NetStumbler

NetStumbler (also known as Network Stumbler) is a free/”beggarware” tool for Windows that can detect WiFi/Wireless LANs using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g WLAN standards.

The current version is 0.4.0 and was released on April 21, 2004 and doesn’t officially work on Windows Vista (or 64-bit Windows XP).

Luckily, the “netsh” command can be used to discover access points using the format below.

netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid

If you want graphical versions, check out two NetStumbler alternatives for Windows Vista below.

Vistumbler

Vistumbler - is an AutoIt script that uses the netsh to get wireless information.

Inssider

Inssider - Uses the Native WiFi API to get wireless information.

NetStumbler and Windows Vista

Below is a quote from the Netstumbler forum about NetStumbler and Vista.

Microsoft’s latest Operating System, Vista, is NOT one of the OSs that NetStumbler works under. The supported OSs are Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

NetStumbler that if might or might not function under Vista, but either way the OS is unsupported. An unsupported OS means the information it renders is suspect, and that it may do all sorts of odd things including die suddenly without warning.

Do NOT start another thread asking about it, these threads will be closed. Don’t even think about starting another thread whining about it. Whining threads will just be thrown in the trash. Really stupid whining threads will be made available for public ridicule.

The members of these forums have seen this same issue previously when WinXP was first released. There were all manner of problems in getting prior versions of NetStumbler to run under XP (which had been designed for Win9x and Win2000). An ENORMOUS amount of bandwidth and forum server space was consumed in dealing with the anguished screams and sobbing of the early adopters of XP who were reduced to mindless masses of bruised and blubbering flesh by the experience. Before the current version of NetStumbler was released, it all boiled one thing in the end: There was no way to accurately predict what combinations of the new OS and cards might or might not work.

The same thing applies to Vista.

When and if when the author of the program releases a new version of NetStumbler is up to him. At the time that he does, the new NS may support Vista. In the meantime suck it up. That’s what you get for being on the the bleeding edge.

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Filed under: WLAN Tools