[OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

[Sorry for this off-topic post, but this is the only group (to which I
am subscribed) which is somewhat related, and I trust the judgement of
this audience more than my ability [1] to spot which freeware is safe
and which might contain adware, spyware, etc..]

Can anyone point to a freeware utility for Windows XP which shows on
which channels the available wireless networks are transmitting?

The normal supplied software shows which "Available Wireless Networks"
there are (right-click on the connection icon in the Taskbar and select
"Available Wireless Networks"). It lists the SSIDs, Signal Strength and
whether or not they are "Security-enabled", but does not say on which
channels they are operating. I'm looking for a utility which does list
the channels.

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

In case you're interested, this is why I need it:

Recently one of our (private) wireless laptops started to give
problems, even while the Signal Strength was at maximum ("Excellent").
While walking around with the laptop, it worked when 'pointed' at the
wireless router and stopped working when not. The list of "Available
Wireless Networks" showed an extra network which was apparently
installed recently and which probably 'caused' the problem. After some
research (mainly in Wikipedia) I changed my channel from 7 to 1 (I'm in
Europe, i.e. channels 1 through 13). Now things are working again.
However I'd rather make an informed decision on which channel to use
than by trial and error. For that I need to know which channels the
other wireless networks use. Hence my request.
network had been installed somewhere close by.

[1] I Googled for this, but found so many utilities and download sites,
that I couldn't see the forest for the trees. Because I normally only
download stuff which is pointed to by people who I trust, I also could
not judge whether the sites/utilities could be trusted or not. I.e. I
just have no experience hunting for software.

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

In article <45b4e5d9$0$21580$dbd41001@news.wanadoo.nl>,
Frank Slootweg wrote:
>[Sorry for this off-topic post, but this is the only group (to which I
>am subscribed) which is somewhat related, and I trust the judgement of
>this audience more than my ability [1] to spot which freeware is safe
>and which might contain adware, spyware, etc..]
>
> Can anyone point to a freeware utility for Windows XP which shows on
>which channels the available wireless networks are transmitting?
>


Netstumbler (google it)

It's a bit picky about which radio chipsets it supports,
but it's worked on Proxim and Dell SiFI cards for me.

WiFI card manufacturers have been known to change
chipsets without chaning model numbers. it's a PITA.



> The normal supplied software shows which "Available Wireless Networks"
>there are (right-click on the connection icon in the Taskbar and select
>"Available Wireless Networks"). It lists the SSIDs, Signal Strength and
>whether or not they are "Security-enabled", but does not say on which
>channels they are operating. I'm looking for a utility which does list
>the channels.
>
> Thanks in advance for any and all responses.
>
> In case you're interested, this is why I need it:
>
> Recently one of our (private) wireless laptops started to give
>problems, even while the Signal Strength was at maximum ("Excellent").
>While walking around with the laptop, it worked when 'pointed' at the
>wireless router and stopped working when not. The list of "Available
>Wireless Networks" showed an extra network which was apparently
>installed recently and which probably 'caused' the problem. After some
>research (mainly in Wikipedia) I changed my channel from 7 to 1 (I'm in
>Europe, i.e. channels 1 through 13). Now things are working again.
>However I'd rather make an informed decision on which channel to use
>than by trial and error. For that I need to know which channels the
>other wireless networks use. Hence my request.
>network had been installed somewhere close by.
>
>[1] I Googled for this, but found so many utilities and download sites,
>that I couldn't see the forest for the trees. Because I normally only
>download stuff which is pointed to by people who I trust, I also could
>not judge whether the sites/utilities could be trusted or not. I.e. I
>just have no experience hunting for software.


--
a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m
Harrison for Congress in NY 13CD www.harrison06.com
Don't blame me. I voted for Gore. A Proud signature since 2001

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Frank Slootweg writes:

> Can anyone point to a freeware utility for Windows XP which shows on
> which channels the available wireless networks are transmitting?

Try cain from oxid.it It includes a wireless sniffer that'll tell
you the channel among other goodies.

> [1] I Googled for this, but found so many utilities and download sites,
> that I couldn't see the forest for the trees.

Yup. This is why I roll my eyes at folks who respond to software
requests in newsgroups with "google it."

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Frank Slootweg writes:

>[Sorry for this off-topic post, but this is the only group (to which I
>am subscribed) which is somewhat related, and I trust the judgement of
>this audience more than my ability [1] to spot which freeware is safe
>and which might contain adware, spyware, etc..]

