How to Use Wireshark to Capture USB Wireless Traffic

As a Windows user, you may have found it difficult to perform wireless packet captures using your laptop's built-in wireless network interface card (NIC). Unlike Apple Mac users who have the luxury of native wireless capture capability, Windows users are left struggling to find alternative solutions. However, with the WLANPi unit and Wireshark, you can now capture traffic over the air directly into your Windows machine.

The main issue with capturing wireless packets on Windows is due to the lack of monitor mode capability in most wireless NIC drivers. This makes it challenging for users to put their adapters into monitor mode and capture frames over the air. As a result, many Windows users have been left feeling frustrated and limited in their ability to perform wireless packet captures.

But fear not! The WLANPi unit has come to the rescue, providing a low-cost and convenient solution for Windows users to capture 802.11 frames over the air. By using the WLANPi as an adapter, you can put your laptop's USB port to good use, capturing traffic over the air directly into Wireshark.

In this article, we will explore how to use the WLANPi unit to capture wireless traffic in Wireshark on a Windows machine. This is especially useful for wireless professionals who need to take quick over-the-air captures to analyze traffic for troubleshooting purposes.

To get started, you will need the following:

* A WLANPi unit

* A Windows laptop with a USB port

* Wireshark installed on your Windows machine

Once you have all the necessary equipment, follow these steps:

1. Connect the WLANPi unit to your Windows laptop via a USB cable.

2. Open Wireshark and go to Capture > Options > Wireless.

3. Select the WLANPi device as the capture interface.

4. Choose the wireless network you want to capture traffic from.

5. Start the capture process by clicking on the 'Start' button.

Once the capture is in progress, you can view the captured packets in Wireshark's main window. You can also filter the capture based on various criteria, such as packet size, protocol, and more.

In conclusion, capturing wireless traffic using Wireshark on a Windows machine has never been easier. With the WLANPi unit and Wireshark, you can now perform wireless packet captures directly from your laptop's USB port. This is especially useful for wireless professionals who need to troubleshoot network issues or analyze network traffic.

How to wireshark usb wireless capture