Uncovering the Best wardrive Alternatives for Enhanced Network Scanning
Wardrive, a wardriving app designed to store network scans in an SQLite database on an SD card and display them on a map, requires Google Maps and a valid GPS position to function. While it serves its purpose, users often seek more versatile, feature-rich, or platform-specific options. This article explores the top wardrive alternative solutions that offer similar functionalities and often much more, catering to diverse needs from basic network monitoring to advanced wardriving.
Top wardrive Alternatives
Whether you're a professional looking for in-depth network analysis or a casual user seeking to find open Wi-Fi networks, there's a wardrive alternative out there for you. Here's a curated list of excellent options that expand upon wardrive's core functionality or provide a specialized approach.
NetStumbler
NetStumbler is a classic Windows utility perfect for verifying wireless network signal strength and discovering interference. As a free, Windows-only platform, it provides essential network tools and networking features, making it a straightforward wardrive alternative for those on a PC.
wigle.net
WiGLE (Wireless Geographic Logging Engine) is a powerful, open-source, and free wardriving platform available on Linux, Web, Android, and iPad. It consolidates location and information of wireless networks worldwide into a central database, offering comprehensive wardriving features that significantly surpass wardrive's capabilities.
WeFi
WeFi is a free application for Mac, Windows, Windows Mobile, Android, and S60, designed to automatically find and connect to the best available Wi-Fi connections. With its network tools, networking features, and visual Wi-Fi map, WeFi offers a user-friendly and intelligent wardrive alternative for seamlessly finding working Wi-Fi.
WiFi Radar Pro
WiFi Radar Pro is a commercial Mac application focused on network monitoring. It allows users to monitor area networks, identify and troubleshoot issues, and gather useful information about their home, small office, or enterprise network, providing a more professional and in-depth alternative to wardrive for Mac users.
WiFiFoFum
WiFiFoFum is a popular free mobile Wi-Fi scanner and wardriving tool available for Windows Mobile and Android. It scans for 802.11 wireless (Wi-Fi) networks and displays detailed information about each detected network, making it a direct and effective wardrive alternative for mobile enthusiasts.
RottenWifi
Rotten WiFi is a free service available on Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone, and iPad, designed as a public Wi-Fi and 3G Watchdog. It helps users find the best public Wi-Fi places and avoid poor ones by measuring network quality. While not a direct wardriving tool in the same vein as wardrive, it serves as an excellent complement for finding reliable public networks.
G-MoN
G-MoN is a free Android-based wardriving scanner that collects and maps all received Wi-Fi access points. It also functions as a 2G/3G netmonitor and field test drive tool for radio planning engineers, making it a comprehensive and free wardrive alternative for Android users interested in detailed network analysis.
WiFinder
WiFinder is a commercial Mac application that simplifies finding free Wi-Fi networks. Utilizing advanced GPS technology, it scans and places all networks on a map, similar to wardrive. With its networking and wardriving features, WiFinder offers a polished and effective wardrive alternative for Mac users on the go.
The world of network scanning and wardriving is vast, with many tools offering unique strengths. Whether you prioritize open-source flexibility, advanced analytical capabilities, cross-platform compatibility, or simply ease of use, exploring these wardrive alternative options will help you find the perfect fit for your specific network exploration and monitoring needs.