I have an ancient Win 98 notebook that works just fine with a USB wireless
adapter, but Netstumbler says the device is unsupported.

The USB wireless adapter works OK with Netstumbler on a Windows 2000 or XP
PC.

So is there any other wireless scanning software to try ?

Stuart.

Stuart Robinson <Stuartr@nospam.please> wrote:
It lacks the GPS mapping of Netstumbler, but the free Boingo software works
with most devices.  http://www.Boingo.com

Stuart Robinson wrote:
Your choices really are:
1)  Replace the USB adapter with a supported adapter.  Read the
Netstumbler release notes for a list of the well-supported NICs.  I use
an IBM-branded ORiNOCO Gold card that I got for US$25 on eBay.
2)  Boot a live Linux distro CD and see if you can use Kismet that way.
   I'm not sure off the top of my head which CD distros, if any, have
Kismet, and you still have to have a compatible NIC:
http://www.kismetwireless.net

good luck,
Jonathan

Well the problem is not that the adapter is not supported but that
something in Windows 98 and/or the notebooks hardware is not.

I eventually got the Win98 replaced with Win98SE (a problem since the
notebooks CD is broken) and the problem with Netstumbler is the same, it
does not recognise the device.

Boingo just crashes on startup, so I dont know if that would see the
adapter.

I did get Windows 2000 working on the notebook and Netstumbler then
recognises the USB wireless adapter, which is why I think there is some
driver issue with the notebook under Win98. I would be happy to use Win2K
on it, even though its a bit slow, but unfortunately the sound card
microphone does not work under Win2k (no updated drivers are available
either) so I cant use the softphone VOIP.

Might give Linux a try, although without a CD working it might not be too
easy.

Thanks for the help guys.

Stuart.

Stuart Robinson wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteHave you even considering something like PAYING FOR REAL SOFTWARE (works a
whole lot better than the free netstumbler), rather than trying to be cheap
and use something free (that doesn't work?)... I sort of wonder how much it
will cost you to change operating systems rather than just splurge and spend
under $30 for software that works way better than the free stuff, and will
work with your card.

You can even get it free for 30 days to try it out.. The one I use is Winc
at www.cirond.com

Peter Pan wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteHaHaHa why not run a dual boot with linux and see great free software
really is .

But Netstumbler does now work with my USB wireless adapter, it may not
work properly under Win98 but it was worth the time, effort and expense to
switch to Win2k to get it working. 

As for the 'REAL SOFTWARE' you mention, it did not work under Win98 either
and neither does it do some things as well as Netstumbler does.

I was doing a site survey today, checking signal strengths around a
building, if there is a better tool than Netstumbler for this, which is it
?

Stuart.

Stuart Robinson <Stuartr@nospam.please> wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteHow much better?  netstumbler has all the elements needed except one
and thats a throughput histogram.. the strongest signal is not always
the best one in each case.


Show quoteHide quote

Luddite wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteNetstumbler only works with certain cards/devices.. The newer ones work with
windows, and whatever device is installed, rather than depening on the
drivers for that specific device being available in netstumbler..

If it doesn't work with the card/device you have, there will be a lot more
that doesn't work than just a histogram!...

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 18:43:01 -0800, "Peter Pan"
<PeterPanNOSPAM@AkamailNOSPAM.com> wrote:

Yes, there are some combinations of Windoze operating system where
Netstumbler does not work with a particular card.  In general, any
NDIS 5.1 driver with Windoze XP or 2000 will work with Netstumbler
0.4.0.  That includes USB, PCMCIA, PcCard, and MiniPCI card.  That
covers about 90% of the available cards for XP and 2000.
  http://www.netstumbler.org/showthread.php?t=10798

Windoze 98SE and ME are a problem.  0.4.0 doesn't work.  However,
0.3.30 works just fine with a limited set of chipsets.
  http://www.netstumbler.org/showthread.php?t=2875  (old)

The current version of Netstumbler works with all (?) wireless devices
under WinXP when using NDIS. The only (?) thing that may not work is
the Noise Level display.

Kind regards

Hmmm...
I have tried Winc, and was disappointed.
- it does *not* do what Netstumbler does
- it does *not* operate correctly with multiple APs with the same
SSID
- it does *not* correctly report signal strength for multiple APs
with the same SSID [acknowledged as a problem by Cirond]

But changing operating systems is a good idea...

Kind regards

Richard Perkin wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteSorry to hear that you had a problem.. I sure don't.. Is that the current
one, or the one that is on the pcnet website that is a few versions older?

Show quote Hide quote Downloaded 25-Feb-05 from the Cirond site.
The trial period is over so I can't readily check the version, but
from the install file it looks like 2.1.1477

It does still run, and as I type this it is showing 2 APs on channels
1 and 6 with signal strength 86% and 26% respectively.

Netstumbler shows them with RSSI 86 and 84. The manufacturer's
utility shows them with the same %.

I reported this to Cirond and got a reply acknowledging the problem,
but I don't have the email to hand at the moment.

I was looking for a vendor independent tool which would allow me to
select between multiple available APs. I'm currently running 3 APs
here in an Extended Service Set (ESS), that is, each AP with the same
SSID, and at other locations with up to 5 APs.

My experience with Winc (apart from the signal strength error) was
that it did not handle this well, and would only allow connection to
the AP with the strongest signal, whichever AP I explicitly selected.

If I remember correctly, I also had problems not only with setting
with WEP keys (I'm using WDS so can't use WPA-PSK) and also with the
key length (I have assorted kit with TI wireless chipsets which
support 256-bit keys).

