Alternatives to Netstumbler ?

I have an ancient Win 98 notebook that works just fine with a USB wireless
adapter, but Netstumbler says the device is unsupported.

The USB wireless adapter works OK with Netstumbler on a Windows 2000 or XP
PC.

So is there any other wireless scanning software to try ?

Stuart.

Stuart Robinson <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> So is there any other wireless scanning software to try ?

It lacks the GPS mapping of Netstumbler, but the free Boingo software works
with most devices. http://www.Boingo.com

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Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5

Stuart Robinson wrote:
> I have an ancient Win 98 notebook that works just fine with a USB wireless
> adapter, but Netstumbler says the device is unsupported.
>
> The USB wireless adapter works OK with Netstumbler on a Windows 2000 or XP
> PC.
>
> So is there any other wireless scanning software to try ?
>
> Stuart.

Your choices really are:
1) Replace the USB adapter with a supported adapter. Read the
Netstumbler release notes for a list of the well-supported NICs. I use
an IBM-branded ORiNOCO Gold card that I got for US$25 on eBay.
2) Boot a live Linux distro CD and see if you can use Kismet that way.
I'm not sure off the top of my head which CD distros, if any, have
Kismet, and you still have to have a compatible NIC:
http://www.kismetwireless.net

good luck,
Jonathan

Well the problem is not that the adapter is not supported but that
something in Windows 98 and/or the notebooks hardware is not.

I eventually got the Win98 replaced with Win98SE (a problem since the
notebooks CD is broken) and the problem with Netstumbler is the same, it
does not recognise the device.

Boingo just crashes on startup, so I dont know if that would see the
adapter.

I did get Windows 2000 working on the notebook and Netstumbler then
recognises the USB wireless adapter, which is why I think there is some
driver issue with the notebook under Win98. I would be happy to use Win2K
on it, even though its a bit slow, but unfortunately the sound card
microphone does not work under Win2k (no updated drivers are available
either) so I cant use the softphone VOIP.

Might give Linux a try, although without a CD working it might not be too
easy.

Thanks for the help guys.

Stuart.

Stuart Robinson wrote:
> Well the problem is not that the adapter is not supported but that
> something in Windows 98 and/or the notebooks hardware is not.
>
> I eventually got the Win98 replaced with Win98SE (a problem since the
> notebooks CD is broken) and the problem with Netstumbler is the same,
> it does not recognise the device.
>
> Boingo just crashes on startup, so I dont know if that would see the
> adapter.
>
> I did get Windows 2000 working on the notebook and Netstumbler then
> recognises the USB wireless adapter, which is why I think there is
> some driver issue with the notebook under Win98. I would be happy to
> use Win2K on it, even though its a bit slow, but unfortunately the
> sound card microphone does not work under Win2k (no updated drivers
> are available either) so I cant use the softphone VOIP.
>
> Might give Linux a try, although without a CD working it might not be
> too easy.
>
> Thanks for the help guys.
>
> Stuart.

Have you even considering something like PAYING FOR REAL SOFTWARE (works a
whole lot better than the free netstumbler), rather than trying to be cheap
and use something free (that doesn't work?)... I sort of wonder how much it
will cost you to change operating systems rather than just splurge and spend
under $30 for software that works way better than the free stuff, and will
work with your card.

You can even get it free for 30 days to try it out.. The one I use is Winc
at www.cirond.com

