If you are looking for a NetStumbler like program for Mac OS X you have several options. My personal favorite is KisMAC. I also use the built in airport utility to scan for wireless access points.

KisMAC

KisMAC is an opensource and free stumbler/scanner application for Mac OS X. It has an advantage over MacStumbler/iStumbler/NetStumbler in that it uses monitor mode and passive scanning.

KisMAC supports several third party PCMCIA cards – Orinoco, PrismII, Cisco Aironet, Atheros and PrismGT. USB Prism2 is supported as well, and USB Ralink support is in development. All of the internal AirPort hardware is supported as well.

MacStumbler

MacStumbler is a utility to display information about nearby 802.11b and 802.11g wireless access points. It is mainly designed to be a tool to help find access points while traveling, or to diagnose wireless network problems. Additionally, MacStumbler can be used for “wardriving”, which involves co-ordinating with a GPS unit while traveling around to help produce a map of all access points in a given area.

MacStumbler requires an Apple Airport Card and MacOS 10.1 or greater. MacStumbler doesn’t currently support any kind of PCMCIA or USB wireless device.

MacStumbler works like NetStumbler and relies on responses to probe requests to discover access points. This implementation also prevents MacStumbler from detecting wireless stations or hidden networks because they don’t respond to probe requests.

iStumbler

iStumbler is the leading wireless discovery tool for Mac OS X, providing plugins for finding AirPort networks, Bluetooth devices, and Bonjour services with your Mac.

Airport Utility

The utility is located at:
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport

Typing the above command path can be avoided by creating a symbolic link to the command in /user/sbin/ by copying and pasting below into a terminal window.

sudo ln -s /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport /usr/sbin/airport

This will allow you to simply type “airport” in the terminal window to execute the command.

Typing “airport -s” will scan for broadcasting wifi devices.

See my previous post for more information about the airport utility for additional information.

Related posts:

1. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W
2. NetStumbler for Windows 7 NetStumble
3. Netstumbler for Linux Netstumble

If you are looking for a basic WiFi scanner for Mac OS X then the command line airport utility may fit your needs.

The utility is located at:

/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport

Typing the above command path can be avoided by creating a symbolic link to the command in /user/sbin/ by copying and pasting below into a terminal window.

sudo ln -s /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport /usr/sbin/airport

This will allow you to simply type “airport” in the terminal window to execute the command.

Display Current Status of Wireless

airport -I

Will provide information about the current wireless connection.

$ airport -I
     agrCtlRSSI: -64
     agrExtRSSI: 0
    agrCtlNoise: -91
    agrExtNoise: 0
          state: running
        op mode: station
     lastTxRate: 48
        maxRate: 54
lastAssocStatus: 0
    802.11 auth: open
      link auth: wpa-psk
          BSSID: 0:b:85:6:9f:f
           SSID: SSID
            MCS: -1
        channel: 1

Display All Nearby Access Points

airport -s

Will perform a wireless broadcast scan of nearby wireless devices.

$ airport -s
SSID BSSID RSSI CHANNEL SECURITY (auth/unicast/group)
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:99 -76  11      NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:71:59 -62  11      NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:79 -81  1       NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:29 -69  1       NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:74:c9 -54  1       NONE

Poor Man’s Mac OS X Wireless Site Survey Software

~$ airport -s -r 99

Will repeat the scan 99 times and is a quick way to scan for nearby access points without having to retype the command while walking.

$ airport -s -r 99
SSID BSSID RSSI CHANNEL SECURITY (auth/unicast/group)
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:99 -76  11      NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:71:59 -62  11      NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:79 -81  1       NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:29 -69  1       NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:74:c9 -54  1       NONE

SSID BSSID RSSI CHANNEL SECURITY (auth/unicast/group)
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:99 -75  11      NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:71:59 -62  11      NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:79 -78  1       NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:75:29 -70  1       NONE
Fairfield_Inn 00:22:7f:0c:74:c9 -62  1       NONE

Disassociate From A Wireless Network

airport -z

Will disassociate (disconnect) from the wireless network without having to disable AirPort using the “Turn AirPort Off” feature via the MAC OS X graphical interface.

How To Spoof A MAC Address On Mac OS X

1) use airport -z to disconnect from the wireless network (required to change the MAC address)
2) sudo ifconfig en1 lladdr 00:00:00:00:00:00:01 (will require root password)

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

Related posts:

1. NetStumbler for Mac OS X NetStumble
2. NetStumbler for Windows 7 NetStumble
3. Netstumbler for Linux Netstumble

The latest version of NetStumbler is 0.4.0 and was release over 5 years ago on April 21, 2004. The officially supported operating systems do not include Windows 7 or Windows Vista for obvious reasons.

Some users have reported being able to use NetStumbler version 0.4.0 on Windows Vista by running NetStumbler in Windows Vista Compatibility Mode. Instructions for configuring Windows Vista compatibility mode for NetStumbler are below and should be the same for Win7.

Configuring Windows Vista or Windows 7 for Compatibility

To configure the compatibility mode for an application, just locate the installation directory (C:\Program Files\Network Stumbler\) and right click on the .exe (NetStumbler.exe), selecting Properties from the menu.

Select the Compatibility tab as shown in image below.

This didn’t work for me. I didn’t spend too much time researching why, but the reason is most likely because NetStumbler itself doesn’t work with all wireless cards even when using Windows XP or Windows 2000.

