So I finally got round to sorting out the heat issues associated with running the 1W ALFA at full power for extended periods of time. It was a simple hardware mod that cost next to nothing to do and it means I can run higher power for longer, which is useful š
Ok, so starting from the top….. Your going to need an ALFA USB RT8178 external Wireless adapter, rated at 1W. You want the 1W one not the 2W or N spec etc ones as they are differentĀ chip setsĀ and the bestĀ chip setĀ for wifi pwnage is the 8187 š
Once you have your trusty ALFA card your going to want to overclock its power to make it see where other cards cannot. That is as simple as typing:
ifconfig wlan0 down iw reg set BO ifconfig wlan0 up iwconfig wlan0 txpower 30
Once you have full power enabled however, your going to start running into problems unless you modify the hardware as well. That’s where this guide comes in!
What you will need:
- ALFA USB RT8187 Adapter
- Small chipĀ Heat sinksĀ from Maplin or elsewhere
- 3MĀ Heat sinkĀ double sided sticky pads
- Super Glue
- Dremil
- Sharp craft knife
To start, you need to crack open the unit. It just pops open, but I found that itĀ snappedĀ the clips that hold it together when I did it so you need to be careful or beĀ preparedĀ toĀ super glueĀ it back together.
Once you have it all open and ready to go clean up the chip and theĀ heat sinksĀ with someĀ heat sinkĀ paste solvent andĀ heat sinkĀ surface prep.
OnceĀ that’sĀ done, cut aĀ pieceĀ of theĀ heat sinkĀ tape to size and attach it to theĀ heat sink.
Then just attach it to the chip and your set for fabrication toĀ commence!
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No for the tricky bit. Using your dremil and knife, cut a hole for theĀ heat sinkĀ inĀ theĀ face of the case. Its tricky, and mineĀ didn’tĀ come out great, but it was good enough and function over form is good for me on this one!
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Now your all set, you can run your ALFA at full power, injecting and sniffing to your hearts content withoutĀ burningĀ it out.
Enjoy!