Technical Notes on Hardware Compatibility
Some of the wireless adapters that you use with CommView for WiFi have functional limitations and/or special software requirements. The purpose of this document is to describe such limitations and requirements in detail.
Please remember that the list of officially supported adapters includes dozens of adapter models, most of which are fully functional and have no limitations; so if you currently are using an adapter with limited functionality and the limitations listed for your adapter are critical to you, you always can purchase a different, fully-functional adapter supported by CommView for WiFi.
Click on the "plus" icon to expand.
[+] Intel 1000, 3945, 4965, 5100, 5150, 5300, 5350, 6200, 6250, 6300, 6350 Adapters
- Supported only under Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and Windows 7.
- A compatible Intel driver version is required. Click here for more information.
- When install/updating the driver for your Intel adapter, install the driver only. Do not install "Intel PROSet/Wireless" or "Intel My WiFi" utilities; let Windows manage your Wi-Fi connection. If these utilities are installed, the application might be unable to capture packets.
- Packet injection using Packet Generator is not possible.
- Noise level is unavailable.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, you cannot capture packets sent using 40 MHz channel bonding. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, the adapter driver reports the packet transmission rate of 802.11n packets incorrectly. For example, a packet with a rate of 130 Mbps might appear with a rate of 1 Mbps or 9 Mbps. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
[+] Broadcom Adapters and Linksys WEC600N
- Supported only under Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and Windows 7.
- Make sure that the Broadcom driver that you are using for your adapter is version 5 or higher. Older driver versions might not work properly in monitor mode.
- Packet injection using Packet Generator is not possible.
- Noise level is unavailable.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, you cannot capture packets sent using 40 MHz channel bonding. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, the adapter driver reports the packet transmission rate of 802.11n packets incorrectly. For example, a packet with a rate of 130 Mbps might appear with a rate of 1 Mbps or 9 Mbps. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
[+] Dell 1390, 1395, 1397, 1505, 1510, 1515, and 1520 Adapters
- Supported only under Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and Windows 7.
- Make sure that the Dell driver that you are using for your adapter is version 5 or higher. Older driver versions might not work properly in monitor mode. If you're using an older driver version, please visit http://support.dell.com/ to download the latest version. For Dell 1390, 1395, 1397, 1505, 1510, you may want to use this direct link to the driver download page.
- Packet injection using Packet Generator is not possible.
- Noise level is unavailable.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, you cannot capture packets sent using 40 MHz channel bonding. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, the adapter driver reports the packet transmission rate of 802.11n packets incorrectly. For example, a packet with a rate of 130 Mbps might appear with a rate of 1 Mbps or 9 Mbps. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
[+] All Adapters Based on Ralink and Realtek Chipsets (incl. Linksys WUSB600N)
- The adapter drivers report an incorrect signal level (the same level for all packets) and incorrect data rate. They also don't indicate usable FCS values, which makes it impossible to distinguish between damaged and undamaged packets. These bugs make these adapters unusable for any serious network monitoring and analysis. If you want them fixed, please contact the driver manufacturer (and yes, Ralink will ignore you).
- Supported only under Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and Windows 7.
- Packet injection using Packet Generator is not possible.
- Noise level is unavailable.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, you cannot capture packets sent using 40 MHz channel bonding. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
[+] D-Link Wireless 108G DWA-120 USB Adapter
- Supported only under Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and Windows 7.
- Your driver version must be 2.2.0.11 or higher.
- Packet injection using Packet Generator is not possible.
- Noise level is unavailable.
- The adapter might sometimes fail to switch to a new channel when using the scanner.
- We do not recommend using this adapter for any serious monitoring purposes.
[+] D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G DWL-G650 Wireless Cardbus Adapter
There are several hardware versions of this card: A1, B1/B2/B3/B4/B5, and C1/C2/C3/C4. CommView for WiFi DOES NOT support version A1. It DOES support versions B1/B2/B3/B4/B5 and C1/C2/C3/C4. To identify your card, please visit the D-Link site.
[+] NETGEAR WN111 USB Adapter
There are two hardware versions of this card: v1 and v2. To identify your adapter, look at the side of your adapter. If you see "WN111", then it's v1. If you see "WN111v2", then it's v2. CommView for WiFi DOES NOT support version v1. It DOES support version v2.
[+] NETGEAR WNDA3100 v2 Adapter
The notes below are applicable only to the version 2 of this adapter. Version 1 has no limitations. To check what version you have, look at the side of the adapter. If you have version 2, it is explicitly mentioned on one of the two side labels.
- Supported only under Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and Windows 7.
- Make sure that the driver that you are using for your adapter is version 5.60.180.11 or higher. Older driver versions might not work properly in monitor mode.
- It is recommended that you install the driver for the adapter by using the automatic Windows update feature, i.e. by simply plugging in the adapter and allowing Windows to find the driver for it. This will install the driver without the "NETGEAR Smart Wizard" utility. If you install the driver from the CD-ROM provided by NETGEAR, the "NETGEAR Smart Wizard" utility will be installed. In this case, right-click on the "NETGEAR Smart Wizard" icon and uncheck the "Enable NETGEAR Smart Wizard" box, which ensures that the adapter is managed by Windows rather than the "NETGEAR Smart Wizard" utility. If the adapter is managed by the utility, you WILL NOT be able to use this adapter.
- Packet injection using Packet Generator is not possible.
- Noise level is unavailable.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, you cannot capture packets sent using 40 MHz channel bonding. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
- When monitoring 802.11n networks, the adapter driver reports the packet transmission rate of 802.11n packets incorrectly. For example, a packet with a rate of 130 Mbps might appear with a rate of 1 Mbps or 9 Mbps. This is an issue with the adapter driver that is out of our control.
[+] CACE Technologies AirPcap Ex and Nx USB Adapters
No custom driver installation is needed when using these adapters; use the driver supplied by the vendor. The AirPcap driver that you use must be version 4.0 or higher. This adapter cannot be used in dual (monitoring + connectivity) mode; it is a monitoring-only adapter.