Other Options Instead of NetStumbler

Thankfully Windows 7 is intended to be an incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista is already compatible.

This means that all of the other options that we know about already for Windows Vista should work with Windows 7.

1) Use netsh command.

netsh show BSSID results with SSID

2) Use alternative programs. I recommend inSSIDer or Vistumbler

Related posts:

1. Netstumbler for Linux Netstumble
2. NetStumbler for Mac OS X NetStumble
3. Disable Wireless When Connected to LAN in XP and Vista Disable Wi

We are releasing a Windows XP and Vista program called BridgeChecker that extends the “Disable Upon Wired Connect” capability that is available for Broadcom wireless cards to any brand wireleless card when the ethernet interface is connected.

BridgeChecker

BridgeChecker is a windows utility that can automatically disable/enable wireless interfaces. Whenever your computer is connected to an Ethernet port and the link state is good, the utility can automatically turns off the IEEE 802.11 wireless network interface. This conserves IP address allocation, reduces security risks, resolves dual interface routing issues, and prolongs battery life.

BridgeChecker Settings

The settings screen can be accessed by right clicking on the WLAN Book “globe” icon in the task bar.

Task Bar Menu Options

Program Settings

BridgeChecker Requirements

– Program tested on Windows XP and Vista operating systems
– Requires .NET Framework 2.0 or above
– .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Full Package) direct download from Microsoft
– Windows Vista users that have UAC enabled are required to manually allow RunCMD.exe to run as Administrator. See screen shots below.

Running BridgeChecker Program as an Administrator in Windows Vista

In Windows Vista the “RunCMD.exe” file is located in the C:\Program Files\WLAN Book\BridgeChecker\ folder.

Recommended Usage Scenarios

The program can be used in the following scenarios.

• disable wireless when connected to lan
• disable wireless when docked
• disable wireless when ethernet detected
• disable wireless when wired
• disable wireless when on LAN
• disable wireless when cable connected
• disable wireless when in docking station
• disable wireless when ethernet plugged in
• disable wlan when lan connected

Known Issues with BridgeChecker v1.0.4.22

– Detects enabled VMware virtual interfaces as enabled physical interfaces causing program to disable wireless card. Work around is to disable VMware interface when not in use.
– If computer has more than one wireless card, the program may not enable/disable correct card or may enable/disable both cards.

Comments, Bugs, and Feature Requests

Please use post comment feature below to let use know if the BridgeChecker program met your requirements. When commenting pelase let us know your Windows operating system version and wireless card brand and model if possible.

Comments about bugs and feature requests are welcome and encouraged. We may be able to enhance this program or recommend other products.

BridgeChecker Download

BridgeChecker Download

Related posts:

1. Vista WiFi Wireless 60 Second Lag Problem Vista WiFi

Have you ever used Skype, World of Warcraft (WoW), or any delay sensitive application online and noticed an annoying hiccup every 60 seconds? Based on my tests this lag is caused by Windows Vista wireless background scans used to keep available wireless networks updated.

My theory is that every 60 seconds Windows Vista’s wireless manager scans for other WiFi networks. This scan causes a minor hiccup in wireless networking because the client radio stops transmitting and receiving information on the current WiFi channel while it listens for networks on other channels.

A simple ping test and a timer can be used to measure the impact of this scan process. The results of my test are below. The replies are around 30ms or less but every 60 seconds they jump to over 500ms.

Time: 8:51:34 PM — Reply: 839ms
Time: 8:52:33 PM — Reply: 709ms
Time: 8:53.32 PM — Reply: 590ms

For basic Internet browsing and email the above delay spikes go unnoticed but for more interactive applications like voice over IP (VoIP) and online gaming, the lag caused by the scans can be annoying.

Below are screen shots of a Windows Vista station “pinging” www.yahoo.com using the following command “ping -t www.yahoo.com -l 1400″ and Windows Vista’s clock.

Vista 60 Second Lag Fix

There doesn’t seem to be a way to fix this lag issue using configurable settings available in Windows Vista’s wireless manager or WLAN Autoconfig. Turning off Vista automatic connection features didn’t help.

Vista Anti-Lag (VAL)

The only way I was able to stop the delay spike from occurring was to use a third party program called Vista Anti-Lag available at www.codecase.de.

Results of ping test after enabling Vista Anti-Lag are below….no more delay spikes!

Vista Anti-Lag (VAL) v1.1.1 Download

I was able to download Vista Anti-Lag from here.

Vista Anti-Lag (VAL) optimizes your wireless connection in Windows Vista (every edition).
Benefits / features:

Stops “Lag Peaks” / “Lag Spikes”
No dropouts / droppers anymore with Skype and Voice Over IP
Download at full speed without interruptions
Lag free gaming with Windows Vista
The best: IT’S FREE!

Background:
Windows Vista doesn’t work with the optimal wireless settings. Some of these settings are causing 1-5 sec dropouts with many wireless cards, which are appearing every 30-60 sec. These dropouts are very hated in the gaming community and if users are using voice over IP applications or other real-time protocols.

Related posts:

1. Disable Wireless When Connected to LAN in XP and Vista Disable Wi
2. NetStumbler for Windows 7 NetStumble
3. Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Airplane W

Using solar power has many drawbacks, the biggest being that when there is no sun there is no power. To overcome this problem a battery is used to power the device and the solar panel is used to keep the battery charged. A solar power system typically has two other components, charge controller and inverter. The solar panel charges the battery and proper charging is managed by the charge controller. The battery powers an inverter which converts the DC voltage to AC voltage. Wireless devices are almost always DC powered and can be powered by the battery, eliminating the need for an inverter.

