Packet sniffer for ad hoc network

• US 8,873,460 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intech 21, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intech 21, Inc.
• Inventors: Kats, Marat, Tchibirev, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): BEHARRY, NOEL R
• Application Number:
  US12/596,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20100254310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,372 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• 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 including an RF transceiver for receiving network packets from the 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, said microprocessor determining if the network packets are from a specific ad hoc network and then determining if the network packets are E-packets containing status information of a network node from the specific ad hoc network before creating the FIFO packets;

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

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

wherein at least one of the FIFO packets includes status information of the network node of ad-hoc network that transmitted the E-packet to the sniffer;

wherein said status information includes a received signal strength indicator measured for the received packet at a network node, the identification of the network node of the ad-hoc network to receive the packet, an identifier of the hierarchal level of the network node that transmitted the E-packet, and the identification of the network node that transmitted the E-packet.

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

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, USB 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. 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, said microprocessor determining if the network packets are from a specific ad hoc network and then determining if the network packets are E-packets containing status information of a network node from the specific ad hoc network before creating the FIFO packets;

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

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

wherein said status information in said E-packets comprise a received signal strength indicator measured for the received packet, the identification of the network node of the ad hoc network to receive the packet, an identifier of the hierarchal level of the network node that transmitted the E-packet, and the identification of the network node that transmitted the E-packet; and

wherein at least one of the FIFO packets includes a received signal strength indicator measured for the received packet at a network node, the identification of the network node of the ad-hoc network to receive the packet, an identifier of the hierarchal level of the network node that transmitted the E-packet, and the identification of the network node that transmitted the E-packet.

7. The sniffer of claim 6, wherein the communications interface include at least one of an RS-232 serial channel device, an RS-485 interface, USB interface, a PCMCIA interface, an infrared interface, and an Ethernet interface.

8. The sniffer of claim 6, wherein each of the FIFO packets is created in accordance with at least one of a packet type field, a source ID field and a data field.

9. The sniffer of claim 6, wherein each of the FIFO packets created from an E-packet is created in accordance with a hierarchal level of the node of the ad-hoc network that transmitted the E-packet.

10. The sniffer of claim 9, wherein each of the FIFO packets created from network packets that are not E-packets is created in accordance with at least one of a packet type field, a source ID field and a data field.