No traffic can be observed because the adapter you selected

Error message

No traffic can be observed because the adapter you selected has no active addresses...\n\nIf you are sure you are connected to the internet, try choosing a different adapter.

What it means

no_addresses_translation() (src/translations/translations.rs:565) is the localized warning rendered by the waiting page when the selected adapter has no active IP addresses (waiting_page.rs:50 checks cs.get_addresses().is_empty()). The adapter opened successfully and has a supported link type, but libpcap reports zero addresses, so there is nothing meaningful to sniff and no per-connection metadata to build.

Source

Thrown at src/translations/translations.rs:565

        Language::PT => "Adaptador de rede",
        Language::EL => "Προσαρμογέας δικτύου",
        // Language::FA => "مبدل شبکه",
        Language::SV => "Nätverksadapter",
        Language::FI => "Verkkosovitin",
        Language::JA => "ネットワーク アダプター",
        Language::UZ => "Tarmoq adapteri",
        Language::ID => "Adapter jaringan",
        Language::NL => "Netwerkadapter",
        Language::HU => "Hálózati adapter",
        Language::SI => "නෙට්වර්ක් ඇඩැප්ටරය",
    }
}

#[allow(clippy::too_many_lines)]
pub fn no_addresses_translation(language: Language) -> &'static str {
    match language {
        Language::EN => {
            "No traffic can be observed because the adapter you selected has no active addresses...\n\n\
                                 If you are sure you are connected to the internet, try choosing a different adapter."
        }
        Language::CS => {
            "Nelze sledovat žádný provoz, protože vybraný adaptér nemá žádné aktivní adresy...\n\n\
                                 Pokud jste si jisti, že jste připojeni k internetu, zkuste vybrat jiný adaptér."
        }
        Language::IT => {
            "Non è osservabile alcun traffico perché l'adattatore di rete selezionato non ha indirizzi attivi...\n\n\
                                Se sei sicuro di essere connesso ad internet, prova a scegliere un adattatore diverso."
        }
        Language::FR => {
            "Aucun trafic ne peut être observé, car la carte réseau que vous avez saisie n'a pas d'adresse...\n\n\
                                Si vous êtes sûr d'être connecté à internet, essayez une autre carte."
        }
        Language::ES => {
            "No se puede observar ningún tráfico porque el adaptador seleccionado no tiene direcciones activas...\n\n\
                                 Si estás seguro de que estás conectado a Internet, prueba a elegir otro adaptador."
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 48b0575dc0)

Solutions

Bring the interface up and connected: reconnect Wi-Fi / plug in Ethernet, confirm `ip addr` (Linux) or ipconfig (Windows) shows an IP on that adapter.
In Sniffnet's adapter selection, choose a different adapter that currently has an active address.
If the connection is fine but the app shows the message, restart the capture run so the address list is re-fetched.
For virtual adapters (tun/bridge), assign an address or select the physical adapter instead.
Check the remembered device name in settings — if it points to an unconfigured interface, clear or update it.

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# confirm the adapter you plan to select has an active address
$ ip -brief addr show wlan0            # Linux: need an UP + IP line
$ ipconfig | findstr IPv4               # Windows
# only pick adapters that pass this check

Prevention

Before starting a run, confirm the chosen interface has an IP (`ip addr`, `ifconfig`, or the OS network panel).
Don't leave the remembered adapter pointing at interfaces that are often down (docked Ethernet, VPN taps).
Reconnect the interface (Wi-Fi/Ethernet) and restart the capture if the warning appears mid-session.
Prefer physical/managed-mode adapters over virtual ones for stable addressing.

When it happens

Trigger: Selecting a network interface that is administratively down or has no DHCP/static address: an unplugged Ethernet port, a Wi-Fi adapter in airplane mode, a virtual/bridge adapter before it is configured, a USB tethering interface that lost its lease, or a VPN/tun interface before the tunnel assigns an address.

Common situations: Laptop Wi-Fi turned off or not associated to a network; Ethernet cable pulled; Docker/VM bridge interfaces with no IP; adapter list captured at app start then the interface lost its address; OS quirk where the default looked-up device (config_device.rs:36 falls back to a made-up 'default' device) resolves to an unconfigured interface.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of GyulyVGC/sniffnet@48b0575dc0 (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3ba4f2c8e17d260f. Report an issue: GitHub.