game consoles, or additional computers by cable or existing powerline Ethernet bridge systems.

Our 10 dBi directional panel antenna is one excellent option. It’s light weight and low profile make it a great choice for use with the Camp Pro kit. It’s antenna connector is located on the bottom side of the antenna (instead of the rear side like most panel antennas) meaning you can easily connect it directly to the Tube receiver of the Camp Pro kit without needing any type of L-connector to change orientation.

Another great choice is our 16 dBi Yagi antenna. This will get you the most distance in any direction and is also the most bang for your buck in terms of gain. It has an RP-SMA connector, so you will need this barrel converter here in order to connect it to the Camp Pro Tube.

Kali Linux recently announced that packet injection is now supported in release 2017.1 for the Realtek RTL8812AU 802.11ac chipset, which is found in Alfa USB Wi-Fi models AWUS036ACH, AWUS036AC, and AWUS036EAC. According to their web site:

"A while back, we received a feature request asking for the inclusion of drivers for RTL8812AU wireless chipsets. These drivers are not part of the standard Linux kernel, and have been modified to allow for injection. Why is this a big deal? This chipset supports 802.11 AC, making this one of the first drivers to bring injection-related wireless attacks to this standard, and with companies such as ALFA making the AWUS036ACH wireless cards, we expect this card to be an arsenal favourite."

Small package orders (0-10 lbs) can now arrive to our Florida & Georgia customers in just 1-2 business days guaranteed with our new $10.00 flat rate Florida/Georgia 1-2 Day Guaranteed service. This is only valid for street addresses in Florida and Georgia, and cannot be used with PO Boxes. PO Box orders will have other shipping choices.

How it works

Qualifying orders will see the $10.00 flat rate option during checkout when choosing a shipping choice. As always, all of our items ship for free with our default economy shipping option. But for buyers in Florida and Georgia who wish to receive shipments in 1-2 business days, this $10.00 flat option will be an available upgrade.

Cutoff time

Orders must be placed by 12 noon EST to be guaranteed to ship out the same day. If you need your order by Wednesday, place it before 12 noon EST Monday. Orders placed Monday afternoon may not ship until Tuesday and then would be guaranteed to arrive by Thursday.

Will it arrive in 1 or 2 days?

Our warehouse is located in Gainesville, FL. Orders shipping to all of north, central, and south Florida, and south Georgia, will arrive in one business day. Orders shipping to the panhandle and also central and north Georgia will arrive in two business days. See this map for guidance.

What exactly is the "guarantee"?

The guarantee is that UPS will make a delivery attempt within 1-2 business days after the date of shipment. Orders must be placed by our 12 noon EST cutoff to ship out the same day. Orders that qualify for the guarantee and the delivery attempt is not made will have the $10.00 shipping charge refunded.

Here is a question our techs often get asked:

If I connect to a Wi-Fi network that does not have a password, is there any way to still ensure my connection is secure?

If this already sounds like Greek to you, what we are talking about is connecting your computer or tablet to a Wi-Fi network in a public place. Some places like hotels may have a password or encryption key for you to gain secure access to their network. Other places, like many RV parks, have "open" networks. These networks are not encrypted or password protected. When joining them, in Windows 8 and 10 you may even get a warning message telling you that data you send over the connection could be accessed by others.

If you want to have extra protection on both secured and open networks, the best way to do this is with a VPN service.

But there are so many available (some pay, some free), how do you know which one is best? Check out this PC Magazine article which goes into more detail about what VPN services do, and which one may be the best for your needs.