> Can anyone point to a freeware utility for Windows XP which shows on
>which channels the available wireless networks are transmitting?

If you are in Europe, you can probably find someone with a Linux system
installed on a laptop. the iwlist s command in Linux will show not only all
networks but also which channels they are on.
(Assuming you have not set the essid in iwconfig)

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Al Dykes wrote:
> In article <45b4e5d9$0$21580$dbd41001@news.wanadoo.nl>,
> Frank Slootweg wrote:
>> [Sorry for this off-topic post, but this is the only group (to which I
>> am subscribed) which is somewhat related, and I trust the judgement of
>> this audience more than my ability [1] to spot which freeware is safe
>> and which might contain adware, spyware, etc..]
>>
>> Can anyone point to a freeware utility for Windows XP which shows on
>> which channels the available wireless networks are transmitting?
>>
>
>
> Netstumbler (google it)
>
is my choice too,
or (not free I think)

http://www.eeye.com/html/resources/downloads/wifi/index.html


but just to see the channel and ssid, any decent wireless-nic-driver shows them if you go "browse available networks"
or whatever they call it.
at least belkin, netgear and d-link I can think of.

M

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Unruh wrote:

> If you are in Europe, you can probably find someone with a Linux system
> installed on a laptop.
just out of curiosity: people on other continents don't install linux on laptops?
M

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

mak wrote:
> > If you are in Europe, you can probably find someone with a Linux system
> > installed on a laptop.
> just out of curiosity: people on other continents don't install linux on laptops?

Can you spell "b u l l s h i t"? ;-)

Yours,
VB.
--
"Pornography is an abstract phenomenon. It cannot exist without a medium
to propagate it, and it has very little (if anything at all) to do with sex."
Tina Lorenz

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

mak writes:

>Unruh wrote:

>> If you are in Europe, you can probably find someone with a Linux system
>> installed on a laptop.
>just out of curiosity: people on other continents don't install linux on laptops?

They tend to be more popular amongst the populace in Europe than in the USA
I believe. The chances of his having Linux on his laptop in the USA is
small. But yes, if you can find someone that uses Linux in other continents it would also work.

>M

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Unruh wrote:
> mak writes:
>
>> Unruh wrote:
>
>>> If you are in Europe, you can probably find someone with a Linux system
>>> installed on a laptop.
>> just out of curiosity: people on other continents don't install linux on laptops?
>
> They tend to be more popular amongst the populace in Europe than in the USA
> I believe. The chances of his having Linux on his laptop in the USA is
> small.

Things aren't that good here in Europe either. Lenovo offered for a
brief time pre-installed Linux in ThinkPads, but they dropped it,
because the customers didn't ask for it. If you see Linux in a laptop,
it's a recirculated machine run by a geek, not a corporate tool.

-- Lassi

Re: Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

> Can anyone point to a freeware utility for Windows XP which shows on
> which channels the available wireless networks are transmitting?

i use netstumbler
also try updating the wifi software for your laptop; i updated the
broadcom software for my Dell laptop and the new interface was as good
as netstumber.

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Todd H. wrote:
> Frank Slootweg writes:
>
> > Can anyone point to a freeware utility for Windows XP which shows on
> > which channels the available wireless networks are transmitting?
>
> Try cain from oxid.it It includes a wireless sniffer that'll tell
> you the channel among other goodies.

Just some feedback (to you and the others):

This has been an interesting and somewhat funny/sad experience:

- Because I value your opinion, I started with Cain, but my AV software
(avast!) qualified it as "malware" and I wimped out. "malware" is of
course a relative term, and considering the power of some of the other
functions of Cain - such as password cracking - I think the
qualification "malware" is not unreasonable, at least not for the
intended audience (of avast!) I.e. better safe than sorry.
Also because Cain offered way too much functionality which I didn't
need, I continued my search.

- "mak" pointed to Retina [1]. The company - eEye Digital Security -
seems legit and Retina is advertized as "Free". But when you try to
download it, you have to register and you can only (legitemately)
register if you are a (active) professional, which I no longer am.
Of course I could have put faked information in the registration form,
but that's not my way.

- Al Dykes (and others) mentioned Netstumbler [2], which I downloaded,
installed and used. I had some initial configuration quirk [3], but
other than that, Netstumbler does what I need and not too much more,
which is a good thing.

In closing one more point:

> > [1] I Googled for this, but found so many utilities and download sites,
> > that I couldn't see the forest for the trees.
>
> Yup. This is why I roll my eyes at folks who respond to software
> requests in newsgroups with "google it."

