Netstumbler

[healimonster]

I use a wireless router for my home desktop PC.

I live in the city and I am sure some people have probably taken advantage of my signal from time to time.

I would like to do the same with what ever signals are out there.

I have downloaded netstumbler.

Do I need any additional hardware? Does netstumbler only work with wireless access cards?

How do you set it up to work on you home PC?

thanks for any advice or suggestion where i can find answers to these questions.

[Xero Grid]

I have NetStumbler, but haven't had the chance to use it yet. It does search for wireless access points and to my knowledge it doesn't need any extra hardware besides wi-fi cards, but I don't see the point of using it on a home PC. Not gonna carry your home PC to find Wi-fi hotspots are ya?


This is from the readme file located here.

Requirements
General Requirements
The requirements for NetStumbler are somewhat complex and depend on hardware, firmware versions, driver versions and operating system. The best way to see if it works on your system is to try it.

Some configurations have been extensively tested and are known to work. These are detailed at http://www.stumbler.net/compat. If your configuration works but is not listed, or is listed but does not work, please follow the instructions on the web site.

The following are rules of thumb that you can follow in case you cannot reach the web site for some reason.

This version of NetStumbler requires Windows 2000, Windows XP, or better.
The Proxim models 8410-WD and 8420-WD are known to work. The 8410-WD has also been sold as the Dell TrueMobile 1150, Compaq WL110, Avaya Wireless 802.11b PC Card, and others.
Most cards based on the Intersil Prism/Prism2 chip set also work.
Most 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g wireless LAN adapters should work on Windows XP. Some may work on Windows 2000 too. Many of them report inaccurate Signal strength, and if using the "NDIS 5.1" card access method then Noise level will not be reported. This includes cards based on Atheros, Atmel, Broadcom, Cisco and Centrino chip sets.
I cannot help you figure out what chip set is in any given card.
Firmware Requirements
If you have an old WaveLAN/IEEE card then please note that the WaveLAN firmware (version 4.X and below) does not work with NetStumbler. If your card has this version, you are advised to upgrade to the latest version available from Proxim's web site. This will also ensure compatibility with the 802.11b standard.

Other Requirements and Compatibility Issues
Your card must be configured in such a way that it can be seen by the management software that came with the card.
The Microsoft-provided Orinoco drivers that come with Windows 2000 do not work with NetStumbler. Please visit Windows Update or www.proxim.com and upgrade to the latest drivers.
When NetStumbler is in "auto reconfigure" mode (the default), it will occasionally disconnect you from your network. This enables it to perform its scans accurately, and is not a bug.
If you have the WLAN card configured to connect to a specific SSID, NetStumbler may not report any accees points other than those that have that SSID. Configure your card with a blank SSID or, if a blank one is not permitted, "ANY" (without quotes).

I read some more and it says that it can be used to test network configurations, so there is a reason for home PCs.
It also says the best way to see if it works is to just try it.

-- Xero Grid --

[healimonster]

Why use it for a home PC?

If you live in the city and there are about 100 apartments within 200 feet of your apt... in theory you can wardrive with out ever leaving your office.

Why it might not be working?
Although I am using a wireless router, my pc is hard wired right now. It may need the wireless access point (like a wifi card) to work.

I will try that and post.

[lightshow]

You could have days of fun wardriving in a rich apartment complex lol

[hungrylilboy]

theres a certain well known computer magazine that gave out this prog and a map of a big city with all the public and private wireless spots already marked!

[harrycary]

I've read that this software may be easier to use and learn...

http://www.kismetwireless.net/

Haven't tried it yet myself.

Get yourself a wireless card (80211.a/802.11b and 802.11g compatible) and start looking for open networks.

Try Googling "wardriving" and you can find maps and maybe one of your town/city.

[Mïcrösöül°V³]

i have an ASUS WI-FI AP on my pc. i have it set for encryption. can someone still connect to it with these proggies? (not that i really care, i live in retard land, noone around me even knows how to use an ATM machine, let alone WI-FI)

[harrycary]

Any security measures can be bypassed, but, the level of know-how has to be above normal in this case.

Best to just check your logs and see if any "unknowns" have been connecting to your network.

[backlash]

I tried using this and it said no wireless card detected. I have a linksys card...basitd! grrr


uninstalled quickly.