Command-Line Install

Install WiFi Monitor as a Python CLI tool on macOS, Windows, or Linux.

Quick Start

Already have Python 3.10+ and Git?

$ git clone https://git.viasat.com/krennie/wifi-monitor.git
$ cd wifi-monitor
$ pip install -e .
$ wifi-capture --quick

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+

macOS includes Python 3 via Xcode Command Line Tools:

$ xcode-select --install   # if not already installed
$ python3 --version

Or install via Homebrew: brew install python@3.12

Git

Included with Xcode Command Line Tools. Verify: git --version

Python 3.10+

Check if you already have Python:

> python --version

If not installed, download from python.org. During install, check "Add Python to PATH".

Windows Store Python also works. If you have multiple versions, use python3 instead of python.

Git

Check: git --version. If not installed, download from git-scm.com.

Python 3.10+ and Git

# Ubuntu / Debian
$ sudo apt install python3 python3-pip git

# Fedora
$ sudo dnf install python3 python3-pip git

Install

Clone and install

$ git clone https://git.viasat.com/krennie/wifi-monitor.git
$ cd wifi-monitor
$ pip install -e .

This installs WiFi Monitor and its dependencies. The -e flag means editable — git pull to get updates without reinstalling.

Virtual environment (recommended):

$ python3 -m venv .venv
$ source .venv/bin/activate   # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
$ pip install -e .

Run a Capture

Quick test

Verify everything works with a 30-second capture:

$ wifi-capture --quick

Full capture

# 30-minute timed capture with analysis chart
$ wifi-capture --duration 30m --analyze

# Continuous capture (Ctrl+C to stop)
$ wifi-capture --analyze

# Select specific probes
$ wifi-capture --probes ping,http,dns --duration 10m

# Tag metadata upfront (skip prompts)
$ wifi-capture --location "DEN-ATL" --network "Viasat Ka" --duration 30m

Analyze and Report

Generate results pages and reports

Generate an interactive HTML results page for a capture:

$ wifi-results captures/your-capture.csv

Generate a multi-capture comparison report:

$ pip install jinja2 markdown
$ wifi-report

Available Commands

Command	Purpose
`wifi-capture`	Run a network measurement capture
`wifi-results`	Generate interactive HTML results page from a capture CSV
`wifi-report`	Generate multi-capture HTML comparison report
`wifi-manage`	Manage captures (list, archive, delete)

Platform Notes

Uses system ping and traceroute (no raw socket permissions needed)
WiFi info via CoreWLAN (may require Location Services on macOS 15+)
One-command setup: scripts/wifi_capture.sh handles venv + capture + analysis

Ping and traceroute use icmplib (pure Python)
WiFi signal via netsh wlan show interfaces
If wifi-capture is not found, try python -m wifi_monitor.cli
Some networks restrict ICMP — try running as Administrator

Prefer the native app? The Windows app provides the same functionality with a graphical interface, live charts, and automatic setup.

Ping and traceroute use icmplib (may need sudo or CAP_NET_RAW)
No WiFi signal detection (platform not yet supported)
All probe types and analysis features work