What is a Wi-Fi packet sniffer?
A Wi-Fi sniffer is a kind of packet snifferor network analyzer designed to capture packet data on wireless networks. Wireless sniffer solutions are built to capture wireless network traffic and analyze it to generate insights into what’s going on in a network at any given time. A Wi-Fi sniffer can also be referred to as a wireless packet sniffer or a wireless network sniffer.
Wireless networks often require a different approach to packet sniffing than the standard approach for wired networks. For example, wireless networks may be more susceptible to packet loss because data is traveling through the air between two distant points, which can cause data to get lost in translation. Also, wireless networks may involve numerous access points, adapters, and routers, while a wired network does not. For administrators in an enterprise that predominantly uses wireless networks, using a traditional sniffer tool instead of a wireless sniffer software might not be agile or expansive enough to meet these needs. Wi-Fi packet sniffers are designed to include key monitoring metrics specifically for wireless networks to provide comprehensive performance visibility.
How does a Wi-Fi packet sniffer work?
Wi-Fi network sniffers work by crawling across a wireless network to intercept a wide range or a small subsection of data packets as they pass through the network, gathering information about those packets, and using the information to provide insights into what’s going on in a network.
Since data and metadata are unintelligible to humans in their raw state, Wi-Fi packet sniffers are built to decode network packets by transmuting them into a readable format. This can make it easier for administrators to pinpoint the root cause of wireless performance issues and support the ability to fix Wi-Fi issues quickly.
Wi-Fi packet sniffers can also contain settings for network administrators to select exactly how much network traffic they want to capture and analyze. For example, when a wireless sniffer is in filtered mode, it will only capture packetsthat fit within the user’s pre-selected parameters. When you know what you’re looking for or suspect only a particular application is responsible, a Wi-Fi network sniffer’s filtered mode helps make troubleshooting faster.
Why is wireless sniffing important?
Wireless sniffing is an important component of network monitoring best practices. Sniffing networks, in general, can offer users critical visibility into their networks that can be used to spot network performance issues before they start, but Wi-Fi packet sniffers are designed to take network monitoring a level deeper. In addition to standard network monitoring protocols, wireless sniffers specifically look for packet data and performance metrics related to controllers, clients, and access points.
Wireless sniffing also helps simplify and speed up the troubleshooting process. When your Wi-Fi network is suffering from unidentified performance issues, you don’t have time to wade through a sea of metadata. Wireless sniffer tools are designed to help you pinpoint performance issues, so you can identify what needs to be fixed as quickly as possible.
How does the Wi-Fi packet sniffer work in NPM?
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is a powerful, comprehensive network monitoring tool built to function as an enterprise-grade Wi-Fi packet sniffer for environments of all sizes.
From small business networks to large, diverse corporate networks, users often find themselves cobbling together a functioning sniffer system with the insights they need from disparate technologies—there’s a tool for standard sniffing, there’s a tool for wireless sniffing, network performance monitoring, and more. NPM is built to provide network administrators everything they need to achieve full control over their networks in one comprehensive tool.
NPM has numerous specialized features to help make wireless sniffing easy. You can use the PerfStack™dashboard to investigate network slowdowns according to a variety of metrics, including Average Response Time, Average CPU Load, Average Percent Memory Used, and more. Once these metrics are laid on a timeline, you can spot performance issues more quickly.
SolarWinds NPM network analyzer tool is designed to gather packet data for over 1,200 applications, but you’ll never drown in information—NPM network analyzer is also built to allow you to categorize all the data according to a variety of relevant metrics, so you only see what you want when you want it.
What other features does NPM have?
Two of NPM’s many features—network mapping and network paths—are excellent for supplementing its Wi-Fi packet sniffer capabilities. If you combine these features with those specific to wireless sniffing, you have the tools you need to achieve gapless wireless network monitoring and wireless packet sniffing.
The wireless maps in Network Performance Monitor are a great way to look at your network’s performance visually, show real-time coverage, and pinpoint which clients or assets have struggling connections. Network mapping is particularly helpful for enterprises with large offices, because this process can help you map out the locations of wireless devices on top of actual floor plan.
NPM’s wireless heat mapsuse complex algorithms to determine signal strength and coverage, then displays the information using color coding. Once you’ve created a heat map, NPM is built to automatically update with the latest connectivity information, meaning you won’t have to create a new map every time or wait to start fixing dead zones, troubleshooting, and improving coverage.
NetPath is another mapping feature available in NPM to help you get the most out of your wireless sniffing data. This feature is designed to map out the problem area in your network and displays the most important performance metrics for devices both inside and outside of that problem area.
NetPath helps you answer the following questions:
- Is my network effectively delivering applications to my users?
- Are there any network paths currently down?
- Where exactly is the problem in my network? Is the problem due to an application or a server?
When you combine this tool with NPM’s heat maps and other capabilities as a Wi-Fi packet sniffer, you should have everything you need to effectively analyze packets across your network.
FAQs
Are Wi-Fi sniffers legal? ›
Packet sniffing is legal for the purposes of network management and when used only on the part of the network for which the person or organization conducting the sniffing is responsible.
