802.3 packets received and transmitted on the internal logical interfaces, such as Virtual Access Points (VAPs) and Wireless Distribution System (WDS) interfaces.

802.3 packets received and transmitted on the Ethernet interface.

Packets captured on the radio interfaces include the 802.11 header.

802.11 packets received and transmitted wirelessly on the radio interfaces.

The WAP device can capture the following types of packets:

It’s like an x-ray of the network’s inner workings via the transfer of packets. These packets can be saved for further analysis as needed. You can see the path of specific traffic flow and every interaction between devices on selected networks.

Capturing packets allows you to dig into the details of the network traffic, which can include everything from device discovery, protocol conversations, and failed authentication. It can record every packet sent between devices in your network, in real time. What is a packet capture?Ī packet capture, also known as a PCAP file, is a tool that can be helpful in troubleshooting. Head to Wireshark for details on this open-source option. Wireshark provides many options for the capture as well as sorting traffic by several different parameters. If you are not familiar with this process, let us answer some questions you might have already.įirst things first, Wireshark is a free packet analyzer for anyone looking to troubleshoot their network. Having a simple tool to use is invaluable! The goal of this article is to get more comfortable with the basics of packet captures as well as how to stream the packets to Wireshark.

Introduction and Frequently Asked QuestionsĬonfiguration changes, monitoring, and troubleshooting are something a network administrator has to deal with often.

Wireshark network analyzer