Wireless Card Modes
Before sniffing wireless packets, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the different modes in which a wireless card can operate.
Most users only use wireless cards in managed or ad-hoc modes, but other modes include master mode and monitor mode. I'll cover each mode below; a graphical representation of the way each one operates is shown in Figure 10-2.
Figure 10-2. The different wireless card modes
- Managed mode
Managed mode is used when your wireless client connects directly to a wireless access point (WAP). In these cases, the driver associated with the wireless NIC relies on the WAP to manage the entire communications ...
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