I also didn't like the user interface, but that's probably a personal
thing.

All in all, I wasn't very happy with it. It seemed to do the simple
things OK, but anything a little more complex just didn't seem to be
catered for.

What is your experience with Winc or other utility in an ESS? Does it
work for you?

Kind regards

On 30 Mar 2005 04:20:35 GMT, Richard Perkin <f000nur***@hotmail.com>
wrote:

If you need some entertainment value, try setting up an ad-hoc
network, using the same SSID as your infrastructure network.  Not one
of the client utilities that I've tried can distinguish between them.
Worse, most of the client utilities I've tried seem to prefer to
connect to the ad-hoc network over the infrastructure network.  I'll
be happy to find a client utility that lets me select a connection by
MAC address and offer to ignore the SSID.

Disclaimer:  I are not a programmist.

Richard Perkin wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteI used to use Winc on my laptop, but started using the MiniWinc on my PDA
(HP iPAQ w/WiFi) and have it velcroed to the dash of my car, so I can see
the screen while driving around. Living in Las Vegas, there are an
incredible number of AP's to connect to, and I like being able to connect.
The largest multiple Ap I ran across was at McCarren Airport (huge area with
free hotspot and HS Internet, all the same SSID and multiple channels). At
home I have two AP's, same SSID but different channels (One Dlink one
Linksys). Put em in my preferred list, so I could click on one or the other.
Never tried it with more than two, but don't see why it wouldn't work.
I work at a computer store, and get all sort of new things to try. The
Netstumber almost never worked with new stuff, but the winc/miniwinc always
worked from whatever I had installed in windows.
Just jogged my memory, that as far as I know, there isn't a Linux version of
Netstumbler. Seemed sort of silly to go from win2000 to linux to get
netstumbler to work, when there isn't one for linux.

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 21:14:38 -0800, "Peter Pan"
<PeterPanNOSPAM@AkamailNOSPAM.com> wrote:

No need for a Linux Netstumbler.  Linux has Kismet.
  http://www.kismetwireless.net

The list of card driver are at:
  http://www.kismetwireless.net/links.shtml

See item #9 in the README:
  http://www.kismetwireless.net/documentation.shtml
for a list of available information.

Just found the email dated 28-Feb-05 from Cirond Tech Support. Here's
two direct quotes:

"By definition, an ESS means all APs should share the same settings
(SSID and WEP). So, it's up to the driver to decide which AP to
connect, either based on better signal or first found"

"Signal strengths reported by Winc didn't get a manipulation like
other tools did. Since the manipulation caused more problem than
help. I'd guess  your D-Link DWL-G520+ would report right RSSI
readings."

So (apart from getting the card I was using wrong!), what Cirond seem
to be saying is:
- you can't explicitly select the AP - the very thing I wanted to do
- when reporting signal strength, the manufacturer's utility is
correct and Winc is wrong.

Pretty damning if you ask me. As I said, it seems to do the simple
things OK.

I want to explicitly select by BSSID, which in an infrastructure
network = MAC address. Jeff Leiberman said the same in another post.

If after my initial selection the driver decides it wants to re-
associate to a different AP using criteria in its roaming algorithm,
so be it. But it's important to me for a number of reasons to be able
to force the connection.

I can do this with the manufacturer's utility, but not with WZC under
WinXP, and *not* with Winc.

Anyone know anything else out there which will do this?

Kind regards

Yes, I noticed similar problems too, for one access point it still
reported a non-exsistant signal at 26% when I was several miles away.

Stuart.

Show quote Hide quote I have the same problem as you, I can use Belkins own utility but its
doesn't update as often as Netstumbler or give as much information.
Netstumbler supports my Belkin on XP and 2K but  not 98ME, so I am thinking
about dualboot 2K or Linux,or another hardisc with 2K on it!!  though, as
you are finding, not all 11g wireless cards are compatable!
IIRC reading thru the netstumbler site if you want 98 to work you need a
wireless card with a prism chipset. (of course not the card I have!) and not
all wireless cards work with linux ..... Oh well back to the drawing board.

Des

Stuart Robinson <Stuartr@nospam.please> wrote:
Oops.  Hadn't heard that before, but there's not much Win98 WiFi.

Cisco Softphone?  USB headset instead?  My Dell microphone doesn't offer
good enough quality.  Plantronics USB DSP-300 is very good.
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/2898214

The Notebook in question only has a single USB port, and that port is in
use for the wireless adapter. I could of course use a PCMCIA wireless
card, but its kind of hard to get one of those in the middle of a
parabolic reflector.

The sound problem was fixed when I updated the DirectX.




Stuart.

Stuart Robinson <Stuartr@nospam.please> wrote:
I use a tiny USB hub on the single port of my laptop.
http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GUH174

The Cisco Softphone seems to stay right at 10KBpS, so that's not much of a
burden on the USB port.  My USB WiFi is only 802.11b, so that can be near
the max for USB 1.1, but if I'm working on the internet, my connection to
the internet is the slow link.

Thanks for the link, could be a possibility.

I have ordered a another more modern jack plug type headphone set, just to
see if my old one is a bit past its best.



Stuart.

D Link wireless security setup?
high powered marauder in area
WinXP SP2 "pick strongest signal"?
Vacuum Cleaner Interferences?
Is it possible to lock speed for a wireless connection?
Help! -- how can i use a remote desktop with win xp home edition
Does D-Link DI624 router have a lot of issues?
Need directional wireless antennae
Linksys Wireless
Voyager 205 HELP How to open ports