Wireless networks use unbound media, which allows users to roam freely while still being connected to the network. Over time, wireless networks have improved in speed and bandwidth, and as a result, you will most likely capture wireless traffic during a troubleshooting exercise.

Wireless can provide connectivity for a LAN using Wi-Fi, or for a PAN using Bluetooth. Here, we will compare the two:

• Wi-Fi provides networking on a LAN using the IEEE 802.11 standards. The 802.11 family has several standards; however, 802.11a, 802.11b/g/n and 802.11ac are currently the most widely used standards.
• Bluetooth provides networking on a PAN over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, which allows devices to communicate with each other to transfer files, control IoT devices, and provide hands-free calling in your car.

As you can see, there are many variables that you may deal with while capturing and analyzing traffic using Wireshark. The type of network and the media will influence how you capture traffic and what you might see once it has been captured. In most cases, however, packet capture using Wireshark is done on a LAN.

In the next section, we will explore how to properly set up a capture and examine each of the capture option tabs: input, output, and options.