Dual Band routers have begun to propagate home networks as the center of their online gateway. Touted as being faster many people buy them with no idea as to what they even do.
The reality of dual band routers is they work in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band and have 802.11ac compatibility. Often called Gigabit routers they can transfer data faster when working in the 5 GHz band.
So what does this mean for Kali Linux and Wireless Penetration testers?
It simply means that we need a USB adapter / dongle that can work in both 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz Bands and is Kali Linux compatible.
So far the only USB adapter I have found to do this is the Alfa AWUS051NH. It works with both frequencies 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz and supports wireless N, so it is backward compatible with wireless G.
As far as wireless 802.11ac protocol support it is still new and really only used currently by top end gamers and HD video streaming. Introduced in 2014 both the router and the receiving / sending device must be 802.11ac compatible. Otherwise it defaults back to wireless N.
The 802.11ac protocol is backward compatible with wireless N
If you are looking for a dual band USB adapter that will work with Kali Linux and aircrack suite then Alfa is still the leader with the Alfa AWUS051NH
I ordered a Alfa AWUS051NH and am still testing it out with great results so far and will post a video review in a few weeks. Here are a few videos already on YouTube.
Update
I have since received the Alfa AWUS051NH and have done a full review here. www.wirelesshack.org/kali-linux-and-the-alfa-awus051nh-dual-band-usb-adapter-review