Sizing A Solar Powered WiFi System

The steps for sizing a solar power systems are outlined below.

1. Determine insolation value (daily peak sun hours) for installation site
2. Determine system voltage (usually 12 to 24 volts)
3. Determine daily equipment load requirements in Amphours/day
4. Select battery based on amphours needed
5. Select solar panel size
6. Select solar panel installation method

For a basic solar powered WiFi hotspot, the Meraki solution is a good choice. If you looking to power your own equipment with solar panels, Green WiFi has information online about the system they built for WiFi projects.

Green WiFi’s Solar Powered Solution

Below is a complete solar WiFi system by Green WiFi, a company “committed to providing solar powered access to global information and educational resources for developing regions and K-12 school children striving for knowledge in a digitally divided world.”

Solar Powered Meraki Outdoor

Meraki announced plans to offer a “solar-powered unit for reaching those hard-to-wire places” in June 2007 and finally released a product in December 2008.

I have first had experience installing a Meraki outdoor system and I would agreed with Meraki that “in many cases the single most expensive line item in an Outdoor network installation is the time and material required to cable and install an access point. The Solar drastically reduces this cost, requiring only 30 minutes of a trade-level installer. Since there are no electrical or network cabling runs, there are no electricians involved. This translates into a significant cost savings in many applications.”

One item that will probably cost more when installing a pole mounted solar powered WiFi system is the pole. The extra weight of equipment and solar panel will require more time sizing the correct type of pole and installation method compared to a pole for a much lighter electrical grid powered access point.

“Green WiFi”

Using solar power for WiFi, WiMax, or any wireless system should only be considered if utility power is not available or extending power to device installation location is too costly. In most cases the amount of power used by an access point or wireless bridge is minimal compared to a computer or laptop so going green isn’t going to reduce your “carbon footprint” by much.

Related posts:

1. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W
2. Netstumbler for Linux Netstumble
3. NetStumbler for Mac OS X NetStumble

Having in-flight Internet access will probably make flying enjoyable again for many. I haven’t personally experienced in-flight WiFi but look forward comparing EVDO based service by Aircell to satellite based service by Row 44 in the near future.

Aircell’s GoGo Airplane Internet Service

American Airlines, Delta, and Virgin America currently offer the service using Aircell’s GoGo service. Aircell has been authorized by the FAA and FCC to use cellular frequencies for inflight broadband communications. Based on a tech primer by Aircell from March 2007 the network is summarized below.

• 100 or fewer EVDO antennas across the US providing coast-to-coast coverage.
• AirCell broadband uses an EV-DO (Rev. A) air-to-ground link, which provides peak data rates up to 3.1Mbps from the ground to the airplane, and up to 1.8Mbps from the airplane to the ground.
• Usable Internet access but not high speed Internet as expected by users with 30Mbps Internet access at home.

Language from tech primer below acknowledging speed limitations of network architecture and GoGo service.

AirCell broadband will be fast enough to give you complete, unfettered access to the Internet without excessive load times. It will run regular e-mail programs with normal attachments just like you do on the ground. It’s not as fast as a T1 line feeding a large corporation, but in daily operations very few people would notice a difference in download times between the two – and then, only when working with very large files. Participants that have demonstrated prototypes of the system in flight have been extremely happy with their experience.

Row 44’s Airplane Internet Service

Southwest and Alaska Airlines have selected Row 44. Unlike Aircell, who built a wireless network for inflight WiFi Internet, Row 44 purchases bandwidth from HughesNet. Bandwidth can be very high, much higher than the EVDO based network used by Aircell but HughesNet uses geosynchronous satellites (about 42,164 km from Earth) has always suffered from latency issues when used for two-way communications. Additional details from Row 44’s website about the broadband system are below.

• Data rates averaging 30 Mbps in the downlink direction (from the satellite to the aircraft) and 620 Kbps maximum in the uplink direction.
• System will allow full access to the Internet as well as VoIP services, cell phone roaming usage where allowed by government regulation as well as live TV using IPTV.
• The system weighs less than 150 lbs and can be installed in two overnights, with the plane re-entering revenue service between the overnights.
• Second multi-cast 45 Mbps receive-only channel can be provisioned using the same equipment for dedicated transport of IP television. The passenger will gain access to all these services via the airline’s in-flight entertainment system or their own devices through Wi-Fi access points onboard the aircraft.

American Airlines In-Flight WiFi Internet

Aircell’s Gogo will be available to customers as a fee-based service in all cabins. Aircell will charge $12.95 on flights more than three hours, which include American’s Boeing 767-200 flights. Each paid Gogo session includes full Internet access. Cell phone and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services are not available.

