I mean, just see all the packets going though the air.. is this possible with Wireshark, for example?
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It's called [monitor mode](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_mode) - see [Packet Sniff over Wi-Fi](http://superuser.com/questions/179845/packet-sniff-over-wi-fi) – u1686_grawity Jun 04 '11 at 22:41
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@grawity Thanks! I installed the CommView for the drivers so my Wifi card now support monitor mode :) Unfortunately Windows version of Wireshark doesn't support monitor mode =/ – Zequez Jun 05 '11 at 01:01
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It's not supported by the WinPcap library. You could boot into a Linux LiveCD and use Wireshark there. – u1686_grawity Jun 05 '11 at 19:53
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Yes.
If the signal is encrypted, then you'll need to know the key or password to decrypt the information, but your use of the word "open" probably means that the signal is not encrypted (in which case all you'll need to do is monitor the packets).
To see all the packets, your wireless NIC will need to support "promiscuous mode." Some models don't support this, so you'll need to check the documentation or ask the vendor.
Randolf Richardson
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2Thanks for the answer ^^ But I did some research and I understood that promiscuous mode is only for a network you are connected in so I would have to use monitor mode, as @grawity said :P – Zequez Jun 05 '11 at 01:02
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A NIC will normally filter out packets that aren't destined for their own hardware address (a.k.a., "MAC address" or "Node address"), with the exception of packets destined for a broadcast address, to reduce OS overhead, but with "promiscuous mode" or "monitor mode" this filtering doesn't occur. These types of features are typically used by applications like WireShark, Network Stumbler, Packetyzer, etc., for the purpose of "sniffing" or "monitoring" all traffic on the local network. – Randolf Richardson Jun 05 '11 at 01:45
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