Peter Pan wrote:
> Stuart Robinson wrote:
>
>>Well the problem is not that the adapter is not supported but that
>>something in Windows 98 and/or the notebooks hardware is not.
>>
>>I eventually got the Win98 replaced with Win98SE (a problem since the
>>notebooks CD is broken) and the problem with Netstumbler is the same,
>>it does not recognise the device.
>>
>>Boingo just crashes on startup, so I dont know if that would see the
>>adapter.
>>
>>I did get Windows 2000 working on the notebook and Netstumbler then
>>recognises the USB wireless adapter, which is why I think there is
>>some driver issue with the notebook under Win98. I would be happy to
>>use Win2K on it, even though its a bit slow, but unfortunately the
>>sound card microphone does not work under Win2k (no updated drivers
>>are available either) so I cant use the softphone VOIP.
>>
>>Might give Linux a try, although without a CD working it might not be
>>too easy.
>>
>>Thanks for the help guys.
>>
>>Stuart.
>
>
> Have you even considering something like PAYING FOR REAL SOFTWARE (works a
> whole lot better than the free netstumbler), rather than trying to be cheap
> and use something free (that doesn't work?)... I sort of wonder how much it
> will cost you to change operating systems rather than just splurge and spend
> under $30 for software that works way better than the free stuff, and will
> work with your card.
>
> You can even get it free for 30 days to try it out.. The one I use is Winc
> at www.cirond.com
>
>
HaHaHa why not run a dual boot with linux and see great free software
really is .

"Stuart Robinson" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed). uk...
> Well the problem is not that the adapter is not supported but that
> something in Windows 98 and/or the notebooks hardware is not.
>
> I eventually got the Win98 replaced with Win98SE (a problem since the
> notebooks CD is broken) and the problem with Netstumbler is the same, it
> does not recognise the device.
>
> Boingo just crashes on startup, so I dont know if that would see the
> adapter.
>
> I did get Windows 2000 working on the notebook and Netstumbler then
> recognises the USB wireless adapter, which is why I think there is some
> driver issue with the notebook under Win98. I would be happy to use Win2K
> on it, even though its a bit slow, but unfortunately the sound card
> microphone does not work under Win2k (no updated drivers are available
> either) so I cant use the softphone VOIP.
>
> Might give Linux a try, although without a CD working it might not be too
> easy.
>
> Thanks for the help guys.
>
> Stuart.

I have the same problem as you, I can use Belkins own utility but its
doesn't update as often as Netstumbler or give as much information.
Netstumbler supports my Belkin on XP and 2K but not 98ME, so I am thinking
about dualboot 2K or Linux,or another hardisc with 2K on it!! though, as
you are finding, not all 11g wireless cards are compatable!
IIRC reading thru the netstumbler site if you want 98 to work you need a
wireless card with a prism chipset. (of course not the card I have!) and not
all wireless cards work with linux ..... Oh well back to the drawing board.

Des

Stuart Robinson <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Boingo just crashes on startup, so I dont know if that would see the
> adapter.

Oops. Hadn't heard that before, but there's not much Win98 WiFi.

> I did get Windows 2000 working on the notebook and Netstumbler then
> recognises the USB wireless adapter, which is why I think there is some
> driver issue with the notebook under Win98. I would be happy to use Win2K
> on it, even though its a bit slow, but unfortunately the sound card
> microphone does not work under Win2k (no updated drivers are available
> either) so I cant use the softphone VOIP.

Cisco Softphone? USB headset instead? My Dell microphone doesn't offer
good enough quality. Plantronics USB DSP-300 is very good.
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/2898214

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Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5

> Have you even considering something like PAYING FOR REAL SOFTWARE
> (works a whole lot better than the free netstumbler), rather than
> trying to be cheap and use something free (that doesn't work?)...

But Netstumbler does now work with my USB wireless adapter, it may not
work properly under Win98 but it was worth the time, effort and expense to
switch to Win2k to get it working.

As for the 'REAL SOFTWARE' you mention, it did not work under Win98 either
and neither does it do some things as well as Netstumbler does.

I was doing a site survey today, checking signal strengths around a
building, if there is a better tool than Netstumbler for this, which is it
?

Stuart.

> Cisco Softphone? USB headset instead? My Dell microphone doesn't offer
> good enough quality. Plantronics USB DSP-300 is very good.
> http://shop4.outpost.com/product/2898214

The Notebook in question only has a single USB port, and that port is in
use for the wireless adapter. I could of course use a PCMCIA wireless
card, but its kind of hard to get one of those in the middle of a
parabolic reflector.

The sound problem was fixed when I updated the DirectX.




Stuart.