Installation guide

Wireless Guide 81
9
Configuring Wireless LANs
to Capture
Overview
This chapter describes how to configure the Sniffer software to monitor and
capture traffic on your wireless network. This chapter describes how to set
options specific to analyzing wireless networks. For information on standard
Sniffer software features (such as how to set triggers, filters, and so on), see
the software User’s Guide.
Options specific to wireless adapters are found in the following areas:
 Set standard Sniffer software options in the 802.11 tab of the Options
dialog box (accessed by selecting Options from the Tools menu).
Setting Wireless Options on page 82.
 Set Expert options in the 802.11 Options tab of the Sniffer software’s
Expert Properties dialog box (accessed by selecting Expert Options
from the Tools menu). Setting Expert Wireless Options on page 90.
Monitoring Wireless Networks
Sniffer Portable monitors independent basic service set (IBSS) and
infrastructure wireless networks.
 IBSS networks are wireless networks without access to a distribution
system. Traffic stays within the IBSS network. IBSS networks are also
known as ad hoc or independent networks.
 Infrastructure networks are wireless networks with access to a
distribution system. Infrastructure networks are typically one part of an
integrated wired and wireless network structure.
When you select a wireless adapter in the Select Settings dialog box
(accessed from File > Select Settings or automatically the first time you select
an adapter to monitor), you are by default specifying that you are monitoring
both IBSS and infrastructure networks.