wavemon – Wireless Network Monitor

wavemon is an ncurses-based monitoring application for wireless network devices on Linux. It provides real-time statistics about signal strength, noise levels, packet statistics, and device configuration in an easy-to-read terminal interface. For system administrators and users troubleshooting WiFi connectivity, wavemon offers instant visibility into wireless link quality and performance.

Key Features

• Signal Monitoring – Real-time signal strength and quality display
• Noise Levels – Monitor interference and SNR
• Network Scanning – Discover nearby access points
• Statistics View – Packet counters, errors, and throughput
• Configuration Display – View current wireless settings
• Histogram View – Visual signal level history

Installation

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install wavemon

# RHEL/CentOS/Fedora
sudo dnf install wavemon

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S wavemon

Common Usage

# Launch wavemon
sudo wavemon

# Select specific interface
sudo wavemon -i wlan0

# Navigation keys:
# F1 - Info screen
# F2 - Level histogram
# F3 - Scan for networks
# F7 - Preferences
# F10 / Q - Quit

Interface Views

The Info screen shows link quality, signal level, noise, and connection details. The Histogram provides visual signal history. The Scan screen lists nearby access points with their channels, encryption, and signal strength.

Use Cases

wavemon excels at diagnosing WiFi problems, optimizing antenna placement, monitoring connection stability, finding the best channel, and real-time wireless debugging on headless systems.

Download wavemon