Chapter 3: Operating NetStumbler and MiniStumbler

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Introduction: “Welcome to the Real World.”

The character Morpheus from the movie, The Matrix, is quoted here for good reason. What we have discussed about NetStumbler thus far is good, but it has really been little more than theory. Now, we are about to put the theory into practice. As always, real life tends to be more complicated and has more “gotchas” than pure theory. From this point on, we’ll be talking about the steps to actually implement WarDriving using NetStumbler. Like Neo, to whom Morpheus was speaking, you are about to find out that some things are probably not quite what you expected.

We first need to discuss some of the options and operating details that were touched upon in Chapter 2. In this chapter, we’ll talk about many of the options, buttons, and details that will help you get the best out of your WarDriving experience using NetStumbler.

Second, many users have an expectation that they can immediately use NetStumbler or MiniStumbler with little more than a laptop or handheld PC and a wireless network card. This is certainly how most people start, at least for the first use. However, to obtain the best possible results, most users quickly find that they need (and want) extra equipment.

Most of the information in this chapter will cover both NetStumbler and MiniStumbler. Their differences will be noted, as will how they apply to each application.

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