Practical RF Monitoring Field Applications

This section provides an overview of practical uses for collected RF Monitoring data in detecting WiFi threat sources. When using RF data to locate threats, keep in mind that wireless signals are affected by many factors.

• Signal strength is not always a good indicator of distance.

  Obstructions such as walls, wireless interference, device power output, and even ambient humidity and temperature can affect the signal strength of a wireless device.

• A MAC Address is not always permanent.

  While a MAC address is generally a good indicator of device type and manufacturer, this address is susceptible to change and can be spoofed. Also, originators of RF threats might have more than one hardware device at their disposal.

 

• Using Sensor ID to Determine RF Threat Location
• Using RSSI to Determine RF Threat Proximity