Ethereal-users: Re: [Ethereal-users] wireless sniffing

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From: Joe Tomasone <joe@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2001 20:42:44 -0400
Here are essentially your options at this time:

Under Linux, you can use the Prismdump utility to put your D-Link in
monitor mode and dump raw 802.11 frames that Ethereal can read.
It is used in conjunction with linux WLAN-NG, which has hooks to
allow direct channel changes.  If you like, I can provide you with the
specifics, including which versions work.

You can also simply associate with a given AP, then use Ethereal
as a plain 'ol Ethernet sniffer, and sniff the network as if you were
plugged in to the wired net.

Exclusive of Ethereal are commecial products, including the aformentioned
Snffer.  Wildpackets also has AiroPeek, which supports a few cards (the
D-Link is NOT one of them), and at $2000 is a tad pricey.

I use Ethereal in both combinations above, and it works just fine.

        - Joe




At 02:46 AM 8/3/2001, you wrote:
> I am using a wirless d-link pcmcia card. When I use a sniifer with it I see
> plenty of traffic but it dies not recognize the 802.11.

What do you mean by "recognize the 802.11"?  Do you mean the traffic
shows up as, for example, Ethernet traffic rather than 802.11 traffic?

> I am also using ethereal 8.18.

I.e., you're using both Ethereal and some other sniffing software (e.g.,
Network Associates's Sniffer software)?

> Am I missing somthing or does the card not support  sniffing 802.11?

If by "does not recognize the 802.11" you mean that the traffic appears
as Ethernet traffic, not 802.11 traffic, then it could either be that
the card itself can't be configured to show raw 802.11 traffic (i.e., it
pretends to be an Ethernet card) or that the driver doesn't support
configuring it to do so.  (I don't know what, if anything, you can do to
make drivers provide raw 802.11 traffic on Windows; there exist patches
for, I think, the Linux and FreeBSD drivers for some of the Cisco
Aironet cards, which I think allow you to configure them to show raw
802.11 traffic.)

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