[MLB-WIRELESS] Question re Using Router as a wireless adaptor

[David Coles]

Hi Peter,

While you probably can use your router to connect to a wireless access
point (some routers have what's often called a client mode) it's not
really possible to run programs like NetStumbler through it. The issue
is that NetStumbler and the like require direct access to the wireless
card and it's drivers to be able to get the low level wireless packets
(which contain the friendly name/SSID and station features of nearby
access points) and make the wireless device "scan" over multiple
channels. When you connect your Laptop via an normal Ethernet connection
you loose almost all of this extra data which is quite vital if you want
to effectively scan nearby access points. The best you could probably do
would be to use a program like WireShark to packet sniff the Ethernet
data the comes out of the router, but again, this would require the
router to already be associated with the targeted access point and you'd
only catch the Ethernet level data.

One possible option if you're running OpenWRT or similar on the router
is to see if they have a 'site survey' feature in the web interface.
I've used this a couple of times on my Asus WL-HDD when trying to pick
up GHO from my living room. (I still can't believe that I even can pick
up GHO's packets with just the stock standard antenna - Sending is
another issue for later)

Cheers,
David

Peter Berrett wrote:
> Hi all
>
> I would be grateful if someone could answer a question I have. I am
> waiting for a wireless adaptor with sma plug to arrive from Hong Kong by
> post. I plan to hook up this to my cantenna and try and hook into the
> Melbourne Wireless network.
>
> In the meantime I wondered whether I could use my router as a wireless
> adaptor. I own a  TP-link wr642G which has a sma plug to hook the
> antenna into. Is it possible to use a router like the wr642g as a
> wireless adaptor? I mean if I plug my laptop into the router and then
> plug my cantenna into the sma plug via a pigtail can I run netstumbler
> and hunt for access points using the router as a kind of wireless adaptor?
>
> If so what settings do I need to imput or changes do I need to make in
> software (I am running Windows) to run netstumbler using my router? I
> have already tried without success but maybe there is a setting I have
> to change?
>
> cheers Peter
>
>
>
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