This is the main application tab that is used for controlling
packet capture, displaying detailed information on access points
and associated stations, channel utilization statistics, and
graphical representation of the wireless spectrum.
This window consists of several resizable panes that are overviewed
below.
Capture and Channel Indicator Panes
This
Capture
pane allows you to choose between the two capturing modes:
Single channel mode
or
Scanner mode.
If you select the
Single channel mode,
the application captures packets on a single channel (or several
channels, if you use several supported USB cards; more information
is given below) that you can select from the drop-down list. If you
select the
Scanner mode,
the application will sweep through the channels in a loop, i.e. it
will capture on the first channel, switch to the next channel
thereafter, and so forth, until it reaches the last channel, after
which a new scanning cycle will begin. To configure the set of
channels to be scanned, click
Configure
and use the check boxes to select or unselect specific channels.
Depending on the country and regulatory domain set in your adapter,
the list of supported channels may vary. This is discussed in
the
FAQ
chapter in detail. To configure the time the application spends on
each channel, use the
Seconds per channel
edit box.
You can also see two other options at the bottom of this pane that
control packet capture. The
Sec. channel below in 40 MHz mode
check box determines the position of the secondary channel when
channel bonding is used in the 2.4 GHz band. By default, the
secondary channel in 40 MHz 802.11 networks has a higher frequency
than the primary channel. If you are capturing packets in a network
environment that has a lower frequency secondary channel, check
this box. Checking this box has no effect if the secondary channel
cannot be positioned below the primary one, which is the case when,
for example, you are capturing on 2.4 GHz channel 1, 2, 3, or 4.
This option is available only if your adapter supports capturing on
40 MHz channels. The
Active node discovery
box makes the application send PROBE REQUEST packets periodically.
Such packets facilitate the discovery of those APs that do not
broadcast their SSID. This option is available only if your adapter
supports packet generation.
Once you have configured the capture options, click the
Start Capture
button on the tool bar. If you want to switch to a new channel
while you are in the
Single channel mode
or switch to the
Scanner mode,
you can do so without stopping capturing. The
Channel Indicator
pane displays the current channel and frequency while the
application is capturing packets.
Using Multiple Adapters for Multi-Channel Capturing
If you need to capture packets on multiple channels simultaneously,
you can do so by using multiple USB adapters. In this mode, the
channel selection drop-down list becomes a multi-select control
that allows you to select several channels by holding down
the
Ctrl
key. The
Channel Indicator
pane will then display several channel/frequency indicators. Note
that using multiple adapters is supported only for a limited set of
adapter models. Please refer to the
Multi-channel Capturing
chapter for the detailed information.
Node List
Once you have started capturing, the program begins to populate the
node list with detected wireless nodes. The packet analysis
mechanism used in the program lists all the access points found on
the given channel(s) and stations in ad hoc mode, as well as
associated stations in infrastructure mode. It is important to
understand that the radio used in a wireless adapter can receive
data on only one channel at a time. Therefore, when you have
selected a certain channel for monitoring, this table will contain
data on the APs and stations transmitting data on the selected
channel only. You can, however, select a different channel without
resetting data in the table or select the
Scanner mode
to make the application sweep through the channels so that you can
see active nodes on different channels.
The meaning of the table columns is explained below:
SSID/Band/Channel
– Depending on the grouping method that you selected (accessible
via the
Group by
context menu), the first column lists wireless nodes grouped by
SSID, 802.11 standard, or channel. Each wireless node is
represented by its MAC addresses or
alias.
The stations associated to APs are shown as "child" items linked to
the "parent" item representing the AP.
Channel
– the channel the given AP works on. If the AP uses channel bonding
(40, 80, or 160 MHz channels), the primary channel is listed first,
followed by information on the additional channels in
parentheses.
Type
– node type. Possible values are AP (for access points), STA (for
stations in infrastructure mode) and AD HOC (for stations in ad hoc
mode).
SSID
– Service Set Identifier; a unique string that differentiates one
WLAN from another.
Standard
– 802.11 standard of the AP. Possible values are 802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11an, and 802.11ac.
Encryption
– shows whether the node is using WEP or WPA encryption. For access
points, this column shows available encryption methods being
"advertised" by the access point.
Signal
– signal level in the min/average/max format. The average value is
calculated since the data in this table was last reset. Please
refer to the
Understanding Signal Strength
chapter for more information.
Max Rate
– the maximum PHY data rate the AP can provide.
Streams
– the number of spatial streams supported by the AP.
Rate (Tx
and
Rx)
– data transfer rate in the min/average/max format. The average
value is calculated since the data in this table was last
reset.
Bytes
(Tx
and
Rx)
– the number of bytes sent and received by the node.
Packets (Tx
and
Rx)
– the number of packets sent and received by the node.
Retry
(Tx
and
Rx)
– the number of packets where the Retry flag was set.
You can show or hide individual columns by right-clicking on list
header or using the
View
=>
Nodes Columns
menu. The column order can be changed by dragging the column header
to a new location. Right-clicking on the node list brings up a menu
with the following commands:
Details
– displays an
AP
and Station Details
window.
Quick Filter
– finds the packets sent to/from the selected node, as well as the
packets where the MAC address of the selected node equals the BSSID
address, and displays them in a new window.
Copy MAC Address
– copies the selected node MAC address to the clipboard.
Details
– displays an window.
Copy MAC Address
– copies the local IP address, the remote IP address, or the
hostname to the clipboard.
Create Alias –
displays a window where you can assign an easy-to-remember
alias
to the selected MAC address.
Save Nodes
As
– allows you to save the contents of the Nodes tab as an HTML
report.
Clear Nodes
– clears the table.
More Statistics –
shows a window with
data transfer and
protocol distribution statistics.
Group by –
groups the list by SSID, channel, or band.
Utilization and Signal Level Panes
Located on the left side of the
Nodes
tab, these panes display per-channel utilization charts (two
separate charts for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels) and per-channel
signal level charts (again, two separate charts for 2.4 GHz and 5
GHz channels). In addition to the current levels, these charts also
display historic high levels, which are illustrated in a pale
color.
Channels and Spectrum Pane
Located at the bottom of the
Nodes
tab, this pane has dual functionality:
·It
provides a graphical representation of the active APs, where each
AP is shown using a line that approximates its spectrum mask. The
mask width depends on the channel width supported by the AP and the
mask height depends on the current signal strength.
·It
can display spectrum data if you plug in a USB-based spectrum
analyzer,
Wi-Spy
by
MetaGeek.
A spectrum analyzer listens to and analyzes the frequency bands
utilized by Wi-Fi devices. Because these bands are unlicensed, they
are often shared with non-Wi-Fi sources of RF signals, such as
wireless video cameras, microwave ovens, or cordless phones, which
cause interference. The purpose of spectrum analysis is to detect
and identify such sources of interference, eliminate them, and/or
identify the WLAN channels with minimal interference. For more
information, please refer to the
Spectrum
Analysis
chapter.
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