Tips on mapping EVERY street

[Guest]

Hey all,

I was just contracted to do some wardriving for a company, however I have a huge area to cover and want to cover every street w/o repeating streets too much. Also some badly placed one-way streets force me to make huge u-turns and the whole process is not very fuel efficient. My question is: is there any software that will optimize a route for me to take or do you have any general tips on mapping large metropolitan areas?

Thanks a lot,
Lou

[uhtu]

well.. we put together a website, wrote a bunch of software, and helped out
a couple hundred of the most interesting and bizzare people we've ever
met to do just that in their spare time :-)

arkasha has a series of highly advanced negative space theories that have been worked into a couple of the wigle.net clients. but we don't do street routing just yet, however (the data is out there, its in the works).

in any major city in the US, you don't really need to plan anymore, you can just drive around and you'll see networks. besides, repetition isn't a bad thing, and its not a bad thing. a second pass on even the other side of a street will at times turn up APs that were not visible 50m away.

[ax0n]

Indeed. Print off a decent map of the area, and drive the hell out of it. If you run through the same main drag 5 or 6 times more than you needed to, you'll still almost always find something new on each pass in a decently packed residential area.

Here's what I do:

* I divide my territory up into main roads. Typically in the suburbia out here, you end up with blocks that are about a square mile.
* I organize them with my own algorithm in my mind. This is a completely VISUAL judge of a WiGLE map and maybe satellite or mapquest of the area.
* I prioritize them and decide which ones to conquer in what order.
* I print out maps of my 4 highest priority blocks. I actually like WiGLE's web maps, so I zoom in so one of my blocks almost fills the web map. Right click, and print just the map graphic (no text or buttons) I use one sheet of paper and turn it so the printer can print 4 maps on one sheet. 2 front, 2 back.
* Then I drive!

Tips on getting as many AP's as possible:

* I use a GPS that can display where I've been. I compare the trail I've left with the printed map to see if I missed any little side streets.
* Never underestimate the power of a cul-de-sac. Drive through them even if they're only going to get you 50 feet closer to a station. A few feet can make or break your signal.
* Slow down! Your WiFi card can't monitor every single frequency at the same time. It's scanning all the channels one at a time at a pretty good clip, but if you go too fast, you can miss an AP or two. This is why driving the same road a few times can find new AP's as well.
* Signal Quality! External omnidirectional antennas and 200mW "high power" cards will always find more access points.
* Multi-protocol cards. 802.11 A/B/G cards have the capability to find more AP's than just a straight cheapo 802.11B card. All 802.11G cards can see B or G networks without special scanning software. You'd be wise to at least get a G card. if nothing else.

lastly. Pay attention to the road first and foremost. I mount my laptop so it's out of my reach. I do pull over and check my maps and GPS though. When you're moving, keep all your attention on the road. IF you're concerned about knowing if you're finding AP's or not, turn on the sound that most wardriving software can use, and just listen to the sounds.

Best of luck!

[argh]

* Slow down! Your WiFi card can't monitor every single frequency at the same time. It's scanning all the channels one at a time at a pretty good clip, but if you go too fast, you can miss an AP or two. This is why driving the same road a few times can find new AP's as well.

lastly: two cards. 5 channels/second X 2 = good results.

agreed, re-re-re-driving usually helps.

[NetBandit]

NOT NOT A THRU STREET

I've found that many streets are labeled as "No Outlet" or "Not a thru street" even though they are. I used to avoid non-thru streets, now I try to hit as many as possible, because they might be thru, and If they are going to LIE about their street being thru, they REALLY DESERVE to be throughly wardriven!!!

-NB

[ax0n]

NOT NOT A THRU STREET

I've found that many streets are labeled as "No Outlet" or "Not a thru street" even though they are. I used to avoid non-thru streets, now I try to hit as many as possible, because they might be thru, and If they are going to LIE about their street being thru, they REALLY DESERVE to be throughly wardriven!!!

