diff --git a/test_monitor_tshark.sh b/test_monitor_tshark.sh
index efe77f4..2056b41 100755
--- a/test_monitor_tshark.sh
+++ b/test_monitor_tshark.sh
@@ -198,6 +198,17 @@ fi
 # Include PHY rate and MCS for histograms
 # Extract to temp file first to avoid pipe issues, then filter
 TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT=$(mktemp /tmp/tshark_output_XXXXXX.txt)
+
+# First, verify we can read the pcap with a simple field extraction
+SIMPLE_TEST=$(tshark -r "$TEMP_PCAP" -n -T fields -e frame.number 2>/dev/null | head -5 || true)
+if [ -z "$SIMPLE_TEST" ]; then
+    echo "Warning: Could not read frame.number from pcap file"
+    echo "  This may indicate a corrupted pcap or unsupported format"
+    echo ""
+fi
+
+# Extract all fields (suppress stderr to avoid "Some fields aren't valid" messages)
+# Use -q flag to suppress packet count output that interferes with parsing
 tshark -q -r "$TEMP_PCAP" -n -T fields \
     -e frame.number \
     -e frame.time \
@@ -216,9 +227,44 @@ tshark -q -r "$TEMP_PCAP" -n -T fields \
     -e wlan_radio.mcs.index \
     2>/dev/null > "$TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT" || true
 
+# Debug: Check what we actually got
+TEMP_LINE_COUNT=$(wc -l < "$TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT" 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+if [ "$TEMP_LINE_COUNT" -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "Warning: tshark field extraction produced no output"
+    echo "  This may indicate an issue with the pcap file or field extraction"
+    echo "  Try: tshark -r $TEMP_PCAP -T fields -e frame.number | head -5"
+    echo ""
+fi
+
 # Filter out non-packet lines (keep only lines starting with frame numbers)
-CAPTURE_OUTPUT=$(grep -E '^[0-9]+\t' "$TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT" || true)
-rm -f "$TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT"
+# Use the same approach as test capture: grep for lines starting with numbers, exclude status messages
+# Filter out empty lines and lines that are just whitespace
+CAPTURE_OUTPUT=$(grep -E '^[0-9]+' "$TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT" 2>/dev/null | grep -v -E '^[[:space:]]*$' | grep -v -E '(packets captured|Capturing on|Running as|tshark:)' || true)
+
+# Verify we got output before deleting temp file
+if [ -z "$CAPTURE_OUTPUT" ] || [ "$(echo "$CAPTURE_OUTPUT" | wc -l)" -eq 0 ]; then
+    # If still empty but file has content, show debug info
+    if [ "$TEMP_LINE_COUNT" -gt 0 ]; then
+        echo "Warning: tshark output has $TEMP_LINE_COUNT lines but no valid packet data found"
+        if [ -n "$KEEP_PCAP" ]; then
+            echo "  First 5 lines of raw output:"
+            head -5 "$TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT" | sed 's/\t/<TAB>/g' | head -5
+            echo ""
+            echo "  Last 5 lines of raw output:"
+            tail -5 "$TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT" | sed 's/\t/<TAB>/g' | tail -5
+            echo ""
+        fi
+    fi
+fi
+
+# Clean up temp file (keep for debugging if KEEP_PCAP is set)
+if [ -z "$KEEP_PCAP" ]; then
+    rm -f "$TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT"
+else
+    echo "Debug: Keeping tshark output file: $TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT"
+    echo "  (Use: cat $TEMP_TSHARK_OUTPUT | head -20 to inspect)"
+    echo ""
+fi
 
 # Clean up temp file (unless KEEP_PCAP is set)
 if [ -z "$KEEP_PCAP" ]; then