In the early 00s there was a tiny moment before the widespread adoption of mobile broadband, after the adoption of home WiFi, and yet before the widespread use of encryption. For this brief time a unique practice arose called wardriving — where people would drive around, document, and use these open wireless networks.
Although the pursuit has diminished with the rise of mobile broadband and WPA encryption, there are still a few use cases for the types of hardware a wardriver would have used. [arduinocelentano] recently built a Wi-Fi strength monitor in this style but with a unique theme.
The Silly Space Invaders Dashboard (SSID) uses an ESP8266 to periodically scan for WiFi networks and makes a record of all of the ones it discovers. From there it takes a look at the signal strength that it receives and groups them into a few classes. For each class it assigns a Space Invaders-themed sprite corresponding to signal strength, with the strongest ranked at the top for quick and easy viewing. There’s even a special sprite to indicate that most illusive of beasts; the open WiFi network. By the way, if you’re wondering why these Invaders don’t look like the baddies from your youth, it’s because the company that owns the rights doesn’t like other people playing with their toys.
During the heyday of wardriving we could only have wished for hardware as powerful, capable, small, and power efficient as what’s in this project. Most of us that partook in the hobby at its peak generally had bulky laptops, possibly some lead-acid batteries, and perhaps one or more wonky antennas to boot. In a way it’s almost a shame that this hobby has largely diminished, although there are still a few out there poking around unsecured networks.
Really cool! I like the animation!
But I don’t get the open WiFi thing. What does that mean? Using unprotected WiFis of strangers?
If so, who in his/her right mind would ever use another person’s WiFi without permission?
The WiFi operator could get into trouble if I was browsing weird websites or download bad stuff.
It wouldn’t feel right to me to do this. A very kind person’s life could be ruined that way.
Oh bless your heart.
Never underestimate the cruelty of strangers or the insatiable thirst for high-speed internet access that costs nothing to access.
I was there 3000 years ago. I remember.
When only the rich 1-percent few had “broadband” and plebs like us had slow dial-up or even NO access at all (in the home). That rich neighbour on the hill that not only had fast internet, but also wireless devices that required WiFi; represented an impossible-to-resist source of connection.
I was there in the early 2000s, too.
With a Palm PC and a WiFi CF adapter.
It was the dark age of the then-new WEP encryption.
And you know what? I made sure that the Palm PC didn’t automatically connect to the nearest unencrypted WLAN network.
It was important to me not to use others or cause them problems of any kind.
Dear Joshua,
regarding your question: “who in his/her right mind would ever use another person’s WiFi without permission?”
A normal answer could be : people without bad intentions but in desperate need of a connection.
Your suggestion seems a bit disturbing and makes me wonder about your internet behavior of which you don’t seem to be unaware of. I advise you seek help.
I guess what you really meant to say is: “who in his/her right mind would ever setup an unprotected WiFi”. But as a possible visitor of “open wifi”, you should not look at an open connection to use it to do bad stuff, you should look at an open connection as a possible trap that will do bad things you and your data.
Ahhh, Joshua may lives in a country like Germany, where there were real examples what he said. But anywhere else, well, nope?
I don’t get it, where are the manners or the sense for right/wrong?
I would never dare to walk in a stranger’s house, just because the door is wide open.
Not without being invited by the guy or family who’s living there.
If no one’s there, but I need to make an urgent phone call/need something etc. I would ring the bell first or say “hello? ecxuse me?”.
If there’s no response, I would try to wait as much as I can endure or try another house, ring the bell again.
Dear Jan, but you forget about those people who have good intentions according to their own norms and values, which could easily be understood as bad intentions by people with different norms and values.
Are these people considered to have bad intentions just because they have different norms and values?
Basically they are good people, likely even great people! Just that they are a bad fit in the particular group of people they are living in.
Are ‘being a bad fit’, or ‘failure to fully understand the norms and values of the group you live in’ grounds for punishment or abolishment?
Why would I get into trouble if you committed a crime?
Because it’s “your” IP adresse and you’re responsible for it?
The “guest” user must be proven first, to the ISP it’s as if the user of the internet access was involved in the activity.
Well, no. It would cause an investigation to be opened into who committed the crime.
Anything else would be lazy policing (which, I know, is all we have these days).
Not in the case of a copyright infringement claim where ‘guilt’ is often assumed, particularly in the US, and the accused has to prove their ‘innocence’.
Noch nie vom Freifunk gehört?
https://freifunk.net/worum-geht-es/haufige-fragen/
The laws have changed in Germany. There was a time when the operator of a freely accessible network would be held responsible for any data accessed from the operator’s equipment.
That is no longer the case. Hasn’t been for a pretty good while.
Hi, good point. Me and other people usually disable free WiFi hotspots in their router menu here in Germany, btw.
Because it’s the duty of the ISP to provide internet access to public, not mine/ours to provide infrastructure.
They should provide invest in their own WiFi towers or team up with city administration to provide free WiFi.
Personally, though, to me it’s not so much about law and liability,
it’s about mutual respect, about manners, faith in civilized behavior.
The guys in 2000 with their unencrypted WiFis, did they invite random guests on purpose?
Or was the WiFi left open by “accident” due to lack of knowledge about new technology?
I don’t know – and that’s why I assume “no” until told otherwise.
Simply because exploiting people behind their back isn’t fair. IMHO.
It hurts trust between fellow citizens and in no time we have overseas conditions here.
Hi,
i would if the SSID suggests an access point as public service, like the citi Wifi in my home town or Wifi4EU in several towns in Europe.
The fact that Wardriving has its own Wikipedia page suggests many people might think differently than you.
What the wikifiddlers ‘think’ is irrelevant. Accessing a computer, communications network, etc. without permission is an offence in most places. And no, the ‘implied permission’ defence won’t work.
The fact that crime exists suggests many people might think differently than you.
It was a different time then, at least around here. Offering free and open wifi to the neighbourhood was considered a good, charitable thing. Often it was a ‘free as in beer’, but just as often ‘gratis’.
I operated an open wifi at my housing complex at the time partly because I could, but also partly for the notion of plausible deniability: “No, Sir, it wasn’t me. It must have been someone else using the wifi.” Also for the fun of seeing who was connecting.
It’s amazing how short that historical window was. No-one in their right mind would offer open, public wifi now. And no sane person would connect to one (though I acknowledge that many folks don’t qualify).
Tales from a high-trust society, wish my kids could’ve seen it