Sniffing WiFi with an ESP8266 microcontroller
Summary
In this article, I made a quick tour of WiFi, with enough depth to understand where SSIDs come from and how to extract them. I also introduced the ESP8266 microcontroller, which is a very powerful device, both for hobbysts and professionals, at an extremely low price tag. The ESP8266 comes with, among many other functions, a sniffer mode that can be used for capturing and analyzing WiFi traffic without being connected to any BSS, a very useful feature for network management and analytics.
Although the example (collecting BSSIDs) is trivial, the ESP8266 has many other uses. Some ideas that I will leave as a challenge are to use the template program shown here to analyze the number of STAs visible at a certain point or to light the LED of the ESP8266 when a specific STA is seen. Just remember always to respect privacy laws! You cannot store or share MAC addresses from personal devices of non-consenting users because they are considered private data.
Infos
- ESP8266: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESP8266
- ESP8266 technical reference: https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/documentation/esp8266-technical_reference_en.pdf
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.