Can Wi-Fi sniffing be detected? ›You can also use packet sniffer and packet analyzer software like Aircrack or Wireshark for detecting the presence of a sniffer in your network, especially if the sniffer is hidden from your eyes by using encryption hardware which makes it invisible to the network traffic (unlike default wireless access points).
What is packet sniffing tool? ›A packet sniffer — also known as a packet analyzer, protocol analyzer or network analyzer — is a piece of hardware or software used to monitor network traffic.
What does a sniffer tool do? ›A network sniffer tool can decode traffic and analyze either the metadata or entire contents. A network sniffer app works by intercepting the packets of data being sent across a network, analyzing the metadata or raw contents, and presenting it in a readable form.
Which tool is an example of a packet sniffer? ›Packet Sniffer – Packet sniffing is done by using tools called packet sniffer. It can be either filtered or unfiltered. Filtered is used when only specific data packets have to be captured and Unfiltered is used when all the packets have to be captured. WireShark, SmartSniff are examples of packet-sniffing tools.
What can you do with a WiFi sniffer? ›Network packet sniffing can help enhance your security, performing network penetration testing by monitoring the data and ensuring it is encrypted. Other positive uses of network sniffers include: Tracking down network traffic bottlenecks. Testing firewalls for network security efficacy.
Can packet sniffing be detected? ›A sniffer is usually passive, it just collects data. Hence it becomes extremely difficult to detect sniffers, especially when running on a shared Ethernet. But it is slightly easier when the sniffer is functioning on a Switched Ethernet network segment.
Can someone spy on your phone through WiFi? ›All this information could be easily harvested by someone else over WiFi. In a majority of the applications the researchers analyzed, the same data is stored in public URLs accessible to anyone with the link.
Can I see what someone is watching on my WiFi? ›If you have configured your router to monitor browsing activity, you'll only be able to see IP addresses or domains. For example, if a person on your home network searches for "fruit" on Google, you'll only see that this person visited www.google.com , not www.google.com?search=fruit .
Can I check if someone is using my WiFi? ›Use an app
There are apps for both mobile and desktop computers that can be used to detect unwanted devices on your network. There are also web-based apps like this router checker from F-Secure that will look for indications that someone has hacked into your network.
Is packet sniffing a bad thing? ›
Packet sniffing attacks can potentially represent a significant threat to network security, involving methods where attackers monitor network traffic to illegally access and manipulate sensitive data. Understanding these attacks is crucial for implementing effective security measures and preventing potential breaches.
Is packet sniffing eavesdropping? ›Eavesdropping, also known as sniffing or snooping, relies on unsecured network communications to access data in transit between devices.
What is the sniffer app? ›Hackers use sniffer software to capture, decode, and analyze packets of data sent over a network using TCP/IP or other protocols. Using packet sniffing tools, hackers can spy on people and steal their personal data, usually with the goal of identity theft or another form of fraud.
What kind of information does packet sniffing gather? ›What kind of information does packet sniffing gather? Packet sniffing collects the entire packet of each network transmission. Packets that are not encrypted can be reassembled and read in their entirety. For example, intercepted packets from a user accessing a website would include the HTML and CSS of the web pages.
What is wireless sniffing? ›A Wi-Fi sniffer is a kind of packet sniffer or network analyzer designed to capture packet data on wireless networks. Wireless sniffer solutions are built to capture wireless network traffic and analyze it to generate insights into what's going on in a network at any given time.
What is an example of a sniffer tool? ›1. Wireshark. Wireshark is a popular open-source, cross-platform network protocol analyzer, or a packet sniffer in other words, that captures packets from a network connection.
How do hackers use packet sniffing? ›Packet sniffing is a hacking technique that involves collecting data packets that travel through an unencrypted computer network. Packet sniffers monitor the data packets in network traffic, with the aim of intercepting sensitive information (like personal financial details) to sell or use in other attacks.
Which is the most popular packet sniffer used? ›Wireshark is the most often-used packet sniffer in the world. Like any other packet sniffer, Wireshark does three things: Packet Capture: Wireshark listens to a network connection in real time and then grabs entire streams of traffic – quite possibly tens of thousands of packets at a time.
How do you use a packet sniffer legally? ›Listens in on the network and identifies vulnerable versions of both server and client software. To use a packet sniffer legally, The administrator must 1) be on a network that the organization owns, 2) be under direct authorization of the networks owners, and 3) have knowledge and consent of the contents creators.
Is it illegal to use Wireshark on public WiFi? ›There truly isn't a better way to learn low-level networking than to look at traffic under the Wireshark microscope. You should only use Wireshark on networks where you have permission to inspect network packets. Using Wireshark to look at packets without permission is illegal.
Is monitoring Wi-Fi illegal? ›
Law enforcement may lawfully monitor an individual's internet activity while an individual is logged into: A public connection; Another individual's wi-fi connection; Wi-fi connections without permission.
Is wardriving illegal in the US? ›In short, no: there are no laws that prohibit people from gathering or collecting data from wireless networks or creating computer-generated maps.
Is it illegal to be on someones Wi-Fi? ›Federal and State Laws About Piggybacking on Someone's Wi-Fi
It creates criminal penalties for anyone who "intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access." It was first enacted in 1986, however, before Wi-Fi became prevalent.