Probe Request MPDU Probe Req

MAC variable Probe Request frame unverified

A management frame soliciting a response from access points.

Reading a capture

Sent before a station has joined anything, so it cannot be encrypted and cannot be addressed to a BSS. That makes it the other frame, alongside the beacon, that anyone can read off the air without credentials.

Subfields

Frame Body — Elements only. There are no fixed fields in this frame.

Where it sits

Probe Request MPDU

Open in the explorer — Probe Request

Accuracy

Clause: 802.11-2024 §9.3.3.9
Verified: Not verified against the standard. Treat this as a claim, not a fact.