Filtering captured traffic
The first thing that you will notice when using a packet capture tool is the sheer volume of packets that appear on the display. Since packet captures are often done for troubleshooting purposes, you usually want to limit the packets to the ones that have issues you need to solve. To that end, you typically either want to "filter" those packets during the capture process or filter the display of the packets once they have been captured. Let's discuss both situations.
Wireshark capture filters (capturing your home network traffic)
With no particular switch configuration, packet captures on your home network will find more than you might think. Lots of homes these days have a small herd of network-connected Linux-based appliances – if connected, your TV, thermostat, doorbell, treadmill, and fridge are likely all Linux hosts. These are commonly referred to as Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Almost all IoT hosts are likely broadcasting...