Gogo turns an American Airlines flight into a Wi-Fi hotspot, enabling passengers to surf the Web, check any email, Instant Message, access a corporate VPN, and more. Once the aircraft has reached 10,000 feet, users can simply turn on their Wi-Fi enabled devices such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, open their browsers and be directed to the Gogo portal page where they sign up and begin surfing. Gogo is powered by the Aircell air-to-ground (ATG) Broadband System, which runs over Aircell’s exclusive nationwide network. [source]

Delta Airlines In-Flight WiFi Internet

Delta is joining with Aircell®, a 17-year leader in airborne communications for business and commercial aviation, to install the company’s Mobile Broadband Network on the carrier’s domestic fleet. The system, Gogo™, will enable Delta customers traveling with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, to access the Internet, corporate VPNs, corporate and personal e-mail accounts, as well as SMS texting and instant messaging services. Gogo will be available to customers for a flat fee of $9.95 on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours. [source]

Virgin America In-Flight WiFi Internet

Customized for Virgin America, the system is anticipated to allow guests to connect to the internet with the AirCell Broadband Service, using either their Red™ seatback video screens or their own wifi enabled portable gaming devices, laptops, PDAs or Smartphones. As such, in addition to the many entertainment choices currently offered by Red™ guests will be able to check and send web-email from their seatbacks through Red™’s TALK — the airline’s onboard chat system — using popular instant messaging services such as MSN®, Google® talk, Yahoo! ® Skype, and AIM®. [source]

Southwest Airlines In-Flight WiFi Internet

Southwest Airlines is pleased to announce its partnership with Row 44, and we intend
to deliver the highest bandwidth available to commercial airlines in the United States,” said
Dave Ridley, Southwest Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Marketing. “Southwest’s selection of
satellite technology will offer a more robust experience for more Customers per aircraft versus
other solutions available in the marketplace. [source]

Alaska Airlines In-Flight WiFi Internet

Alaska Airlines today announced it plans to launch inflight wireless Internet service next year based on Row 44’s satellite-based broadband connectivity solution. Alaska made the announcement in Toronto at the 28th Annual World Airline Entertainment Association Conference and Exhibition. The airline will test Row 44’s system on a next-generation Boeing 737 aircraft in spring 2008 and, based on the trial’s outcome, plans to equip its 114-aircraft fleet.

Unlike air-to-ground services, Row 44’s satellite-based system is designed to function over land, water and across international borders, enabling service throughout Alaska’s route system in Alaska, the Lower 48 states, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. [source]

Related posts:

1. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W
2. Solar Powered WiFi Solar Powe
3. Vista WiFi Wireless 60 Second Lag Problem Vista WiFi

NetStumbler (also known as Network Stumbler) is a free/”beggarware” tool for Windows that can detect WiFi/Wireless LANs using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g WLAN standards.

An alternative to Netstumbler that works on Linux is called Kismet and uses RFMON to passively detect networks.

Wireless Extension (WE) and Wireless Tools (WT)

If you only have basic wireless detection/scanning requirements on Linux you can use Wireless Extensions (WE) and Wireless Tools (WT) that are usually already included in most Linux distributions.

The Wireless Extension (WE) is a generic API allowing a driver to expose to the user space configuration and statistics specific to common Wireless LANs. The beauty of it is that a single set of tool can support all the variations of Wireless LANs, regardless of their type (as long as the driver supports Wireless Extension). Another advantage is these parameters may be changed on the fly without restarting the driver (or Linux).

The Wireless Tools (WT) is a set of tools allows manipulation of the Wireless Extensions (WE). They use a textual interface and are rather crude, but aim to support the full Wireless Extension. There are many other tools you can use with Wireless Extensions, however Wireless Tools is the reference implementation.

• iwconfig manipulate the basic wireless parameters
• iwlist allow to initiate scanning and list frequencies, bit-rates, encryption keys…
• iwspy allow to get per node link quality
• iwpriv allow to manipulate the Wireless Extensions specific to a driver (private)
• ifrename allow to name interfaces based on various static criteria

Linux Wireless Tools Example

The examples below are from my Nokia N800 Internet tablet. It is running a Debian based Linux and has the Linux wireless tools.

Nokia N800 iwlist wlan0 scanning

Using iwconfig I can see which interfaces support the wireless extensions.

Nokia-N800-23-14:~# iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

wlan0     IEEE 802.11b/g  ESSID:"venetian"
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462 GHz  Access Point: 00:0B:85:FF:FF:FF
          Bit Rate=54 Mb/s   Tx-Power=19 dBm   Sensitivity=0/200
          RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:on
          Link Quality=44/0  Signal level=-49 dBm  Noise level=-93 dBm
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:83  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

Nokia-N800-23-14:~#

In my case wlan0 will be used with Linux wireless tools to get similar information to what Netstumbler provides.

Results for iwlist wlan0 scanning command are below.

Nokia-N800-23-14:~# iwlist wlan0 scanning
wlan0     Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: 00:0B:85:FF:FF:FF
                    ESSID:"venetian"
                    Mode:Master
                    Encryption key:on
                    Channel:11
                    Quality:43/0  Signal level:-51 dBm  Noise level:-94 dBm
                    IE: WPA Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
          Cell 02 - Address: 00:0F:66:FF:FF:FF
                    ESSID:"linksys"
                    Mode:Master
                    Encryption key:off
                    Channel:6
                    Quality:10/0  Signal level:-84 dBm  Noise level:-94 dBm
          Cell 03 - Address: 00:A0:C5:FF:FF:FF
                    ESSID:""
                    Mode:Master
                    Encryption key:on
                    Channel:11
                    Quality:43/0  Signal level:-51 dBm  Noise level:-94 dBm
          Cell 04 - Address: 00:0B:85:FF:FF:FF
                    ESSID:"venetian"
                    Mode:Master
                    Encryption key:on
                    Channel:1
                    Quality:37/0  Signal level:-57 dBm  Noise level:-94 dBm
                    IE: WPA Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK

Note: In the results above I have edited the MAC addresses of the access points.

