macOS: WiFi Explorer Pro 3
Wi-Fi scanner and analyzer for Mac
Last updated
Wi-Fi scanner and analyzer for Mac
Last updated
In this lab, we'll install the Intuitibits WiFi Explorer Pro 3 application on your Mac. We'll configure it to use the WLAN Pi M4 as an external sensor. This allows us to leverage the 6 GHz capabilities of the WLAN Pi, which may be missing from the current capabilities of your Mac.
The WLAN Pi, as an external sensor, also provides opportunities to perform scanning of networks that may be in remote locations. Using a VPN connection between the laptop and WLAN Pi makes it possible to use the scanning capabilities to assist with remote troubleshooting tasks.
To complete this lab, you'll need the following items:
A Mac laptop (with administrative privileges to install software)
A WLAN Pi M4
If you don't already own WiFi Explorer Pro 3, please visit the following web page and download and install the trial version. This trial license is good for 7 days.
You will need WiFi Explorer Pro 3 to complete this lab. Intuitibits also publishes a different app called WiFi Explorer, this version does not support the remote sensor capabilities required for this lab.
Once WiFi Explorer Pro 3 is installed, please take a few moments to ensure the application launches correctly and familiarize yourself with the user interface. If you have used any Wi-Fi scanning package before, you should figure out this UI pretty quickly.
By default, WiFi Explorer Pro 3 uses the internal adapter of your Mac to scan for networks when first launched. Within a few seconds, you should see a summary of Wi-Fi networks detected by the laptop adapter as it scans all Wi-Fi channels. Although this is excellent information, we want to investigate how to use the WLAN Pi as an external sensor in this lab.
To use the WLAN Pi as a remote sensor, there must be IP connectivity between your Mac and the WLAN Pi.
In this lab, your Mac will be connected to the lab Wi-Fi, and your WLAN Pi M4 will be connected to one of the lab PoE switch ports.
Once both devices have their network connection, you can use the IP address shown on the front panel of your WLAN Pi as the target sensor address.
The WLAN Pi M4 does not support OTG connectivity. Therefore it is not possible to establish a connection with a WLAN Pi M4 remote sensor over a USB Type-C connection.
Once you're happy navigating your way around the user interface, please review the instructions below to set up your WLAN Pi M4 as a remote sensor. This allows you to scan the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz (🤓) bands using the wireless adapter inside the WLAN Pi.
Please ensure you note the channels being used by our lab networks while completing this lab. This information will be helpful later in our wireless frame capture lab.
Some information below is taken from the following article, which may be useful for future reference.
To add the WLAN Pi as a remote sensor to WiFi Explorer Pro 3, use these configuration steps:
Go to WiFi Explorer Pro 3 > Settings or Preferences (depending on macOS version) and select the Sensors tab_:_\
Hit the "+" button at the bottom left of the panel and enter the IP address of the WLAN Pi as prompted by the new pop-up. The WLAN Pi address may be found on the front panel of the WLAN Pi:
The new sensor will appear in the sensor list, and you may replace the phrase "New Sensor" with your own chosen name (e.g., WLAN Pi M4):\
You may select and edit the Address, Interface Name and Port fields.
If your WLAN Pi and Mac are on the same Layer 2 segment, WiFi Explorer Pro 3 may automatically detect and display your WLAN Pi M4 in the Sensors list. In the graphic above, the sensors "wlanpi-c4d" and "wlanpi-275" were automatically discovered. This is denoted by the "network symbol" in the lower-right corner of the sensor icon.
If you have issues using the WLAN Pi as a sensor (e.g., no scanning data is shown), you can use the sensor "Diagnostics" feature to verify sensor connectivity. It also checks that the WLAN Pi has the correct software packages and an appropriate wireless adapter to enable remote sensor functionality.
If the diagnostics output shows errors, depending on the failure, you may need to:
Fix any network connectivity issues
Contact the WLAN Pi team for guidance
Contact Intuitibits Support
The sensor diagnostics feature can be accessed via the 3-dots button in the Sensors pane of the Preferences window (shown below):
Now that the WLAN Pi has been added as a sensor, we can use it to scan for the Wi-Fi networks. To select your WLAN Pi M4 as the scanning data source, click the mode button on the top bar of WiFi Explorer Pro 3:
The mode selector will appear. It will include previously configured WLAN Pi sensors. Select your freshly added sensor, and scanning via the sensor will begin:
The first time the sensor is used, you will be prompted to enter a username and password. Enter your username and password for the WLAN Pi, and then scanning will commence.
Note that each scan takes several seconds to complete. You will also note that the SSIDs on the 6 GHz may take a few scans before they finally appear; please be patient.
Make sure that you can see SSIDs on all 3 Wi-Fi bands.
Note down the lab SSIDs, channels and channel widths for later reference in our capture labs.
Ensure that you can see the 6 GHz band SSIDs in your results: you should see the lab 6 GHz networks displayed. The screen dump below shows how to display SSIDs on the 6 GHz band:
Which 6 GHz channels are the lab APs using?
Are they Preferred Scanning Channels (PSCs)?
Congratulations, you've completed the Wi-Fi scanning lab with your Mac.
