A wireless sniffer is a type of packet analyzer. A packet analyzer (also known as a packet sniffer) is a piece of software or hardware designed to intercept data as it is transmitted over a network and decode the data into a format that is readable for humans. Wireless sniffers are packet analyzers specifically created for capturing data on wireless networks. Wireless sniffers are also commonly referred to as wireless packet sniffers or wireless network sniffers.
Wireless sniffer tools have many uses in commercial IT environments. Their ability to monitor, intercept, and decode data as it is in transit makes them useful for:
Diagnosing and investigating network problems
Monitoring network usage, activity, and security
Discovering network misuse, vulnerabilities, malware, and attack attempts
Filtering network traffic
Identifying configuration issues and network bottlenecks