The Wireless Cookbook is a project-centered guide to working with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and LoRa, written with the Raspberry Pi as the main platform. It is aimed at people who learn through building, experimenting, and breaking things to understand how they work. For security professionals, this approach can be valuable. Wireless networks remain a common entry point for attackers, and hands-on practice offers insight that theory alone does not match. This book gives readers a structured way to gain that kind of experience.
About the author
Bill Zimmerman is a software engineer, open source contributor, and creator of RaspAP, the popular wireless router for Raspberry Pi. With over 30 years of experience, Zimmerman has taught Linux and wireless networking all around the world.
Inside the book
The book is divided into two main parts. The first part lays out fundamentals. Zimmerman spends time on the properties of wireless communication, how bands and channels work, and how antenna design influences signal behavior. He also explains the Raspberry Pi environment and the software needed to work with network interfaces. Security readers may already be familiar with these topics, but the straightforward explanations make it easy to revisit concepts that tend to fade into background knowledge.
The second part of the book is where the hands-on work begins. Each chapter is a project that combines hardware, software, and practical problem-solving. Some projects are small, sothers are more involved. Each project lists hardware needs, shows how components are wired or connected, and demonstrates how to configure software step by step.
For security professionals, several chapters stand out. The chapter on captive portals is useful for anyone working in corporate network environments, hospitality industries, or event networks. Zimmerman shows how to run both basic and dynamic captive portals, including how to configure openNDS, manage DNS behavior, and control access.
Another chapter worth noting focuses on intrusion detection using Kismet. The author gives background on wardriving and network discovery, then walks readers through installing Kismet, configuring wireless adapters for monitoring mode, and interpreting detected devices. The examples show how to identify unauthorized access points and monitor radio space over time. For practitioners who want to expand their situational awareness of wireless surroundings, this chapter can help turn a Raspberry Pi into a useful detection platform.
LoRa receives substantial attention as well. The book shows readers how to transmit and receive LoRa messages, tune parameters for distance or reliability, and join a LoRaWAN network through The Things Network. This is helpful for professionals working with distributed sensors or rural connectivity projects. It also opens the door to thinking about security in long-range, low-bandwidth environments. LoRa and LoRaWAN remain less familiar territory for many security teams, so this section serves as a useful introduction.
One strength of the book is its pacing. Zimmerman avoids rushing. He guides the reader from setup to troubleshooting. When things go wrong, he often explains why they went wrong, which helps readers understand the underlying system rather than just fix the immediate issue. The writing style is practical and methodical.
The tone of the book is approachable and conversational. It does not assume that the reader is an electronics expert. At the same time, it does not oversimplify. This is a tricky balance, and Zimmerman maintains it throughout.
Who is it for?
The Wireless Cookbook is best suited for those who enjoy tinkering, learning by doing, and experimenting with hardware. While some projects require buying specific parts, the investment is modest compared to the insight gained. The book can serve as a complementary resource to formal security training, adding practical depth.
In short, Zimmerman offers a useful and engaging guide to exploring wireless systems through direct experimentation. Security professionals looking to deepen their wireless knowledge will find plenty here to explore and apply.
