Kismet

7.0easy start · #6 of 30
in Network Protocol Analyzers

Free to practise onyes
Free trialnot on record
Well documentedyes
Runs where you workyes

Runs on api, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows.

Kismet is ranked #6 of 30 in network protocol analyzers on The Geeks Club. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

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Kismet Free Free and open source; no paid plan or usage limit stated kismetwireless.net · 30 Sept 2026

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The record

Product: Kismet is an open source sniffer, wireless intrusion detection system, wardriving tool, and packet capture tool.
Wireless coverage: It can capture Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, wireless sensor, airplane beacon, and power meter data, subject to hardware and driver support.
Interface: Kismet can run headless as a standalone capture and WIDS system or with a web-based user interface.
Operating systems: Kismet runs on Linux and macOS, and can run on Windows through WSL.
Logs: The kismetdb logfile combines packets, devices, location, and runtime data in a file based on SQLite3.
API: Kismet provides a REST-like API with JSON records, streaming pcap-ng, and websocket publish-subscribe endpoints.
Integrations: WIDS alerts can be integrated through live packet and alert REST APIs, syslog, and some SIEM tools.
Security: The package installation guidance recommends running capture sources with elevated privileges while avoiding running the Kismet server itself as root.
WIDS limits: Kismet says WIDS is most effective when stationary and that mobile or channel-hopping operation may reduce accuracy and coverage.
macOS limit: On macOS, Kismet supports the Airport internal Wi-Fi adapter and certain named devices, but not generic USB Wi-Fi devices because suitable monitor-mode drivers are lacking.
Windows limit: WSL does not provide direct access to USB, PCI, or other local hardware interfaces for packet capture; remote capture is supported.
Release: The downloads page identifies Kismet 2025-09-R1 as the latest stable release.
Support: The project directs users to its documentation and provides a community Discord server.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on The Geeks Club

Best Network Protocol Analyzers in 2026#6 of 30
Best Wi-Fi Analyzer Software in 2026#6 of 25

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Sources

kismetwireless.net/docs/readme/intro/kismet/· checked 30 Sept 2026
kismetwireless.net· checked 30 Sept 2026
kismetwireless.net/docs/docs/· checked 30 Sept 2026
kismetwireless.net/docs/readme/alerts/alerts/· checked 30 Sept 2026
kismetwireless.net/packages/· checked 30 Sept 2026
kismetwireless.net/docs/readme/installing/macos/· checked 30 Sept 2026
kismetwireless.net/docs/readme/installing/windows/· checked 30 Sept 2026
kismetwireless.net/download/· checked 30 Sept 2026

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