Graphical User Interfaces for Wireless Tools on Linux

Many GUI configuration and management tools are available if you need a graphical view of wireless tools. Below is a screen shot of KWiFiManager, a set of KDE tools using Wireless Extensions.

KWiFiManager - GUI Interface for Wireless Tools

Related posts:

1. NetStumbler for Windows 7 NetStumble
2. NetStumbler for Mac OS X NetStumble
3. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W

Netstumbler isn’t officially supported on Windows Vista but several alternatives exist that provide similar or better information about wireless networks.

The quickest and simplest way to discover access points is by using the “netsh” command available by default in Windows Vista. The command returns text results for discovered wireless networks. Free tools that take the netsh results and display them in a graphical format are also available.

Netsh Windows Vista Shortcut

The easiest way to use the command is to create a desktop shortcut and run it as needed.

1. Right click on Windows Vista Desktop and select New -> Shortcut
   
2. Type following in field and click Next

   cmd.exe /k netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid
   The “cmd.exe /k” portion of command will keep results window open until closed.

   

3. Save shortcut by clicking Finish

   

4. Run command by double clicking desktop shortcut

   

Netsh cmd vs Windows Vista Graphical Networking View

The netsh shows SSID, signal strength, channel, supported data rates, and access point MAC address (BSSID). Compare this to Windows Vista graphical information which only shows SSID and signal bars.

Netsh

Windows Vista

netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid help

The help information for the command is below.

C:\Users\admin>netsh wlan show networks ?

Usage: show networks [[interface=]] [[mode=]ssid/bssid]

Parameters:

Tag Value
interface - Name of the interface which has this profile configured.
mode - Get detailed bssid information.

Remarks:

Shows the networks available to the system.
Parameter interface and bssid are both optional.

If interface name is given, only the networks on the given interface will be listed.
Otherwise, all networks visible to the system will be listed.

If mode=bssid is given then the visible bssids for each ssid
will also be listed. Otherwise only ssids will be listed.

Examples:

show networks interface="Wireless Network Connection"
show networks mode=Bssid
show networks

Related posts:

1. NetStumbler for Windows 7 NetStumble
2. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W
3. NetStumbler for Mac OS X NetStumble

This online tool can be used to plan and visualize outdoor wireless networks by plotting device locations and radio frequency (RF) propagation coverage on mapping tools. Radio frequency propagation visualization can be viewed as contours on Google Maps or 3D RF models in Google Earth.

The tool is currently beta software and is available at address below. Feedback and feature requests are welcome.

http://www.wlanbook.com/outdoor-wireless-planner/

How to Use Outdoor Wireless Planning Tool

I plan to add detailed instructions later but for now start by following a three step process – 1) find your location, 2) click on map to plot markers, and 3) view results in Google Earth.

Radio Frequency Propagation Visualization on Google Maps

Currently the radio frequency propagation visualization in Google Earth and Google Map view is the same for all plotted points. This feature will be enhanced so that results are based on user entered data like radio power, frequency, antenna gain, distance, and most importantly terrain data that can be determined from mapping software.

Radio Frequency Propagation Visualization in Google Earth

The Google Earth portion of tool isn’t complete but when done will have the ability to view results with custom pan, tilt, range, and altitude values for location. See below for what the 3D view will look like and download a demo file to view results in Google Earth.

Feedback, Bug Reports, and Features Requests

Please comment in post below or send me a message via my contact form with feedback, bug reports, and feature requests. This software was tested on a Windows Vista PC, Internet Explorer 7, and 1280×800 screen resolution. I’m sure it will behave differently on other systems so when sending bug reports please let me know your operating system, browser version, and screen resolution.

Related posts:

1. Disable Wireless When Connected to LAN in XP and Vista Disable Wi
2. NetStumbler for Mac OS X NetStumble

The topic of stealing WiFi Internet access or legality of using someone else’s WiFi Internet access is always entertaining because almost everyone has an opinion on this subject and in almost every case each person is convinced that their view is right. I’m no different — my method to determine if using wireless Internet is illegal answer the question below.

Did you get permission from the owner of the WiFi hardware to connect to it? Permission could be verbal communication or a sign that indicates that the WiFi connection is free.

If your answer is “NO” then you are stealing Internet service and it is against the law. Don’t believe me read this.

Internet Connection Is What They Really Want

An access point is basically connecting users wirelessly to a wired network. Other than hackers, most users that connect to an open wireless network want to get connected to the Internet which is a service that the owner of the wireless network is usually paying a monthly fee for.

So while someone could justify connecting to an open wireless network and convince you that they have done is not wrong. Once they use the owners ISP connection they are stealing a service.

Some folks may argue that if a WiFi connection is not secured then it can’t be considered stealing. Not true, even open access points technically use the SSID to “authenticate” users on to the access point with a process called “open authentication”.

ISP Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP) and Other People’s Wireless Internet

If you get permission you may OK but the person granting the permission may have violated the ISP’s rules. In almost all cases, the person giving the permission may not be allowed to share the Internet connection based on the service provider’s Terms of Services (TOS) and/or Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP).

Related posts:

1. Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Airplane W
2. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W
3. Vista WiFi Wireless 60 Second Lag Problem Vista WiFi

A SSID (service set identifier) identifies the wireless network and the SSID for your wireless WLAN card must match the SSID for any access point that you want to connect with. If the value does not match, you are not granted access to the network. Each SSID can be up to 32 characters long and is case-sensitive.

