Stumbling

Lunsfordium wrote:what about the:

cla mac cart

and the

other one near mr gruss's room

do you know the passwords to them?

Unchained wrote:Thats war walking... also didn't I already cover this in my "Clark" post?

Net stumbling is has recently become a popular passtime for computer hobbyists. In its simplest form, stumbling is the discovery of wireless network access points using a mobile computer, such as a laptop or handheld device. While it's possible to manually discover such access points using the basic network connectivity software supplied with your hardware, there are other tools which make the job much easier and more interesting. These include:

Stumbling software which automatically scans for and logs access points, along with their signal strength, MAC address, channel, encryption method, etc. (such as Netstumbler and its Discussion Forum)
GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) receivers which let you record the latitude and longitude of each access point as well. More recent models use higher-sensitivity chipsets which can even work indoors, which helps in such places as shopping malls
Mapping software which lets you graphically visualize your stumbling route showing you locations of the access points you've found, both live and later in post-processing (such as overlaying your finds onto Google Earth)
Scripting sofware which can tie all of these together and display a live map of your current location, a breadcrumb trail of where you've been, markers for the access points you've discovered (along with their encryption status), and even announce the SSID name of hits and their status using text-to-speech synthesis through your laptop speakers or headphones
External antennas for your network card, both uni- and omni-directional, which allow fainter and more distant access points to be received, especially when driving in a car or bus
External GPS antennas, which increase location accuracy and sensitivity in fringe areas such as between tall buildings, wooded areas, indoors, etc.
AC power inverters which let you run your laptop and GPS receiver from the automobile's power system rather than battery packs, allowing longer trips
Online databases also exist where one may upload stumbling data and browse/search those of others (wigle.net, wifimaps.com), along with forums to chat with other stumblers about their finds, techniques, equipment, etc.
There are several variations known as war driving (done in an automobile), war walking (done on foot) and even war pedalling (done on bicycle) and war bussing (done on public transit). I prefer the more generic term stumbling, since it implies accidental discovery more than the term war, which has particularly negative connotations these days.