Basic suggestions requested for initial war driving from home

I should mention that I'm on Linux and I've installed (but not yet used) the following freeware:

$ sudo yum install kismet (installed /usr/bin/kismet) $ sudo yum install wireshark (no executable was installed though) Note: I could not find a netstumbler repository for CentOS.

Q: What other software is recommended for seeing what I can connect to (i.e., wide open WiFi access points) from home?

any device with wifi should do. pda cellphone laptop I use a dell axim x51v for such things.

Hello Pooh,

I read that page, and it appears to contain an advanced WiFi driver for Atheros chipsets.

I presume the reason is that these advanced drivers might be able to be set in promiscuous mode?

If so, having no idea what *my* wifi driver chipset was, I ran: $ /sbin/lspci -knn | grep -i network which revealed an Intel chipset (and not Atheros) starting with 03:00.0.

$ /sbin/lspci -vv -s 03:00.0 | grep driver revealed the driver currently being used is iwlwifi.

$ $ /sbin/modinfo iwlwifi | grep filename revealed the location and file name of the driver: /lib/modules//kernel/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwlwifi.ko

Am I correct in guessing that the advanced WiFi drivers are so that we can better control an (Atheros) chipset for wardriving purposes?

No. You need a device that has monitor mode. [I used to think promiscuous mode was required, and I probably have posted that a few times. However, what you need is monitor mode.]

The Alfa tube-u with the N connector on it is excellent. The chipset has monitor mode.

plus this antenna

You do not want to use netstubler. Use Kismet.

I just realized that the external antenna I am contemplating buying uses Atheros chipsets (as do many wifi radios); so your wonderful site for Atheros drivers may still come in handy.

I will bookmark that site for future use!

Thanks - and - you're very intelligent - which is something that's appreciated!

I am always confused which is needed, monitor or promiscuous!

A friend gave me a Ubiquiti Bullet M2 yesterday. It came screwed onto a 14 dBi flat planar antenna, which I might replace with a lower-range but wider-area dipole for convenience.

This datasheet indicates it uses the Atheros chipset (MIPS 24KC, 400MHz),

So Pooh's Atheros driver web site should be useful:

At 23 dBm to 28 dBm transmit power with the 14 dBi antenna, my EIRP should be roughly 40 dB with a sensitivity able to pick up signals as low as -75 dBm to -83 dBm.

That should pick up some open access points within a few miles, don't you think?

I guess this all depends on how you define war driving. I view it as a passive event. I just monitor and log. That said, I again repeat myself, your chip set needs monitor mode to do a passive scan.

Now if you are going to use some open wifi, then there is no need for stealth, so just about any adapter will work.

I don't like those parabolic reflectors. They don't travel well. They do work. I was given an old MDS antenna. I prefer panel antennas. My panel antenna is in the car, so I don't have the model handy, but I think it does 16db. That will do about 5 to 8 miles with the alfa tube-u. This is in an environment without a lot of other signals.

As a FYI, there is a lot of wifi out there that will not show up on netstumbler. Utility companies have wifi interfaces to access transmission line telemetry. The railroads have wifi for reasons I don't recall. The backhaul often doesn't transmit a SSID.

If you really want to do a site survey, you need kismet. If you want to borrow some wifi, netstumbler will do. I'm not sure netstumber will pick up idle wifi clients. That is, any device that has a list of site to quick connect will be broadcasting to find those sites.