WIFIDUMP(1)

📦
version 4.7.4 · 15 versions
, in arch rolling

💅 WIFIDUMP(1) — like, the manual page, bestie ✨

okay so. this is wifidump(1) and it's genuinely one of the most fun little extcap tools ever — let me tell you everything 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

wifidump — it's literally an interface for capturing Wi-Fi frames from a remote host, and it does it through SSH. no cap. 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

wifidump [ --help ] [ --version ] [ --extcap-interfaces ]
[ --extcap-dlts ] [ --extcap-interface=<interface> ] [ --extcap-config ]
[ --extcap-capture-filter=<capture filter> ] [ --capture ]
[ --fifo=<path to file or pipe> ] [ --remote-host=<IP address> ]
[ --remote-port=<TCP port> ] [ --remote-username=<username> ]
[ --remote-password=<password> ] [ --sshkey=<public key path> ]
[ --remote-interface=<interface> ]
[ --remote-channel-frequency=<channel frequency> ]
[ --remote-channel-width=<channel width> ]
wifidump --extcap-interfaces
wifidump --extcap-interface=<interface> --extcap-dlts
wifidump --extcap-interface=<interface> --extcap-config
wifidump --extcap-interface=<interface> --fifo=<path to file or pipe>
--capture --remote-host=myremotehost --remote-port=22
--remote-username=user --remote-interface=eth2
--remote-channel-frequency=5180 --remote-channel-width=40

like, pick your vibe. the last one is the full send 💅

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so wifidump is an extcap tool — which basically means Wireshark can boss it around — and what it does is let you capture Wi-Fi traffic from a remote host over an SSH connection, using tcpdump. 🎀

okay but here's the catch, and it's a real one: to capture Wi-Fi frames, the remote host must have the necessary binaries to manage the interface and put it into monitor mode. those binaries are: ip, iw, and iwconfig. 🧚

and — because monitor mode and managing the Wi-Fi interface need root privileges — the system has to be configured to let the wanted user run these binaries using sudo without entering a password. yep. that's the vibe check. 🙈

lowkey important: if that sudo-without-password thing isn't set up, this is not gonna slay. it's just gonna fail.

typically you don't invoke wifidump directly — it's not that kind of main character. instead you configure it through the Wireshark graphical user interface or its command line. 🌈

this one starts Wireshark and starts capturing from host remotehost:

$ wireshark '-oextcap.wifidump.remotehost:remotehost' -i wifidump -k

and if you want to explicitly control the remote capture command, bestie, say less:

$ wireshark '-oextcap.wifidump.remotehost:remotehost' \
            '-oextcap.wifidump.remotechannelfrequency:5180' \
            '-oextcap.wifidump.remotechannelwidth:40' \
            -i wifidump -k

Supported interfaces: 💫

  1. wifidump

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • --help — prints the program arguments. your girl's little resume 💅
  • --version — prints the program version. iconic number reveal ✨
  • --extcap-interfaces — lists the available interfaces. spoiler: it's a short list 🦋
  • --extcap-interface=<interface> — uses the specified interface(s).
  • --extcap-dlts — lists the DLTs of the specified interface.
  • --extcap-config — lists the configuration options of the specified interface.
  • --capture — starts capturing from the specified interface and writes raw packet data to the location specified by --fifo. this is the moment. 🌟
  • --fifo=<path to file or pipe> — saves the captured packet to a file, or sends it through a pipe.
  • --remote-host=<remote host> — the address of the remote host for the capture. 🏠
  • --remote-port=<remote port> — the SSH port of the remote host.
  • --remote-username=<username> — the username for ssh authentication. who even are you 👑
  • --remote-password=<password> — the password to use (if not ssh-agent and pubkey are used).
WARNING: the passwords are stored in plaintext and are visible to all users on this system. it is recommended to use keyfiles with a SSH agent. bestie please do not raw-dog a plaintext password, i'm begging 😭
  • --sshkey=<SSH private key path> — the path to a private key for authentication. 🔑
  • --remote-interface=<remote interface> — the remote network interface to capture from.
  • --remote-channel-frequency=<channel frequency> — the remote channel frequency, in MHz.
  • --remote-channel-width=<channel width> — the remote channel width, in MHz.
  • --extcap-capture-filter=<capture filter> — the capture filter. it corresponds to the value provided via the tshark -f option, and to the Capture Filter field next to the interfaces list in the Wireshark interface. 🎯

