Well, at least on the screenshot that was uploaded by @expandables for the 036NHV driver, the Dbm isn't handicapped to -7 to +7 unlike the NHR so there is hope that this can adapter can be "played with" in Windows. The NHR v2 doesn't need it's twin USB power cables either, nor is it capable of 2000mw and I seriously doubt that 1500mw tagged for the NHV is nothing more than just a "random" figure attached by marketing gusto like every other adapter has been. And in any case I wouldn't care if it was labelled as 10,000 watts output, if I couldn't receive the signal off a poor old AP's output sporting a 3dbi peanut whistle which is the main priority. It's a con needing x2 USB, no ALFA draws over 500ma, so if you don't get twin leads in the box with your NHR v2 don't worry too much, your not missing anything. I've ran the NHR v2 over 25ft off a single USB extension fine (and a cheap one at that). Here's a high quality image of what you get inside the NHV box meanwhile to whet your appetites, and some PCB pics : And an early review off Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036N...sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_img?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 In fact based on the above review, I went ahead and ordered one today while there is still stock...I just hope it's better than the NHR was/is. From other sources, early indications are the NHV is even a faster adapter than the NHR for your connection in the same placement. Also, nice to see ALFA is making it a full board PCB again unlike the NHR v2. Oh, and I think the LED is blue, doh....have ALFA run out of green LED's or something ? (we haven't seen them since 2009, and blue is obnoxiously bright) Of course, when I finally have the damn thing in my hands after 5-7 days shipping time from the 21/07/14, you'll get a detailed review on the 036NHV since no-one else seems interested/bothered at this point.
So did one of my NHR v2's actually, to the point I thought that the NHR was broken itself....It hated it's 5dbi as shipped with (the second NHR I got was fine) There were 3 possibilities in my mind as to the cause of this: 1) It was shipped with a dual band antenna by mistake and the adapter didn't like it. Some adapters don't mind it others do. 2) The antenna was out of tune (no 2 5dbi Omni's are created equal in the ALFA factory) when I exchanged the Antenna for the 036NH's it worked fine however. 3) Latter Realtek chipsets are very picky with using certain small antenna's. Worth keeping in mind if your adapter is performing sub par with the antenna out of the box that the antenna might in fact be poor quality and out of tune instead of just hating *all* small antenna's. Environmental conditions have some part to play as well.
It has been 2 months now since i own the nhv and it sames like my nhv is dying. Now i have to sometimes reinsert the usb cable in my computer because i get no connection. I tried multiple usb cables and i get the same effect.
Well, it appears mine has been dispatched today (at last) so I guess I'll find out soon enough about any problems. The NHV's are a bit hard to get hold of atm, because as soon as anyone get's stock, they disappear shortly after. I've been waiting over a week for this one. If they used the same PA in the NHV (Skyworks 2576L), there's no reason for them not to last. Sometimes the environmental conditions or the drivers can be to blame for having "no connection". If what you are saying is true then it doesn't bode well for reliability of the NHV in the long term, but it shouldn't be any less reliable than an 036NHR v2. Like all routers, the output get's weaker over time as the components deteriorate with heat cycling and age. And normally you should demand to replace your router every 2 years with your ISP. 2 months for things to go south for an adapter though seems excessively short. You have tried plugging it into different USB ports or even a separate PCI usb card, just to be sure your motherboard isn't flaking out the USB ports right ? You do also know ALFA is guaranteed for a year, providing it didn't fall off the back of a lorry ? Maybe in that case, time pack it away in it's box and execute a claim for replacement or refund...
Hey guys, My NHR just died after about 2 years (blue light still works but no signal). So I've ordered the NHV to replace it. I've only tested on OS X 10.9 so far. The driver is buggy and has crashed the OS several times. The signal seems to waver a lot (maybe a power saving feature?). Also, I like to quit the "Wireless Network Utility" app after connecting to hide it from the dock and active apps list, but the problem is, after a while the connection drops. The NHR hardly ever did that. Once it was connected the "Wireless Network Utility" could be quit and the connection remained. Does anyone know where to find the driver directly from Realtek? I'm using this driver from Alfa site: OS X 10.9 2014-07-02 On the good side, when things are working, I get a 52000 kbps connection to router which is higher than the NHR ever got (36000). So now my download speed is much faster topping out at around 4.8 MB/s. I guess only time will tell if the driver issues will be resolved and hopefully the signal stability gets better.
