NetStumbler / GPS question

[rjfoster]

When using NetStumbler with a computer that has GPS, does NetStumbler send the LAT / LONG information to the mapping software so that active APs show up in there? I am just curious - I do not yet have a GPS unit ofr the software, so I have no idea how this works. Thanks for the help!

[bobzilla]

netstumbler does have scripting support, and i started on a way to have a script write a file that colorJiGLE would read and get things updated on the fly, but then i switched to linux+kismet on my stumble laptop, so development on that end kinda died. if there's interested we could pick it up again, or, better yet, we could give you what we have and you could give us back complete code.

[izzy4505]

I'll take you up on that offer bobzilla, if it's still on the table. I've been looking for the best way to tackle this issue for a long time, and I'm curious if you've already got a better idea on how to go about it than I do. If you don't wanna post it, can you e-mail it to brad@musatcha.com?

[argh]

kismet+GPSdrive+MySQL can draw AP's on a map on the fly. it will put the AP on at the first point it can detect it. on subsequent drives, it's cool to watch it move them around and place them more accurately as it get more GPS data. this was drawn live as i drove:



it qualified as a Real Hassle getting this to work with MySQL for me (i'm not a very strong database guy)! it is lightly documented in the GPSdrive docs. kismet with GPSdrive is very cool, though. here is a drive, without the SQL. the black pointer constantly points at a waypoint i have set (which is 163 miles away), the red pointer is my current movement, and the green is my track. this is also a great setup for geocaching. plug in a few caches as waypoints, and drive around, following the black arrow. once i get close, i use Zaurus and/or handheld GPS to (often) find the cache.

[bucky2k]

That is one kickass setup! I'm amazed.

Would you care to briefly explain how you got that all set up and running under Windows?

[argh]

thanks, it's old junk hardware, but it's fun!
briefly? it's not Windows, it is Linux. there is no brief description on how to use Linux.
long version? kismet is one of the best (the best, IMHO) wardriving/wifi monitoring programs. it is very versatile. i can run it on my PDA (Zaurus), i can run it on antique laptop, i can reflash the guts to a Linksys AP and run it on there.

kismet comes with GPSdrive, which drew these nice maps. you have to learn quite a bit, and juggle things around some, but the nice part is that it is all (legally) free. since it is not Windows, it is more reliable, also.

kismet ALSO comes with gpsmap, which will let you draw interesting maps later with the data that you saved. you have several choices of maps, and how to display your data. here is a drive i did at an airport, overlaid on a Terraserver map, with translucent range circles. the blue line is my track, the dots are AP's, assigned a random color. the range circles are VERY approximate. nothing except an isotropic source in free space will have a pattern like that. gpsmap can also draw the more exact hull measurements, based on every packet that it caught. that is much more accurate if you re-re-re-drive the area several times.



the hardware used on these particular drives:
ancient dead-battery Gateway Celeron 450 laptop. 6 gig HD, maxed out at 288MB ram (woohoo!)
old Orinoco wifi B card
cheap Garmin Etrex GPS
nice FAB omni magmount

it's old, it's slow, but it will run for months without crashing, and this particular setup will never get a virus.

[themacuser]

it's not Windows, it is Linux. there is no brief description on how to use Linux.

Why do you have a Windows skin on it then? Ewww...