Multiple Access Points with the Same SSID

Muliple access points can have the same SSID and in most cases this configuration is known as an extended service set (ESS) when the two access points are connected to the same wired network. Sharing the same SSID can be an issue if the two access points are in close proximity but are not owned or part of the same wired network. In this case end user devices may connect to the incorrect SSID.

How to Discover Non-Broadcasting SSIDs

If the SSID is not being broadcasted, finding the hidden SSID is possible but requires special software that is able to look at wireless data frames to extract the SSID. There are many commercial products that have this RFMON capability and several open source products such as Kismet.

Related posts:

1. NetStumbler for Mac OS X NetStumble
2. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W
3. Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Airplane W

Getting Gmail and/or Google Mail App to work on a Centro requires the same software and process as a Treo 650. See previous posts below.

Google Gmail on Treo 650 – Three step process to get Gmail working on a Treo 650 using Google Gmail Mobile App. This process works with free gmail.com Gmail and Google Mail App.

2 Mobile Gmail Apps on Same Phone, Treo 650 – If you have two Gmail email accounts and want to access both via your mobile phone, Palm Treo 650 on Sprint in my case, follow these directions.

Related posts:

1. Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Airplane W
2. Netstumbler for Linux Netstumble
3. Solar Powered WiFi Solar Powe

What Does WiFi Stand For?

Nothing.

“Wi-Fi”, Wi hyphen Fi, is a branding term created by Interbrand so that the WiFi Alliance could use the name and logo as the 80.211 interoperability seal and in marketing efforts. The branding effort has been so successful that the term WiFi is synonymous with 802.11 just like “Kleenex”, another invented word, is synonymous with facial tissue paper. Unlike Kleenex, WiFi has functional meaning since it is used to certify the interoperability of wireless devices.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global trade association with a mission of enabling the growth of Wi-Fi worldwide. The Wi-Fi Alliance created the term Wi-Fi, which has come to represent a cultural phenomenon. Products which successfully pass the Wi-Fi Alliance testing may use the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED brand. The Alliance tests and certifies the interoperability of wireless LAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ Makes it Wi-Fi

The certification process is so important that it is virtually impossible to purchase consumer grade equipment that is not Wi-Fi certified.

Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance members have certified more than 4,100 Wi-Fi products. Through comprehensive testing, the Wi-Fi Alliance certification program helps to ensure that Wi-Fi products from multiple manufacturers work together.

Wi-Fi Certification assures tested and proven interoperability among Wi-Fi devices. This certification gives users confidence that Wi-Fi products bearing the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ logo have passed rigorous interoperability certification requirements.

Wi-Fi or WiFi?

If want to use the brand correctly then refer to the official style guide. This style guide describes the usage requirements for the trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Related posts:

1. Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Airplane W
2. Solar Powered WiFi Solar Powe
3. Disable Wireless When Connected to LAN in XP and Vista Disable Wi

WiFi For Dummies

A request I get all the time is recommendations on books that are good for non techies to learn about WiFi. If you search long enough on the Internet you can find free information on the web that will answer your questions, no matter what your topic. What is more difficult, is finding free ebooks that are well organized and well written enough to be worth printing it out.

A great and **FREE** ebook in PDF format related to WiFi is can be downloaded directly from here. This book isn’t an official “WiFi For Dummies” book but covers the topic at a similar level. The second edition of the book was released in 2004 but is still great for anyone just starting to learn about WiFi.

In the authors’ own words:

You are about to have in your virtual hands a free version of the second edition of The Wireless Networking Starter Kit. We’ll be frank: the book got great reviews, and we heard from hundreds of readers how they liked it–but it didn’t sell well enough to continue to update it.

That’s why we’re giving this edition from 2004 away at no cost: there’s still much that’s relevant even after all the changes that Wi-Fi has gone through. (What’s really out of date? There’s little coverage of WPA security and nothing on 802.11n.)

Tech Support Via Email

The motivation for sharing the great resource above is that I receive several emails a week requesting tech support via my contact form. If the question is related to a post I have written I usually try to answer the email right away. In most cases the email request is about a very specific issue that I would have to research and would require several exchanges with the reader to fully understand the problem before trying to respond.

While I wish I had the time to answer all tech support questions, it just isn’t possible. So for now my policy is that I only respond to questions that are related to my posts. If the question is generic enough that others would benefit from the answer I usually write post instead of responding to question directly via email.

If you have a generic question about wireless I recommend you download the free ebook mentioned above. Some of the topics covered are below and I suspect in most cases will answer your questions.

Section I: Wireless Basics
1. How Wireless Works
2. Wireless Standards
3. Wireless Hardware
4. Other Wireless Standards
5. Wireless of the (Near) Future

Section II: Connecting Your Computer
6. Connecting Your Windows XP
7. Configuring Your Centrino Laptop
8. Connecting Your Macintosh
9. Connecting with Linux and FreeBSD
10. Connecting Your Handheld
11. Connecting via Bluetooth
12. Creating an Ad Hoc Wireless Network
13. Sharing Files and Printers
14. Troubleshooting Your Connection

Section III: Building Your Wireless Network
15. Planning Your Wireless Network
16. Buying a Wireless Gateway
17. Setting up a Gateway
18. Wireless Gadgets
19. Creating a Software Access Point
20. Bridging Wireless Networks
21. Indoor Antenna Basics
22. Small Office Wi-Fi Networking
23. Troubleshooting Your Wireless Network

