# Files, exports and PCAPAI

> Keep the packet evidence and its context together, then move it into the analysis tool you choose.

## Finish the recording first

Stop the active capture in WLAN Commander and allow the file to close before copying or sharing it. Check the filename, time window, recorded duration and byte count. If the session was interrupted, inspect the saved result rather than assuming the intended duration was captured.

## Keep related files together

A capture may be accompanied by metadata, survey positions, or context files. Retain them with the PCAP/PCAPNG when you archive the session. Exported formats describe different parts of the work; a summary table is not a replacement for packet evidence.

On iOS, local captures and reports are available through the app’s file workflow and the Files interface. On Android, use the app’s file/export controls and the system destination picker or sharing interface.


## Inspect before sharing

Wireless captures can contain SSIDs, BSSIDs, client addresses, probe requests, authentication material and location. A screenshot of the network list can disclose meaningful identifiers even when no packet file is attached.

For a public demonstration, prefer bundled sample data or a deliberately anonymized dataset. Keep the original evidence privately when reproducibility requires it.

## Continue in PCAPAI or Wireshark

Export the capture to a location accessible to your desktop, then open it in the analysis tool. [PCAPAI](https://pcapai.app/) is the related WLAN Geeks desktop analysis project. Wireshark can inspect packet structure and PCAPNG interface information directly.

Confirm that the tool understands the capture’s link type and available frame contents. A C5 capture and a Linux monitor-mode capture can contain different information even when both are packaged in PCAPNG.

## Reproduce a finding

Record the app version/build, sensor image or firmware, radio/adapter, country, channel and width, physical placement, and test duration. Where the question concerns loss or timing, review packet timestamps and counters in addition to the headline throughput or network count.

The [Field Notes](/field-notes/) show how measurement conditions and failed runs are kept with the interpretation.