-NB

I always take those. Sometimes they aren't thru streets or a brige IS out but you can still get through. Of course the opposite can hold true. I also drive cul-de-sacs as well.

[mikem80]

Have you noticed that upscale neighborhoods have "no outlet" Sings, where as lower income neighborhoods have "dead Ends"?

Hmmm

mikem80

[ax0n]

Out here, each of these 3 has a different meaning.

Dead End is used when there is one road that ends in a culdesac or goes down a bit then turns and ends.
Here's 2 streeds I wardrove that has dead end signs:
Linky

No Outlet is used when there is one entrance/exit to multiple roadways.
Just north of there, this little area says No Outlet.
Linky

Not a Thru street means that the road is not meant for "just passing through" traffic. The roads are made for people who live there, and it usually means it will be easier to get where you're going if you don't come in this way. Sometimes Not A Thru street does actually mean No Outlet around here, but almost 90% of the time, you can get out some other way. Around the corner from the above 2 examples, there's this gem, in which both Iowa and Monroe (north of 119th street) say "Not A Thru Street".
Linky

Just to the south of that block, this whole neighborhood is riddled with "Not A Thru Street" signs coming off the 4 main roads surrounding it:
Linky

In short, "Not A Thru" street and to a lesser extent, "No Outlet" at least out here, means "great for wardriving". I usually try to hit EVERYTHING in a block though, so I don't really watch these signs much. This is how these signs are used out here. YMMV elsewhere.

[mikem80]

yea, i ususally try to miss nothing. Currently I'm trying to put together some system of route tracking so i can ensure that i have missed nothing. Are you using anything that auto tracks your route? If so, help me out here, i'm as confused as a blind lesbian in a fish market

just a joke....didn't mean to belittle any blind lesbians.

anyway, for real. I have ms s&t and map point. but getting the data into these is tough. I don't want to just inport the ap files as there are areas where there is no ap's.

Mikem80

[ax0n]

I do a block at a time, I'm talking big blocks, out here main roads are pretty much exactly a mile apart. So I will map within that 1 mile block. I hit google maps or mapquest (google maps pwns me) and I use the track mode on my GPS to make sure that when I'm done with a vlock, it looks the same on the screen as the map I have printed. My yellow eTrex doesn't store roads, but wherever I've been it leaves a trail.

[mikem80]

i'm using an axim, car mount with attaqched gps. I was using a laptopand a serial garmin. I could have done it the way you are, but that was just too much stuff in the the cab of the work truck. The rig i'm using now is so much smaller.

I went for a test run using gpsgate and tracker this morning and it did well for the loop i live on. Then me and the wife went on a small expadition......tracker only showed the track that i did this morning. I'm sure it's something i didn't set up right, but alas, frason's site has little or no documentation.

here's a new kicker...just for laughs. I went yesterday and did an 8 hour drive of a community....very tedious stuff. I upladed my ns1 file and got credit for it. Today i pulled up the online map of that area.....4 or 5 ap's show. I ran digle, loaded the ns1 file, still oly 4 or 5 ap's. weird. Since the wife went with me, she's not happy that i can't map it.

mikem80

[ax0n]

I've had the same thing happen to me before. Get the points but can't find any of them on the map.

[uhtu]

the web maps lag reality by a bit. the clients (digle, jigle,etc) are always up to date (if you can hit the website)

can you give us an example of a MAC address in your file that didn't show up? that may indicate a problem with the site.

thanks!

[mikem80]

With me the problem is that neither the web nor digle(with web data or local ns1 file) show the APs. The file i uploaded was 30apr05.ns1. the upload stats show 265 new APs...go me but the maps don't show them.

The only thing i can figure is perhaps bad long ro lat data from the gps and they got mapped in zimbobwa or someplace.

Thanks for the intrest.

Griswald

[uhtu]

if you can provide a MAC address from that file, we can do a query and see
why its not showing up.