Free Web Based WiFi Stumbler at WLAN Book.com

March 14th, 2010

Free Web Based WiFi Stumbler

by Zaib Kaleem

Free Web Based WiFi Stumbler

Some how I missed the release of this free web based WiFi Stumbler from Meraki. A very clean and well implemented scanner using Java that works on Macs and PCs.

SSID-Channel distribution graph – This graph shows how many visible SSIDs are being broadcast in each channel of the 2.4Ghz and 5GHz wireless spectrums. This information can help you plan your channel selection to utilize channels that are most clear of interference.
Search field – Search for open networks, specific manufacturers of access points, a particular SSID or MAC address or any other string in the scan results using this field. You can also use standard Google search syntax. Click on “Advanced search” to expose a variety of filters to easily customize your displayed results.
Network list – This section lists useful information about the wireless networks that are visible to WiFi Stumbler. You can sort the list by any column by clicking on the header for that column.

Description of information presented in each column in the Network list:
SSID – Name of SSID. Hidden SSIDs will appear as blank (all other columns will be filled in)
MAC Address (BSSID) – Hardware address of access point
Radio Type – Wireless protocol of network (802.11b/g, 802.11a or 802.11n)
Channel – Wireless channel that the network is operating on
Signal Strength (dB) – Signal level of network in RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication). Since RSSI outputs from different client cards can vary, these signals are best used as a relative measure of signal strength when comparing networks
Manufacturer – Name of manufacturer of access point
Security – Wireless security protocol in use (or Open if none)
Last Seen – Last time a response or beacon from this network was received

Great Time To Be In WiFi Industry

It is great to see vendors and WLAN professionals releasing so many useful tools and sharing information for building, securing, and managing wireless/WiFi networks.

Try it out here.

Seeing this tool inspires me to add more visualization to our web based based wireless access point rogue scanner.

I’ll have to update my list of Netstumbler alternatives and add this great tool.