Need some help capturing a WPA2/WPA3 handshake in my home lab + portfolio question
Hi everyone,
I'm currently learning ethical hacking and practicing only on my own equipment and networks.
I bought a T-Mobile hotspot with the $50/month plan and an Alfa Network AWUS036AXM USB Wi-Fi adapter. So far, I have:
\- Updated Kali Linux.
\- Installed the packages I believe are necessary.
\- Installed the drivers for the USB Wi-Fi adapter.
\- Confirmed that Kali recognizes the adapter.
For testing, I changed the Wi-Fi password to something simple like "password123" so I could practice the full process.
The problem is that I cannot capture the WPA2/WPA3handshake. I also tried sending deauthentication frames to my own phone and tablet to force them to reconnect, but neither device disconnects. Everything continues working normally, even after leaving the test running for about an hour.
At first, I thought the T-Mobile hotspot might be the issue, so I repeated the same test on my regular home Wi-Fi network, using only devices and networks that belong to me. However, I still got the same result and could not capture a handshake.
Am I missing something in my setup? Is there a better way to trigger a handshake on modern devices? Could this be related to the AWUS036AXM, driver support, protected management frames, the access point configuration, or something else?
Also, I'm building my cybersecurity resume and portfolio. Assuming I successfully complete this lab and document everything (my setup, methodology, troubleshooting process, lessons learned, and results), would this be considered a worthwhile portfolio project for entry-level cybersecurity or penetration testing roles? Or would employers view it as too basic?
Any troubleshooting advice or career advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!