PACKET SNIFFER FOR AD HOC NETWORK

• US 20100254310A1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intech 21, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intech 21, Inc.
• Inventors: Tchibirev, Igor, Kats, Marat
• Granted Patent: US 8,873,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A sniffer for an ad-hoc network is described. The sniffer includes an RF transceiver for receiving network packets from an ad-hoc network, the RF transceiver being operable to receive the network packets without the sniffer being connected to the ad-hoc network; a microprocessor connected to the RF transceiver for processing the network packets to create associated FIFO packets; a memory connected to the microprocessor for storing the associated FIFO packets,- and a communications interface for receiving the associated FIFO packets from the memory and for transmitting the associated FIFO packets to a computer.

Claims

1. A sniffer for an ad-hoc network, comprising:

an RF transceiver for receiving network packets from an ad-hoc network, the RF transceiver being operable to receive the network packets without the sniffer being connected to the ad-hoc network;

a microprocessor connected to the RF transceiver for processing the network packets to create associated FIFO packets;

a memory connected to the microprocessor for storing the associated FIFO packets; and

a communications interface for receiving the associated FIFO packets from the memory and for transmitting the associated FIFO packets to a computer.

2. The sniffer of claim 1, wherein the RF transceiver includes a TR1000 transceiver placed in a receive mode.

3. The sniffer of claim 1, wherein the communications interface include at least one of an RS-232 serial channel device, an RS-485 interface, USE interface, a PCMCIA interface, an infrared interface, and an Ethernet interface.

4. The sniffer of claim 1, wherein each of the FIFO packets is created in accordance with at least one field of a network packet.

5. The sniffer of claim 4, wherein the at least one field includes at least one of a packet type field, a source ID field and a data field.

6. The sniffer of claim 1, wherein at least one of the FIFO packets includes at least one of a radio signal strength for a network packet, an identifier of a receiving device, an identifier of a transmitting device, and a hierarchal level of the transmitting device.

7. The sniffer of claim 1, wherein at least one of the network packets includes an E-packet.

8. The sniffer of claim 6, wherein at least one of the FIFO packets includes a at least one of a Received Signal Strength Indicator measured for a network packet, an identification of a node of the ad-hoc network to receive the network packet, a hierarchal level of the node of the ad-hoc network that transmitted the E-packet, and an identification of a node of the ad-hoc network that transmitted the E-packet.