WildPackets develops its own Atheros wireless drivers to support Atheros-based

wireless network adapters, and we support a broad range of hardware. These drivers
are designed for use with Atheros AR5001, AR5002, AR5004, AR5005, AR5006 and
AR5008 chipset-based adapters, and support advanced functionalities such as
802.11n (AR5008-based adapters only), WPA/PSK decryption, noise measurement
and hardware time-stamping in all OmniPeek products.

WildPackets currently supports three versions of the Atheros driver, v3.0.1.12,

v4.2.2.9 and v6.0.4.13. The application of these drivers is typically as follows.

Atheros Chipset Driver Version

AR5001 v3.0.1.12, v4.2.2.9

AR5002 v4.2.2.9

AR5004 v4.2.2.9

AR5005 v4.2.2.9

AR5006 v4.2.2.9

AR5008 v6.0.4.13
Some
older Atheros wireless adapters, usually those based on the Atheros AR5001 chipset,
are incompatible with driver v4.2.2.9. In these cases, driver v3.0.1.12 should be used.

All three driver versions are included with OmniPeek. Those drivers can be
found in the following directory: Program
Files\WildPackets\OmniPeek\Driver\atheros. Instructions for installing or
uninstalling a driver version are included in the driver readme.

Though any Atheros-based PC card or mini-PCI wireless adapters using the

supported chipsets should work with OmniPeek, the following adapters have provided
good results with OmniPeek.
 Model Band Driver Download

Netgear WAG511 a/b/g v4.2.2.9 Download

SMC 2336A-AG a/b/g v4.2.2.9 Download

Orinoco Gold
a/b/g v4.2.2.9 Download
8480WD

Cisco CB21AG a/b/g v4.2.2.9 Download

3Com 3CRPAG175 a/b/g v3.0.1.12 Download

NEC Aterm
a/b/g/n v6.0.4.13 Download
WL300NC

D-Link DWA-652 b/g/n v6.0.4.13 Download

Other hardware
v4.2.2.9 Download
models
To
see a list of commercially available Atheros-based wireless adapters and the chipsets
they use, please see
http://customerproducts.atheros.com/customerproducts/default.asp

Intel Centrino
OmniPeek natively supports WLAN adapters that utilize the Centrino 3945 chipset for
a/b/g wireless analysis. A custom driver is not needed for these adapters as the
application will automatically recognize the adapter. For more details on Intel Centrino
support in OmniPeek, please reference:
http://www.wildpackets.com/support/omni/omnipeek_enterprise/faq

Best Practices
Single Channel, Single Band Captures
Just about any wireless adapter included on this page will do the trick. Simply determine which band (b/g or “a") and
which hardware interface is available on the computer you’re using (PCcard, PCExpress Card, USB, etc.) and find a
suitable card from the list.

Single Channel, Dual Band

For this type of capture, a card that supports a/b/g at a minimum is required. Simply use the “band” column to locate an
adapter with a minimum requirement of a/b/g. It’s worth considering an a/b/g/n wireless adapter, even if you don’t need
to capture and analyze 11n today since 11n is just around the corner, and it’s often no more expensive to buy an a/b/g/n
adapter over an a/b/g adapter.

Single Channel 11n, Single Band

In this case you’ll need an adapter that’s either b/g/n or a/n, depending on the band in which you’re deploying 11n (2.4
GHz vs. 5 GHz respectively). Simply use the “band” column to locate a suitable adapter.

Single Channel 11n, Dual Band

In this case you’ll need an adapter that’s a/b/g/n. These adapters are still fairly uncommon in the market. We recommend
the Linksys WUSB600N since it’s readily available and is USB – something that will fit into just about any computer. The
Buffalo WLI-CB-AG300N is also a good choice, but it is very difficult to find right now.

Multi-Channel Analysis
 WildPackets recently introduced an Aggregator Plug-in that aggregates packets from multiple wireless adapters on
different channels into a single capture. This is an excellent solution for analysis situations where it is imperative to
capture ALL packets on ALL channels. The traditional analysis method was to scan across the channels, but this
approach lacks the capability of capturing all of the data on all of the channels simultaneously. Multi-channel analysis is
key when roaming analysis is required, because it provides a complete picture of all roaming events. Multi-channel
analysis is supported on USB devices only since USB is the only hardware interface that provides the flexibility of
connecting multiple wireless adapters, either using multiple USB ports on a computer or by using a USB hub to extend
the capability of a single port. Multi-channel analysis is only available with the Ralink drivers. We recommend the Linksys
WUSB600N since it provides complete wireless coverage – a/b/g/n and dual band.

Third-Party Applications
WildPackets does not authorize or support the use of our proprietary drivers in any applications other than OmniPeek.