Netstumbler misses some local nodes

I run Netstumbler periodically to see what other networks have popped
up around my apartment building, (and to diagnose my own problems).
For months and months have only gotten one via my Win 2k laptop with
an Orinoco Gold PCMCIA card: my own.

Today, however, in trying to get a wireless AP for my TiVo working
properly, I hooked up a Linksys WUSB11 USB AP to my laptop and loaded
the software. Yow: is shows *4* nearby wireless networks. Wow, is the
Linksys AP THAT much better than the Orinioco??? Well, I grabbed
Boingo for the first time, and it shows 2 networks in addition to my
own.

I thought Netstumbler was the best out there (free or cheap, anyway.)
Should I switch to something else???

Higgins <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I run Netstumbler periodically to see what other networks have popped
> up around my apartment building, (and to diagnose my own problems).
> For months and months have only gotten one via my Win 2k laptop with
> an Orinoco Gold PCMCIA card: my own.
>
> Today, however, in trying to get a wireless AP for my TiVo working
> properly, I hooked up a Linksys WUSB11 USB AP to my laptop and loaded
> the software. Yow: is shows *4* nearby wireless networks. Wow, is the
> Linksys AP THAT much better than the Orinioco??? Well, I grabbed
> Boingo for the first time, and it shows 2 networks in addition to my
> own.
>
> I thought Netstumbler was the best out there (free or cheap, anyway.)
> Should I switch to something else???

I've observed that if you have the Orinoco driver set to talk to a specific
access point, then NetStumbler won't see any others. Change the SSID to
'any' and suddenly it works.

miguel
--
See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/

(E-Mail Removed) (Miguel Cruz) wrote in message news:<Uj2Bb.492$(E-Mail Removed)>...
> > I thought Netstumbler was the best out there (free or cheap, anyway.)
> > Should I switch to something else???
>
> I've observed that if you have the Orinoco driver set to talk to a specific
> access point, then NetStumbler won't see any others. Change the SSID to
> 'any' and suddenly it works.
>
> miguel

Thanks for the tip. I should change that in the Orinoco manager?? or
somewhere in netstumbler???

Higgins <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> (E-Mail Removed) (Miguel Cruz) wrote:
>>> I thought Netstumbler was the best out there (free or cheap, anyway.)
>>> Should I switch to something else???
>>
>> I've observed that if you have the Orinoco driver set to talk to a specific
>> access point, then NetStumbler won't see any others. Change the SSID to
>> 'any' and suddenly it works.
>
> Thanks for the tip. I should change that in the Orinoco manager?? or
> somewhere in netstumbler???

It's in the Orinoco client manager (where you go if you click on the little
bar graph in the tray at the bottom of the screen). I use Windows so rarely
that I can't easily be more specific than that from memory.

miguel
--
See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/

Got it, thanks.


> It's in the Orinoco client manager (where you go if you click on the little
> bar graph in the tray at the bottom of the screen). I use Windows so rarely
> that I can't easily be more specific than that from memory.
>
> miguel

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 20:50:21 -0800, Higgins wrote:

> I run Netstumbler periodically to see what other networks have popped
> up around my apartment building, (and to diagnose my own problems).
> For months and months have only gotten one via my Win 2k laptop with
> an Orinoco Gold PCMCIA card: my own.
>
> Today, however, in trying to get a wireless AP for my TiVo working
> properly, I hooked up a Linksys WUSB11 USB AP to my laptop and loaded
> the software. Yow: is shows *4* nearby wireless networks. Wow, is the
> Linksys AP THAT much better than the Orinioco??? Well, I grabbed
> Boingo for the first time, and it shows 2 networks in addition to my
> own.
>
> I thought Netstumbler was the best out there (free or cheap, anyway.)
> Should I switch to something else???

Netstumbler is a much over-hyped little MFC treeview 101 dittie that does very little
at all really. There is a dearth of good free Windows wireless sniffers.

You should switch to Linux and Kismet. Kismet will detect many more
systems than Netstumbler because Kismet works purely in passive sniffing
mode. Netstumbler on the other hand, actually has to made contact with
the sniffee which limits the detection range substantially.

NodeMonkey