Probe requests

Phones and laptops send probe requests that name the Wi-Fi networks they are looking for. This scanner records the names each device asks for, which can show where a device has been before.

How it works

A device looking for a known network broadcasts its name in a probe request. The node records each name against the device that asked for it. A ~ before a name means no network answered that probe.

Start

• Web UI: Scan tab → Probe Request Scanner → Start Scan.
• Over mesh: @ALL PROBE_START:2:300. By default the node sends only watchlist devices to the mesh. Add :+ALL to send every probe it hears.

Reading the results

Each device row shows the networks it probed for. A device that probes for a home or office network name reveals a place it has connected to before. A device that only sends wildcard probes gives nothing away.

If no names appear

Modern phones probe less often and strip network names when the screen is off. Wake the target device, or run the scan longer. Names that come back with a ~ were probed for but not answered by any nearby network.