Wireless Drivers and Supported APs for Packet Capture

Savvius Wireless Solutions

Omnipeek provides flexible options for capturing wireless packets for analysis, including support for directly-attached WLAN adapters and remote captures from supported access points (APs).

WLAN Adapters

For wireless network analysis using supported WLAN adapters, Omnipeek requires the installation of special drivers to capture wireless management, control, and data packets.

Savvius supports wireless network adapters which use the custom MediaTek (formerly Ralink) and Atheros drivers installed with Omnipeek. The Savvius WiFi Adapters for Omnipeek have been tested by Savvius and will provide the best results. Click here for tips on the usage of these drivers.

To aggregate packets on different channels, from any set of wireless adapters, and perform roaming latency analysis, use the Aggregator/Roaming adapter in Omnipeek.

Savvius Omnipeek, best-in-class network diagnostics software, delivers intuitive visualization and effective forensics for faster resolution of network and application performance issues. Savvius packet intelligence enable Omnipeek to provide rapid analysis and troubleshooting of wired and wireless networks, local and remote.
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Compatible Wireless Adapters and Drivers

MediaTek wireless adapters

MediaTek, a wireless chipset manufacturer has developed a driver that works with Omnipeek products and provides full support for all Savvius WiFi Adapters for Omnipeek, and provides full support for all Omnipeek features. Please use the appropriate driver as described below.

Model

Band

Driver

Download
Savvius WiFi Adapter for Omnipeek (3-stream, 802.11n) * a/b/g/n
(3-stream 11n)		 MediaTek v5.1.12.48
(32 and 64-bit drivers)		 MyPeek Members Only
Savvius WiFi Adapter for Omnipeek (2-stream, 802.11ac) * a/b/g/n/ac
(2-stream 11n/11ac)		 MediaTek v5.1.12.48
(32 and 64-bit drivers)		 MyPeek Members Only

* Savvius WiFi Adapters for Omnipeek

The driver for this device requires an update from Microsoft that adds functionality for the SHA-2 hashing algorithm to all supported editions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. See https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/3033929 for further details.

MediaTek Driver Known Issues:

  • The driver does not pass an FCS value to Omnipeek so the reported FCS value is always "Calculated"
  • The driver does not distinguish between 11a and 11n in 20MHz mode – all packets are reported as 11a

Atheros-based wireless adapters

Savvius supports Atheros-based wireless network adapters, depending on the. embedded Atheros chipset. Please use the appropriate driver as described below.

Atheros Chipset

Driver Version
AR9380 (PCIe Support) Omnipeek Folder:
/Omnipeek/Drivers/Atheros/Atheros_PCIe_9.2
AR9170 (USB Support) Omnipeek Folder:
/Omnipeek/Drivers/Atheros/Atheros_USB_3.0

Remote Captures from APs

Savvius supports Cisco and Aruba Access Points (APs) for capturing packets from network-attached APs. The following table lists supported APs.

Partner

AP(s)

Controller Required

Controller Model

Connection

Bands
Cisco AP3800 1
AP3700 1
AP2700 1		 Yes CT2504 Custom Remote Adapter a/b/g/n/ac
Aruba AP-225 Yes 7210-US Custom Remote Adapter a/b/g/n/ac
1. Cisco APs cannot be used to capture 40MHz 802.11n traffic in the 2.4GHz band. Cisco specifically restricts the use of 40MHz bandwidth in the 2.4GHz band (click here for more details) due to possible interference issues with other users in the band.
2. NOTE: If you don't have an Aruba or Cisco Access Point and or controller, you may be able to capture from any access point that supports RPCAP.

Best Practices

802.11n, Dual Band, 3-Stream RX/TX

Use the WiFi Adapter for Omnipeek (11n)

802.11ac, Dual Band, 1 or 2-stream RX/TX

Use the WiFi Adapter for Omnipeek (11ac), This adapter can also be used to capture a/b/g/n traffic, up to 2-stream 11n traffic.

Third-Party Applications

Savvius does not authorize or support the use of our proprietary drivers in any applications other than Omnipeek.