TP-LINK Archer T2U Plus On Kali Linux

📡 TP-Link Archer T2U Plus on Kali Linux – Driver Installation Guide

A personal project and guide by a cybersecurity enthusiast
to get the TP-Link Archer T2U Plus WiFi adapter working on Kali Linux.

🌐 About This Project

When I first got into ethical hacking and wireless security, I picked up a TP-Link Archer T2U Plus — it was affordable, reliable, and had great reviews in the community. But I quickly hit a wall: no official Linux support, and Kali wouldn’t recognize the adapter.

After digging through forums, some GitHub repos, I finally got it working. This repo is my way of giving back — a simple, working guide to help others in the community.

🔍 Adapter Overview

Model: TP-Link Archer T2U Plus
Chipset: Realtek RTL8821AU
WiFi: Dual-band — 2.4GHz (150 Mbps) / 5GHz (433 Mbps)
USB: 2.0
Antenna: 5 dBi high-gain
Supports monitor mode & packet injection: ✅ With custom drivers

This adapter is perfect for anyone starting out in wireless security, CTFs, or just learning Kali Linux.

⚙️ Installing the Driver on Kali Linux

🐧 Tested On

Kali Linux 2023.4 & 2024.1
Kernel 6.x

🔧 Step-by-Step Setup

1. Update System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install dependecies:

sudo apt install -y dkms git build-essential libelf-dev linux-headers-$(uname -r)

3. Clone the Driver Repo

git clone https://github.com/aircrack-ng/rtl8812au.git
cd rtl8812au

4. Build and Install

sudo make dkms_install

5. Check Wi-fi Interface

iwconfig

You should now see a new wireless interface (e.g., wlan0) ready to use.

🛠️ Optional: Auto-Installer Script

Want to skip the manual steps? Run this:

git clone https://github.com/jameskaois/tplink-archer-t2uplus-kali-linux.git
cd tplink-archer-t2uplus-kali-linux/scripts
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

This will handle the build, install, and modprobe automatically.

🧪 Tested Tools (Confirmed Working)

Tool	Status	Description
`airmon-ng`	✅ Monitor mode	Enables monitor mode
`airodump-ng`	✅ Packet capture	Captures WiFi traffic
`aireplay-ng`	✅ Injection OK	Packet injection supported
`Wireshark`	✅ Sniffing works	Real-time packet analysis
`wifite`	✅ Fully supported	Automated WiFi attacks

🙌 Credit

Driver code: aircrack-ng/rtl8812au

Inspiration: Kali Linux forums, Reddit, GitHub community

🧑‍💻 Author

James Cao

Kali Linux user, WiFi hacker in training, open-source supporter.

Connect on LinkedIn or drop a ⭐ if this helped you!

TP-LINK Archer T2U Plus On Kali Linux