Is there any good way to sniff 802.11 frames for troubleshooting?

RouterOS Wireless Networking
1

I’ve been reading up a lot on 802.11r/v/k and am interested in how it all works but I don’t like relying on theory so I also dig into the packets to verify how it works. However when it comes to WiFi when you enable sniffing on the radio itself it grabs the beacons from everywhere around me but nothing that originated or is destined to the radio that I am sniffing on. (Which is normal)

Is it best to use my laptop in 802.11 monitor mode or is there a better solution? I am just trying to see what frames are sent while I am walking across the apartment with my phone.

Thanks!

2

You’ll want to sniff beacons because most of interesting data is broadcast … try to filter according to BSSIDs that belong to your WiFi network to reduce amount of chatter. Ony when your station decides to roam there will be some unicast exchange with old and new APs.