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

to see program arguments:

wifidump --help

to see program version:

wifidump --version

to see interfaces:

wifidump --extcap-interfaces

only one interface (wifidump) is supported, ngl. it's a one-interface kinda party.

example output:

interface {value=wifidump}{display=Wi-Fi remote capture}

to see interface DLTs:

wifidump --extcap-interface=wifidump --extcap-dlts

example output:

dlt {number=147}{name=wifidump}{display=Remote capture dependent DLT}

to see interface configuration options:

wifidump --extcap-interface=wifidump --extcap-config

example output — okay this one is long but every single line is here, do not @ me:

arg {number=0}{call=--remote-host}{display=Remote SSH server address}{type=string}
    {tooltip=The remote SSH host. It can be both an IP address or a hostname}{required=true}{group=Server}
arg {number=1}{call=--remote-port}{display=Remote SSH server port}{type=unsigned}
    {tooltip=The remote SSH host port (1-65535)}{range=1,65535}{group=Server}
arg {number=2}{call=--remote-username}{display=Remote SSH server username}{type=string}
    {tooltip=The remote SSH username. If not provided, the current user will be used}{group=Authentication}
arg {number=3}{call=--remote-password}{display=Remote SSH server password}{type=password}
    {tooltip=The SSH password, used when other methods (SSH agent or key files) are unavailable.}{group=Authentication}
arg {number=4}{call=--sshkey}{display=Path to SSH private key}{type=fileselect}
    {tooltip=The path on the local filesystem of the private ssh key}{mustexist=true}{group=Authentication}
arg {number=5}{call=--sshkey-passphrase}{display=SSH key passphrase}{type=password}
    {tooltip=Passphrase to unlock the SSH private key}{group=Authentication}
arg {number=6}{call=--remote-interface}{display=Remote interface}{type=string}
    {tooltip=The remote network interface used to capture}{default=auto}{group=Capture}
arg {number=7}{call=--remote-channel-frequency}{display=Remote channel}{type=selector}
    {tooltip=The remote channel used to capture}{group=Capture}
arg {number=8}{call=--remote-channel-width}{display=Remote channel width}{type=selector}
    {tooltip=The remote channel width used to capture}{group=Capture}
arg {number=9}{call=--remote-filter}{display=Remote capture filter}{type=string}
    {tooltip=The remote capture filter}{group=Capture}
arg {number=10}{call=--remote-count}{display=Packets to capture}{type=unsigned}
    {tooltip=The number of remote packets to capture.}{group=Capture}
arg {number=11}{call=--log-level}{display=Set the log level}{type=selector}
    {tooltip=Set the log level}{required=false}{group=Debug}
arg {number=12}{call=--log-file}{display=Use a file for logging}{type=fileselect}
    {tooltip=Set a file where log messages are written}{required=false}{group=Debug}

to capture:

wifidump --extcap-interface=wifidump --fifo=/tmp/wifidump.pcap --capture --remote-host 192.168.1.10 --remote-username user --remote-channel-frequency 5180 --remote-channel-width 40
Note — to stop capturing, hit Ctrl+C / kill / terminate the application. that's the exit strategy, bestie 💀

🦋 multiple instances 🦋

the wifidump binary can be renamed to support multiple instances. so like, if we want wifidump to show up twice in wireshark (say, to handle multiple profiles), we can copy wifidump to wifidump-host1 and wifidump-host2. each binary will show up with an interface name the same as the executable name. those executables not being wifidump will show up as "custom version" in the interface description. it's giving clone army, and honestly? obsessed. 👯‍♀️

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

wireshark(1), tshark(1), extcap(4), tcpdump(1)

💜 NOTES 💜

wifidump is part of the Wireshark distribution. the latest version of Wireshark can be found at https://www.wireshark.org.

HTML versions of the Wireshark project man pages are available at https://www.wireshark.org/docs/man-pages. ✨

👑 AUTHORS 👑

Original Author Adrian Granados <adrian[AT]intuitibits.com>

and that's the whole page, bestie 🫶💖✨ this one's from the Wireshark crew, dated 2026-10-08, and it signs off as WIFIDUMP(1) — slay, no notes. 🎀💅

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