Section IV: Wireless Security
24. Wireless Worries
25. Preventing Access to Your Network
26. Securing Data in Transit
27. Protecting Your Systems

Section V: Taking It on the Road
28. Finding Wi-Fi on the Road
29. Configuring WISP Software
30. Using Cellular Data Networks
31. Prepping for the Road
32. Working on the Road

Section VI: Going the Distance
33. Long-Range Wi-Fi Connections
34. Long-Range Anntena Basics

Appendix A. Networking Basics
Appendix B. Configuring Your Network Settings
Appendix C. How to Troubleshoot

Related posts:

1. Solar Powered WiFi Solar Powe
2. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W
3. NetStumbler for Mac OS X NetStumble

Ever wonder which is faster, using a wireless router or plugging directly into the wired Internet? The short answer is that the wired Internet connection will always be faster because you are eliminating the “middle man” — the wireless access point.

Also, because WiFi connections half duplex (can only send or receive not both at same time) and contention based (users/devices and have to wait to transmit) you can never take advantage of the full duplex nature of wired Internet connections.

In reality, this is hard question to answer because it depends on so many factors such as:

• Wireless technology (802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11n)
• ISP connection speeds (upload/download)
• Is wireless Internet (WiFi router) used by multiple users
• Are there other WiFi devices nearby or interfering sources

Estimated throughput for 802.11 a/b/g/n

Even when connected to the access point at 54Mbps your actual throughput will be much less because the speed numbers quoted by vendors are the data rates for the various 802.11 standards/amendments (802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n) and not throughput for the connected device.

Below are estimated data half duplex throughputs for various 802.11 standards for single client scenarios. For multiple client scenarios the numbers would be shared for all clients and uniformity among clients may not always occur.

802.11a – 19 Mbps
802.11g – 17 Mbps
802.11b – 5 Mbps
802.11n – > 100 Mbps

Internet Connection Bottleneck

While a wired connection will always be faster than the same connection via a wireless access point, most Internet connections are much lower in speed than the wireless router. For example, an asymmetrical cable modem high speed broadband service that is 5 Mbps download speed and 1 Mbs upload speed would most likely have same performance on any 802.11 network for uploading and downloading. While another user with a 15 Mbps down/5 Mbps up Internet connection would not fully use ISP connection on an 802.11b network.

Also, while most ISPs provide download/upload data rates for service offerings, these numbers are burstable data rates. In reality, all ISPs are designed so that guaranteed data rates for all users are much less.

WiFi Speed Test

Another method to figure out if using a wired connection is faster is to test your Internet speed via wired and wireless connection and compare results.

In summary, if you have high end/low latency requirements (gaming, voice over IP, real-time collaboration) it is best to use a wired connection.

Related posts:

1. Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Airplane W
2. Vista WiFi Wireless 60 Second Lag Problem Vista WiFi
3. Disable Wireless When Connected to LAN in XP and Vista Disable Wi

SST-PR-1 SSID is ad hoc network SSID used by Sears Home Service van fleet. This SSID is usually an ad hoc network and shows up everywhere. Most wireless users don’t know what it is and try to connect to it causing it to go viral just like the Free Public WiFi SSID.

Sears Home Service

In combination with other technology, the Sears technician can look up parts, repair products, print out receipt, and get info regarding next service call. Very cool photos of Sears setup below.

Truck with domed antenna on roof for automatic vehicle location (AVL).

Netstumbler showing SST-PR-1 ad-hoc SSID.

Ruggedized laptop used by Sears service techs docked in van.

Ruggedized laptop used by Sears service techs undocked.

Disable Ad-hoc Wireless Networking in Windows XP

Disable ad hoc wireless networking in Windows XP to prevent users from connecting to ad hoc networks like SST-PR-1.

If you want more photos related to SST-PR-1 go here.

Related posts:

1. NetStumbler for Windows 7 NetStumble
2. Disable Wireless When Connected to LAN in XP and Vista Disable Wi
3. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W

WiFi combined with satellite based Internet access is very common in developing countries where it isn’t practical to run wire or fiber optic lines to homes and business. Even when wire lines do exist, the only option available is slow dialup Internet access requring customers to pay for a local telephone line plus the ISP for a slow service that is only usable for basic web browsing or email. Also, the local telecom infrastructure is usually not engineered for data communications and users constantly dropped connections and busy signals when dialing the ISP.

Even where institutions and individuals have Internet access, the connection often has little practical value for more than a few elite users. Our tests of actual Internet speeds indicate that, while users at large European or American universities enjoy Internet connections which deliver 17 million bits per second, users at African institutions operate at speeds that are 500 to 600 times slower (~30 thousand bits per second). We also routinely test hundreds of Internet servers at African institutions and find that the typical server is online only about six hours per day and has frequent disconnects lasting days or weeks. As a result, it is impractical for instructors at these institutions to require students to discover information on the Internet. Also, these instructors rarely use resources like video, audio and multimedia tutorials because downloading these items is expensive, slow and unreliable. [World Health Organization]

WiFi Community Networks

By combining low cost commodity WiFi hardware satellite Internet connections very large community networks can be built without any special tools or heavy equipment that would normally be required to connect users via wires or fiber optic cable. Once enough users are connected together via an 802.11 network the cost of a satellite dish, installation, and recurring free can be shared by the community or provided by a local business acting as the ISP.

