Wireless Scanning in Linux

[Mord]

People that use linux like to do their wireless network scanning passively by putting the card in "monitor" mode (aka rfmon). The problem is, especially with many wireless G cards, is that they can't be put into "monitor" for two reasons: 1) The card just doesn't support it, 2) The card might support it, but the vendor ain't talkin (ahem...Broadcom chips...). These kinds of cards typically require ndiswrapper to work, a software wrapper that uses the windows driver. The purpose of ndiswrapper is to simply get these G cards working, and not to support advanced functionality like monitor mode, if it even exists. I've also read in the netstumbler forums that "Windows drivers don't do rfmon".

On the Windows side you've got Netstumbler. The difference here is that rather than sitting back, having a smoke and listening, Netstumbler says "No yuo" to the card and tells it to start actively looking on every channel for traffic. I could be wrong, but I don't believe that the card needs to be put in monitor mode for this, since its simply shouting out on every channel.

I have a WPC54G pcmcia which works great under ndiswrapper, but no wireless network scanning love with Kismet and Airsnort (I have to use my old WPC11 wireless B card). I'm wondering if there's a linux software package that doesn't absolutely require the network card to be in monitor (rfmon) mode to scan. A Netstumbler for linux?

[jtkleeme]

hmm. I still don't know if I like those things at all. Sounds like a good way for the FBI or NSA to snoop on me. Not that I'm doing anything all that interesting but it is just a matter of principle. Not that they can't already but well it just seems like a good way to scream out my private business. I still like wires.

--Jeff--