A modern, fast WiFi analyzer for Linux — built with PyQt6 and Python.
WaveScope is an open-source WiFi analyzer designed for Linux desktops. It gives you a real-time, high-detail view of the wireless networks around you — from signal strength and channel occupancy to security modes, WiFi generations, and manufacturer data.
🤖 This application was built mostly using Claude Code AI (by Anthropic), with iterative development driven by human feedback.
- 📡 Real-time channel graph — per-band panels (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 6 GHz), no dead spectrum
- 📈 Signal history plot — rolling 2-minute time series per access point
- 🔍 Rich AP metadata — SSID, BSSID, manufacturer (OUI), band, channel, bandwidth, signal (dBm), security, WiFi generation, channel utilization, connected clients, 802.11k/v/r roaming support
- 🎨 Dark / Light / Auto theme
- 🏷️ DFS channel indicator — subtle amber marker on DFS channels in the 5 GHz band
- 🔒 OUI manufacturer lookup — downloads the IEEE database on demand
- ⚡ Configurable refresh rate — 1s to 30s
- 🖱️ Interactive graphs — click labels to highlight, scroll to zoom, drag to pan
- 🔎 Filter & sort — by any column, with text search
- 📦 Packet capture — two modes available via the toolbar:
- Monitor Mode: raw 802.11 over-the-air capture of all frames on a chosen channel (all devices); temporarily disconnects WiFi, restored automatically on stop
- Managed Mode: capture your own machine's traffic without disconnecting from the network; WiFi stays connected throughout
- Both modes output standard
.pcapfiles (Wireshark-compatible) and require a single root prompt
| OS | Linux |
| Tested on | Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04, Fedora 39+ |
| Requires | NetworkManager (nmcli), iw |
| Python | 3.10 or newer |
Download the latest .deb from the Releases page:
sudo dpkg -i wavescope_*.deb
wavescopeThe installer will automatically create a Python virtual environment and install all Python dependencies (PyQt6, pyqtgraph, numpy).
System dependencies (installed automatically as .deb dependencies):
python3 (≥3.10), python3-pip, python3-venv,
network-manager, iw, tcpdump, policykit-1,
libxcb-cursor0, libxcb-xinerama0, libxcb-randr0
Download the latest .rpm from the Releases page:
sudo dnf install ./wavescope_*.rpm
wavescopeSystem dependencies (installed automatically as .rpm dependencies):
python3 (≥3.10), python3-pip,
NetworkManager, iw, tcpdump, polkit, xcb-util-cursor
# Clone
git clone https://github.com/yurividal/WaveScope.git
cd WaveScope
# Install & run (creates .venv, installs packages)
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh
./wavescopeDownload the latest .AppImage from the Releases page:
chmod +x WaveScope-*.AppImage
./WaveScope-*.AppImageNotes:
- AppImage bundles Python + Python dependencies.
nmcli,iw, andtcpdumpare still expected on the host system.
# Requires: dpkg-dev
chmod +x scripts/build_deb.sh
./scripts/build_deb.sh
sudo dpkg -i wavescope_*.deb# Requires: rpm-build
# sudo dnf install rpm-build
chmod +x scripts/build_rpm.sh
./scripts/build_rpm.sh
sudo dnf install ./wavescope_*.rpm# Requires: appimagetool
# (Download from AppImageKit releases or install from your distro if available)
chmod +x scripts/build_appimage.sh
./scripts/build_appimage.sh
chmod +x WaveScope-*.AppImage
./WaveScope-*.AppImage# Requires: docker
chmod +x build_appimage_docker.sh
./build_appimage_docker.sh
chmod +x WaveScope-*.AppImage
./WaveScope-*.AppImagenmcli— provided bynetwork-manageriw— for enriched scan data (WiFi generation, exact dBm, BSS load, etc.)tcpdump— required for packet capture (Monitor & Managed modes)pkexec— provided bypolicykit-1; used for root privilege during packet capture
PyQt6 >= 6.4.0pyqtgraph >= 0.13.0numpy >= 1.23.0
See CHANGELOG.md for release history.
MIT License. See LICENSE.