Ethereal-users: Re: [Ethereal-users] 802.11 sniffing on Win2K Platform

Note: This archive is from the project's previous web site, ethereal.com. This list is no longer active.

From: Guy Harris <guy@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2002 11:00:06 -0800
On Fri, Dec 06, 2002 at 09:46:19AM -0500, Greg Lumpkin wrote:
> I would like to use Ethereal to test the security of my Wi-Fi installations.
> Unfortunately, I have read on the website that 802.11 raw data capturing is
> not available yet on the Windows 2000 platform.
> 
> Does anyone know when/if this will be available?

It will be available when:

	Microsoft have a standard NDIS interface to allow "monitor mode"
	to be turned on for an 802.11 interface;

	suppliers of 802.11 cards modify their drivers to support that
	interface;

	WinPcap is changed to use that interface;

	capture programs such as WinDump and Ethereal are changed, if
	that's required, to get WinPcap to turn monitor mode on.

The list above is in "dependency order", i.e. the N+1st item on the list
can't be done until the Nth item is done.  I have no idea when, if ever,
the first of those will be done.

> Is there a "workaround"?

	1) use Linux or FreeBSD and one of the cards on which the OS in
	   question supports monitor mode:

		http://www.ethereal.com/faq.html#q5.22

	2) buy a WSP100 device and capture from it using Packetyzer:

		http://www.packetyzer.com/

	   (Packetyzer isn't Ethereal, strictly speaking, but it is based on
	   the same packet decoding engine as Ethereal, is a native Windows
	   GUI app rather than a GTK+-for-Windows app, and appears, from
	   the screenshots, to have features that Ethereal doesn't
	   currently have).