If that (also) refers to Al Dykes' response, then please note that
the required 'search' is rather obvious (a Google "I'm Feeling Lucky"
search on "Netstumbler" is sufficient), or - even simpler - just add
"www." and ".com".

My thanks to you all for your help.

[1]

[2]

[3] Netstumbler wanted to do some auto configuration stuff in order to
be able to see the other wireless networks. For that it said I had to
eject my network card or remove it or reboot the system and then click
OK. The first two are a tad hard for an intergrated WiFi adapter, and
the third is impossible. :-)

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Frank Slootweg writes:

> Todd H. wrote:
> > Frank Slootweg writes:
> >
> > > Can anyone point to a freeware utility for Windows XP which shows on
> > > which channels the available wireless networks are transmitting?
> >
> > Try cain from oxid.it It includes a wireless sniffer that'll tell
> > you the channel among other goodies.
>
> Just some feedback (to you and the others):
>
> This has been an interesting and somewhat funny/sad experience:
>
> - Because I value your opinion, I started with Cain, but my AV software
> (avast!) qualified it as "malware" and I wimped out.

Hee hee. Thanks for the followup. Yeah, netstumbler is a tighter fit
for your needs. I was aware of it, but biased against it because the
last time I used it it didn't support my atheros based card at the
time, and I never revisited it much after that since I went to linux
for most of the wireless work, and had cain on my windows box already
anyway....

At any rate, glad you go where you wanted to go!

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

Re: [OT] Free XP WiFi utility which shows channel numbers of networks?

Sebastian Gottschalk wrote:
> Frank Slootweg wrote:
>
> > - Because I value your opinion, I started with Cain, but my AV software
> > (avast!) qualified it as "malware" and I wimped out.
>
> Can you read the description more clearly? It says "riskware". And normally
> you should even be able to deactivate scanning for riskware.

No, it said "malware". That is why I said what I said. IIRC, it said
something like "(general)" before or after "malware". I use the (4.7)
Home Edition of avast!. Perhaps you are talking/thinking about another
edition.

> > "malware" is of course a relative term, and considering the power
> > of some of the other functions of Cain - such as password cracking
> > - I think the qualification "malware" is not unreasonable, at
> > least not for the intended audience (of avast!)
>
> Wrong. Riskware, as defined by the vendors, is software with
> security-relevant functions that is sometimes shipped with and abused by
> real malware, but on itself is legitimate software.
>
> So not just the reason for detecting it is already pretty vague (because
> normally such software is intentionally used by the user), it's also
> usually associated with a political agenda of the vendor. Par example,
> McAfee VirusScan doesn't report McAfee's very own port scanner, but it
> reports the free port scanner Nmap. I rest my case.
>
> > I.e. better safe than sorry.
>
> Not reading the message rather implies that you're hardly able to
> competently utilize the tool "virus scanner" that you're running. You
> should consider either learning how to use it, or simple remove it.

Please don't assume and certainly don't patronize. It said what I said
it said. Period.

> > If that (also) refers to Al Dykes' response, then please note that
> > the required 'search' is rather obvious (a Google "I'm Feeling Lucky"
> > search on "Netstumbler" is sufficient), or - even simpler - just add
> > "www." and ".com".
>
> Aren't these both automatisms invoked by modern webbrowsern when simply
> entering the term in the address bar? At least Mozilla/Firefox and Opera do
> so - trying to resolve it, trying to add various pre- and suffixes, and if
> nothing comes up, searching on the search engine of your preference.

Quite possible, but I'm not sufficiently clueless to do things that
way.

> > [3] Netstumbler wanted to do some auto configuration stuff in order to
> > be able to see the other wireless networks. For that it said I had to
> > eject my network card or remove it or reboot the system and then click
> > OK. The first two are a tad hard for an intergrated WiFi adapter, and
> > the third is impossible. :-)
>
> Seems like the driver of your WiFi card has strange locking issue with the
> WizSvc service of Windows (which being shut down is the only think
> Netstumbler does).

This problem only occured during the *initial* run of the program.
After I did what it (more or less) asked - reboot *without* exiting from
Netstumbler -, it worked without problems. From the messages I got the
impression that this was a quite normal event with a standard resolution
(i.e. do what it says). The only problem was that it was *impossible* to
*exactly* do what it says (i.e. reboot and *then* click OK).

I looked around in the menus/options if I could re-create the problem/
messages, but I didn't find anything obvious and could not be bothered
to remove and re-install Netstumbler just to (try to) get the exact
messages again.