A more basic packet capture adapter is available for only $198.00. Innovatio is intercepting WiFi communications with a Riverbed AirPcap Nx packet capture adapter, which is available to the public for purchase for $698.00. But Judge Holderman reached the opposite conclusion: Advertisement In the Google Street View case, a California judge had suggested that WiFi communications were not public, even if they were sent without encryption. Judge James Holderman ruled that this exception applies to Innovatio's proposed packet sniffing. It's not illegal to intercept communications 'made through an electronic communication system that is configured so that such electronic communication is readily accessible to the general public.' Still, the firm was concerned that doing so might violate federal privacy laws, so it sought a preliminary ruling on the question.įederal law makes it illegal to intercept electronic communications, but it includes an important exception. It planned to immediately delete the contents of the packets, only keeping the headers. Innovatio wanted to use packet sniffing gear to gather WiFi traffic for use as evidence in the case. A company called Innovatio IP Ventures has accused various 'hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, supermarkets,' and other businesses that offer WiFi service to the public of infringing 17 of its patents. The ruling is a preliminary step in a larger patent trolling case. The decision runs counter to a 2011 decision that suggested Google may have violated the law when its Street View cars intercepted fragments of traffic from open WiFi networks around the country. A federal judge in Illinois has ruled that intercepting traffic on unencrypted WiFi networks is not wiretapping.

Using wireshark illegal wifi