iwScanner vs Kismet

iwScanner is a free Linux wireless scanner with a graphical interface. It detects wireless networks and displays each access point, MAC address, channel, and encryption type. A signal chart shows the strength of detected networks, and scanning speed can be adjusted. The program uses wireless-tools and is ready to run when iwlist is available. It is designed in Glade and written in Python; the maker says PyGTK is needed in a Linux environment. iwScanner can open and save NetDetect (.ndd) and NetStumbler (.ns1) files, and the source is included with the download. The latest listed release is version 0.2.4, dated 2010-04-15, offered as an Ubuntu deb package and a generic Linux tarball. That release fixes networks being incorrectly detected as WPA2. Notes for version 0.2.3 add support for the rt2860sta card. The maker identifies Renzo Bertuzzi as author and invites email contact.

Kismet is a free, open-source wireless sniffer, intrusion detection system, wardriving tool, and packet capture tool. Depending on hardware and driver support, it can capture Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, wireless sensor, airplane beacon, and power meter data. It runs headless as a standalone capture and wireless intrusion detection system, or with a web interface. Linux and macOS are supported directly; Windows use is through WSL. Remote capture forwards capture types over TCP sockets or websockets for centralized collection. Kismet’s kismetdb logfile combines packets, device records, location, and runtime data in an SQLite3-based file. A REST-like API offers JSON records, streaming pcap-ng, and websocket publish-subscribe endpoints. WIDS alerts can be connected through REST APIs, syslog, and some SIEM tools. The project says stationary use is most effective for WIDS; mobile or channel-hopping operation can reduce accuracy and coverage. Its macOS adapter support is limited, and WSL cannot access local hardware interfaces for packet capture, though remote capture is supported. The downloads page lists 2025-09-R1 as the latest stable release.