What is Wardriving?

Wardriving is the practice of systematically scanning for and mapping wireless networks while moving through an area. It's similar to what happens when you walk into a room and your phone automatically searches for available WiFi networks to connect to — except in wardriving, we log and study these networks for network security analysis, infrastructure research, and educational purposes.

As a subject matter expert and community figurehead in the wardriving space, I've spent years researching wireless network topologies, security implementations, and the evolving landscape of WiFi infrastructure. This comprehensive guide represents practical knowledge gained from extensive fieldwork and technical research in wireless network security.

The data collected through wardriving helps security professionals understand network deployment patterns, identify vulnerable configurations, and improve wireless security standards. This guide will walk you through setting up a professional wardriving environment using Kali Linux, Kismet, and industry-standard WiFi adapters.

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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

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🔧 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
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.