Installing and using Kismet

If you believe your destiny is to discover wireless networks, then Kismet is
for you. Kismet is freeware 802.11b and g (and 802.11a with the right card)
wardriving software. Kismet can capture data from multiple packet sources
and can log in ethereal-, tcpdump-, and AirSnort-compatible log files. In addition,
Kismet can do the following:
Detect other scanning programs like NetStumbler
Channel hop
Highlight the detected default access point configurations
Discover “closed,” “hidden,” or “cloaked” SSIDs for access points where
SSID broadcast is disabled
Identify the manufacturers of discovered access points
Group and custom name SSIDs
Detect Cisco products by using CDP
Detect IP block
Passively monitor and record wireless network data packets, including
encrypted ones
Map access point locations using a GPS
Work with ethereal and AirSnort
Kismet runs on most UNIX-like systems, including Linux, Mac OS, and Cygwin,
and supports Hermes and Prism2 chipset cards with linux-wlan-ng drivers.
You can find information at the following Web sites:
You can find more about drivers at Jean Tourrilhes’ Web page:
www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wireless.html
Mark Mathew’s AbsoluteValue Systems Web page offers information
about drivers as well.
www.linux-wlan.com/linux-wlan
If you feel adventurous, you can learn how to install Kismet on Cygwin:
www.renderlab.net/projects/wardrive/wrt54g/kismetonwindows.html
You can find Kismet at www.kismetwireless.net. You also can get Kismet
for handheld computers — that is, iPaq/ARM and Zaurus/ARM — with embedded
Linux. You need the ARM version from www.kismetwireless.net/
download.shtml.