PacketStream for Mac
Easy way to configure/use Apple network monitoring tools.
$29.99
In English
Version 6.1.0When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission
PacketStream overview
Note: PacketStream is not being sold anymore and is listed only for people who had purchased it in the past.
PacketStream provides point-and-click activation of the Mac's built-in network monitoring program, which is usually available only from the command line. By clicking a few buttons, you can monitor data as it streams over your network--especially useful for checking Web traffic, network bottlenecks, or even suspicious network activity. All network data is displayed in the application itself, and you can save the data to a file for further analysis later.
PacketStream provides a user-friendly way to configure and use Mac's network monitoring tools. It is easier than typing in cryptic commands in Terminal. It is more intuitive to use than complex, hard-to-install, Unix-based GUI programs. And it is simpler than more expensive "Swiss Army knife" network programs, which are overkill for most users.
What’s new in version 6.1.0
Version 6.1.0:
Note: This product is not compatible with macOS Sierra and later.
- Improvements in Sparkle update engine
- Updates to support tcpdump changes on OS X 10.9
- Fix OS X 10.9 bug with running command with elevated privileges
- UI improvements
PacketStream for Mac
$29.99
In English
Version 6.1.0
Write a detailed review about PacketStream
(11 Reviews of PacketStream)
Comments
User Ratings
Aug 31 2012
Version: 5.0.0
Packet Peeper is free and much more useful.
PacketStream doesn't show anything more than raw data.
Apr 14 2012
Version: 5.0.0
I downloaded this and tried monitoring ports, but see just a blank screen. I also tried Cocoa Packet Analyzer and it shows a wealth of information. I've checked settings and everything looked fine. I know that I have port activity because both Hands Off! and Little Snitch show lots of activity in their monitor windows.
Jul 3 2011
Version: 4.0.0
From the developer:
This new release adds some nice polish to PacketStream by modernizing the UI with a native Cocoa toolbar; it also fixes some bugs in the print engine, and improves the documentation. It's worth a look.
Jul 3 2010
Version: 3.3
From the developer:
This new release of PacketStream addresses many of the issues raised in previous reviews, including Keychain integration to avoid prompting the user repeatedly for a password when running a network scan. It also exposes more of tcpdump's options to the user, specifically the ability to display actual packet data in the main interface. Finally, with support for AppleScript (you can call PacketStream with an AppleScript) and the Services menu, PacketStream now offers a greater degree of Mac system integration/inter-application communication than before.
Regarding what PacketStream is and isn't: it's designed to be an easy-to-use wrapper of tcpdump's functionality, exposing a good deal of tcpdump's functionality, in a way that is simple, elegant, and Mac-like. If you are a command-line power user who wants to be able to toggle every flag/switch in tcpdump's output, PacketStream isn't for you. If you want every tcpdump option in the GUI, try WireShark (a powerful but ugly Gtk application that isn't the least bit Mac-like). On the other hand, PacketStream has come a long way since its earliest design (when all it did was "spit out the output of tcpdump into a window"), and it offers a lot of power in an inexpensive package. (Other commercial Mac networking tools, which include wrappers for tcpdump as well as other network tools, cost more than twice what PacketStream does.) I hope you'll give it a try.
