Setting up hardware for nRF Sniffer for 802.15.4

Before you start sniffing, place the development kit or dongle that runs the nRF Sniffer for 802.15.4 firmware near the devices that are communicating. The hardware setup is the same for all supported methods of capturing data, whether Wireshark or a custom Python script.

Connect the nRF Sniffer development kit or dongle to your computer and turn it on. Then place it next to the devices that you want to sniff.

Figure 1. Hardware setup

Figure showing the hardware setup with the nRF Sniffer device placed next to devices that are part of the 802.15.4-based network

Note: Make sure to use the nRF USB (J3) port to connect the nRF Sniffer device with the PC. For example, see the following image of the nRF52840 DK, where the nRF USB port is located next to the IF BOOT/RESET (SW5) button.

Figure 2. nRF52840 DK (PCA10056) front view

The firmware of the nRF Sniffer for 802.15.4 exposes the USB interface with the following VID and PID values:

NORDICSEMI_VID = 0x1915
SNIFFER_802154_PID = 0x154A

You can use these values to identify the nRF Sniffer interface in your network setup.