Yes, I've heard things about the speed being faster on the NHV vs NHR under the same set conditions, placement etc.... What I've also heard on other forums specifically with other adapters containing 8188EU is that it disconnects a lot due to un-mature drivers (support only started at 1019.xx), for which for the 8188EU chip are not at a great level yet. When the NHV finally gets in my hands this wk, I will have a play around as usual after some time and see if I can figure something out for any disconnects. Of course this won't help MacOS owners any, only Windows.
Well so far it looks like the range for CCX power for the NHV goes from -7 to +13 (+13 of course being the default). While this is better than the NHR with -7 to +7 (even less with more modern drivers), there still isn't enough room to manoeuvre in playing with the power, and old drivers will just not work for the 8188EUS even if the 8188EU is included in the .inf's. I have found though that the NHV overall is a better performing adapter than the NHR for the same placement conditions. I really think it works great without having to fiddle with any power increase as is. The link quality and SS bars are always fluctuating around, but the performance is always there in buckets, the thing shows more realistic signal strengths compared to an NHR, and the adapter never disconnects even if the RSSI values are on the lower side of what an NHR gets, but like the NHR it likes using the ALFA 9.3dbi ARS-N19 instead of the 5dbi it comes with or other larger Dbi antenna's. There is no doubt in my mind, the NHV is everything the NHR should have been and fixes the annoyances of the NHR. I am using signed drivers 1026.8 on Windows 7 x64 which I threw together myself out of different packages... (I didn't notice less network discovery than with the XP driver as pointed out above). The disc that comes with the NHV has an invisible file system, and will only work from the autorun exe. The disc that came with my 2014 purchased 051NH has provisions for the NHV adapter drivers though, I could upload it for all those with invisible NHV discs but for all intents and purposes the drivers are exactly the same as what can already be downloaded from ALFA. Overall I like this adapter very much, and it gets the thumbs up from me for Windows use, but if you have Linux and monitor mode plans in mind, you will have to be aware that we are just not at that stage of plug and play yet for the NHV. If your going to be doing long range connections, remember to turn on EnableAdaptivity in the device manager GUI, or sometimes you won't be able to connect to distant AP's at all (same problem under the NHR). I won't be buying the 036AC after all, as with not being able to utilise the full bandwidth given my USB 2 ports I'm not going to bother and have removed it from my .sig.
Yes monitor mode is a no no for linux at the moment i've a dongle with this chipset, work's fine with linux but with no monitor mode, so not on my list to buy.
This isn't to say that the NHV isn't actually capable of monitor mode (unlike cheaper chipsets like the 8191SU where monitor mode will never work at all, no matter what). Even the obscure 8188RU used in the NHR can do it, albeit with specific hacked Chinese drivers, and usually the more expensive Realtek chipsets instead of the cheaper ones usually can. It just means that Linux driver development lags behind the Windows ones, which has always been the case... For Windows performance and stability usage however, it's probably one of the best adapters ALFA has produced yet. Strong like the NHR, but without all the same quirks. I guess time will tell, but most reviews have been positive so far on the whole.
Does windows support monitor mode?? Yes the chipset works fine in linux not saying it will never support monitor mode,just at the moment doesn't. So buyer's after a card that works with kali, xiaopan this is not the one at the moment. Well works with both i use https://github.com/lwfinger/rtl8188eu for my pi and 64bit xiaopan(tiny core)
It (the NHV) appears to work very, very well under Windows, and seems to suck more speed out of the connection compared to all the others I have in my sig...in fact out of all my ALFA's used with just their standard issue 5dbi, the NHV is probably consistently the fastest in throughput AT respectable range with it's 5dbi, AND without having to change the antenna. It's a very dependable and stable connection to boot as well. I haven't encountered any throughput degradation, or disconnects yet. I'm now liking my new "toy" very much, even if it is not yet a hacking capable adapter, and I don't regret the purchase even though I couldn't really see the point of buying yet another SISO adapter beforehand to add to the others...However, I can now see my NHR's gathering dust in a box as I now use this one exclusively for everyday use since it's way faster than the NHR, and even the NHA (at longer ranges) For all those opting for buying an 036AC instead of an NHV, be advised that monitor mode won't be working on that adapter too yet either according to my sources.
