Let us know in the comments section below if installation was also plug and play for you. The Alfa Client Utility program is not currently compatible, but you can use the Windows 8 Connection Manager to scan for and connect to networks. There is no official Windows 8 driver for this product yet, so this video details how to install using the Windows 7 driver. In this video we also show how to install the driver manually in case it is not plug and play for you (for this part, expand the video window or put in full screen mode to see on-screen text clearly). On our Toshiba notebook, it was plug and play, no driver needed. There is also a range comparison to the on-board WiFi card at the end. We have tested the Alfa AWUS036H 1000mW long range WiFi USB adapter on Windows 8. Note this process will not work if you do not have Internet access through your internal Wi-Fi card or built-in Ethernet when doing it.) Then select 'Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software'. Go to Device Manager, go to Other section, and right click 'RT81787' device, and select Update Driver. Try the following process first, then try the video if no luck: You must be connected to Internet first through internal Wi-Fi or Ethernet for this to work.

So you may not need to go through the manual process outlined in the video. (Update July 6, 2015: it appears Microsoft's online database now includes the latest INF file for this device which is from Realtek from 12/2009.

Network utility windows 8