Dedicated Satellite Bandwidth vs. Usage Based Internet Access

Dedicated satellite Internet links are still very costly in most developing countries, especially those in sub-Sahara Africa (see above). Even 128/64 kbps links that may seem slow to many Internet users with premium broadband services are priced so high that most communities and ISPs cannot afford them.

The costs of Internet connectivity in Africa can be hundreds of times higher than those in Europe or the United States of America. For “free” information on the Internet, institutions in developing countries must often buy larger-capacity connections than they can realistically afford. For example, some universities in Africa are spending as much as the equivalent of 20 full-time faculty salaries for a 2-megabit Internet connection that is then distributed to 500 to 600 computers, resulting in a costly and painfully slow connection for everyone.
[World Health Organization]

A more practical approach is to get service from a usage based satellite provider that provides tiered pricing so that as the community network expands or contracts the cost of accessing Internet can be adjusted. Another benefit of a usage based satellite Internet provider is that they usually support higher burstable speeds which is beneficial when using interactive applications like VoIP or interactive video.

Grid Power vs. Solar Powered WiFi

Another issue in developing countries is the lack of reliable and clean power. To overcome this hurdle most community networks power the WiFi satellite Internet system with a hybrid solution combining the local grid power, solar panels, and batteries.

Related posts:

1. Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Airplane W
2. Solar Powered WiFi Solar Powe
3. Vista WiFi Wireless 60 Second Lag Problem Vista WiFi

An Ethernet crossover cable is a type of Ethernet cable used to connect computing devices together directly where they would normally be connected via a network switch, hub or router. For example, one would use a crossover cable to directly connect two personal computers via their network adapters.

Ethernet Crossover Cable Pinout

Making an ethernet crossover cable is not difficult if you know the proper pinouts and have the proper tools and materials. See photos below for 100Mbps and Gigabit crossover cable pinouts.

100Mbps Crossover – 10baseT/100baseTX crossover ( shown as T568A )

Gigabit Crossover – 10base-T/100base-TX/1000base-TX/T4 crossover (shown as T568B)

In practice, it does not matter if your Ethernet cables are wired as T568A or T568B, just so long as both ends follow the same wiring format. It is just as valid to make a four-pair crossover using T568A, or a two pair crossover using T568B, as it is to wire them the way shown here.

Typical commercially available “pre-wired” cables can follow either format depending on who made them. What this means is that you may discover that one manufacturer’s cables are wired one way and another’s the other way, yet both are “correct” and will work. In either case, T568A or T568B, a normal (un-crossed) cable will have both ends wired according to the layout in the first connections column.

[Wikipedia]

Related posts:

1. Solar Powered WiFi Solar Powe
2. Disable Wireless When Connected to LAN in XP and Vista Disable Wi
3. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W

Like Army’s Wireless LAN Policy, Navy’s guidelines for deploying wireless LAN technologies are outlined in documents developed and distributed by the Department of the Navy (DON) and other DoD organizations. Below is a list of documents related to using commercial wireless LAN technologies in unclassified networks.

SECNAV Instruction 5239.3A

5239.3A, released in December 2004 by the DON CIO, is Department of the Navy Information Assurance Policy. The document establishes Information Assurance (IA) policy for the
Department of the Navy (DON) consistent with National and Department of Defense (DoD) policies. The policy applies to “All Ships and Stations” and doesn’t have any specifics about WLANs or wireless security. The specifics regarding wireless are covered in guidelines below. [source]

SECNAV Instruction 2075.1

DON Use of Commercial Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Devices, Services, and Technologies, released November 2006. [source]

This policy provides guidance to secure components of the network that directly pertain to the wireless architecture. It delineates requirements for FIPS-140 Certification and Accreditation as well as Layer 2 Authentication and Encryption.

DON Guidance on Wireless Local Area Network Implementation of the 802.11i Standard, released January 2008. [source]

A. All new WLAN acquisitions must specify the 802.11i addendum.

B. Existing non-compliant WLAN solutions must ensure migration toward compliance with the 802.11i addendum. Migration plans shall be submitted to the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) within 90 days.

C. All solutions will continue to be certified and accredited by the appropriate designated approval authority (DAA) prior to implementation.

DoDD 8100.2

Use of Commercial Wireless Devices, Services, and Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) – April 14, 2004. [source]

Section 4.1.2 says if data is transmitted wirelessly it must be secured using FIPS validated encryption, and is a good summary of the entire document.

4.1.2 – Encryption of unclassified data for transmission to and from wireless devices is required. Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Designated Approving Authority (DAA) for the wireless connections under their control. At a minimum, data encryption must be implemented end-to-end over an assured channel and shall be validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation Program as meeting requirements per Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication (PUB) 140-2, Overall Level 1 or Level 2, as dictated by the sensitivity of the data (reference (g)).

DoDD 8100.2 Supplement

Use of Commercial Wireless Local-Area Network (WLAN) Devices, Systems, Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) -June 2, 2006. [source]

This document added additional guidance related IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN technologies and security. Some argued that the document was too specific and details such as specifying 802.11i for security should be contained in Best Business Practice (BBP) and not overarching directives. Others argued that such details were necessary to remove ambiguity that remained after the release of the April 14, 2004 directive. In addition to detailing the data-in-transit security requirements when deploying IEEE 802.11 networks, the document also stated that continuous 24/7 wireless intrusion detection was required for wired and wireless networks.

Related posts:

1. Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Airplane W
2. Mac OS X WiFi Wireless Scanner Mac OS X W