Wardriving for Beginners

Chapter 1

What is wardriving?

Every Wi-Fi router is like a little lighthouse. All day and all night, it calls out its name: "I'm here! My name is Pretty Fly for a WiFi!"

You can't hear it, but your phone can. Wardriving means riding around and writing down every Wi-Fi "lighthouse" you pass, along with where you were when you heard it.

Think of it like birdwatching for Wi-Fi. Bird watchers don't catch the birds. They just notice them and write them down. Wardrivers do the same thing with wireless signals.

You can do it in a car (as the passenger), on a bike, or on foot. Walking is sometimes called warwalking.

Chapter 2

Why people do it

• It's a collecting game. Some people try to find as many networks as they can, like collecting trading cards.
• The names are funny. People name their Wi-Fi things like "FBI Surveillance Van" or "Bill Wi the Science Fi." Finding the best ones is half the fun.
• It makes maps. Wardrivers can share what they find with WiGLE, a free website that has been mapping Wi-Fi around the world since 2001.
• You learn how wireless works. Channels, signal strength, security: you learn it all by doing.
• You see how safe your town is. You'll notice how many networks still use old, broken security. That's a good reason to check your own.

Chapter 3

The golden rules

Read these before you go out. They keep you safe and keep the hobby legal.

1. 1
   Listen. Never touch.Only write down what networks say out loud. Never join a network that isn't yours, never guess passwords, and never try to get inside. Even an "open" network with no password isn't yours to use. Doing those things can break the law.
2. 2
   The driver drives. The passenger scans.Never look at a phone or gadget while driving. If you're the only person in the car, start the scan before you leave and don't touch it until you park.
3. 3
   Kids go with a grown-up.Wardriving is a great family activity. Kids should always do it with a parent or another trusted adult.
4. 4
   Stay on public roads and sidewalks.Never walk onto someone's property or park outside a house to get a better signal.
5. 5
   Be kind with what you find.Laugh at funny network names, but don't post them alongside someone's address, and don't make fun of a real person.

Chapter 4

What you need

You can start with something you probably already have. Pick your level:

Chapter 5

Your first wardrive

This is for Level 1 (an Android phone). It takes about 30 minutes.

1. Install the app. Open the Google Play Store, search for WiGLE WiFi Wardriving, and install it.
2. Say yes to Location. The app asks to use your location. It needs this to know where you were when you heard each network.
3. Start scanning before you go. Open the app and make sure scanning is turned on. You'll see the list start filling up with networks near you.
4. Go for a ride. Ride as a passenger through a neighborhood for 20 minutes. Busy streets with lots of houses and shops find the most networks.
5. Watch the count go up. That's it. You're wardriving.
6. Save your file. When you're home, use the app's export option to save your run as a CSV file. Look for Export or CSV in the app's Database or Settings screen.
7. Replay it here. Open Wardrive Replay and load the file. Part 2 shows you how.

Chapter 6

Reading the locks

Every network has a kind of lock, called its security. Here's what you'll see, from worst to best:

Chapter 7

Words to know

Wi-Fi network

A wireless connection made by a router. The "lighthouse."

SSID

The network's name, like "Lucky Duck" or "NETGEAR47." It's what shows up in your phone's Wi-Fi list.

Hidden network

A network that doesn't shout its name. Your scanner still notices it's there.

Access point

The box that sends out the Wi-Fi signal. Big buildings can have many access points sharing one name.

MAC address

A serial number every Wi-Fi and Bluetooth device has, like 3C:7A:8B:12:4F:9D. It's how the app tells two networks with the same name apart.

Signal strength

How loud a signal is. Closer means louder. Apps show it as a negative number, and closer to zero is stronger (-40 is loud, -90 is a whisper).

Channel

Like lanes on a highway. Wi-Fi uses different channels so networks don't bump into each other.

2.4 GHz and 5 GHz

Two radio "neighborhoods" Wi-Fi uses. 2.4 reaches farther; 5 is faster but shorter.

Bluetooth LE

Low-energy Bluetooth used by earbuds, watches, fitness bands and trackers. Scanners can log these too.

GPS

How your phone knows where it is. It puts a location on everything you find.

Factory name

The name a router comes with, like NETGEAR47 or TP-Link_8F2A. Many people never change it.

WiGLE

A free community website that maps Wi-Fi networks from wardrivers around the world. Also the name of a popular Android app.

CSV file

A simple file that stores your run as a list, like a spreadsheet. It's what you load into Wardrive Replay.

ESP32

A tiny, cheap computer board with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. Hobbyists use it to build wardriving gadgets.

Chapter 8

Sharing and privacy

Your wardriving file is a record of where you went. That makes it private, the same way you wouldn't post your home address online.

• Your home shows up in your file. If you start scanning in your driveway, your own Wi-Fi, phone and smart TV are logged right where you live. Start a few blocks away, or skip your street.
• Uploading to WiGLE is optional. It helps the shared world map, but it's your choice. Read their privacy settings first.
• Share results, not maps. Scores, badges and funny network names are fun to share. A map showing exactly which house has which network is not.

Part 2 · Chapter 9

Load your run

Wardrive Replay reads WiGLE-format CSV files. The WiGLE WiFi app, most ESP32 wardriving software, and many other tools can save this kind of file.

1. Open wardrivereplay.com.
2. Tap the orange Load your run button at the top right.
3. Pick your CSV file. On a computer, you can also drag the file onto the monitor.
4. Under the keyboard tray, a line confirms what loaded, like "Loaded my-drive.csv: 466 Wi-Fi networks."

Until you load a file, the site shows a sample run with made-up data so you can try everything first.

That's what the top of a correct file looks like if you open it in a text app. If yours looks different, see Chapter 14.

Chapter 10

Watch the replay

Your drive replays on the beige monitor as an arcade game. A little pixel car drives your route, and every network pops up as a coin.

• Press start on the screen to begin.
• Play / Pause and Restart are on the keyboard tray.
• 1x 2x 4x 8x change the speed.
• Tape is the slider. Drag it to jump anywhere in your drive.
• Sound off / on turns on the blips and coin sounds.
• The Green, Amber, Color and VHS switches under the screen change the screen style.

The top of the screen shows your score, how many networks you've found, miles driven and the time of the drive. The bottom line shows each new network name as you pass it.

Chapter 11

Points, Hall of Fame and badges

Coins and points

Combos: find networks quickly one after another and your multiplier climbs, up to x5. Busy streets build big combos.

SSID Hall of Fame

The site reads every network name and picks the funniest and strangest. Each gets a rubber stamp: Cop Cosplay, Pun Factory, Passive-Aggressive, Pure Chaos, Family Drama, Snack Network or Mystery Signal. Factory names like NETGEAR47 never make the list.

Merit badges

The Run Report printout lists all your numbers, the most common router brands, and how many networks use each kind of lock.

Chapter 12

Crew Turf Wars

Compete with up to 3 friends to see who rules the neighborhood.

1. Scroll to Crew Turf Wars and tap Start my own crew.
2. On each roster line, type a player name and tap Add file to load that person's CSV.
3. Tap Play turf battle. Everyone's drives replay at the same time.

The map is split into small blocks. Each block belongs to whoever found the most Wi-Fi networks in it. If you pass someone in their block, you steal it. Checkered blocks are ties.

At the end, players earn titles: Turf Boss (most blocks), Bloodhound (most networks) and Hijacker (most steals).

Chapter 13

Receipt and video

High Score Receipt

A printed-receipt picture of your run: score, totals, your top 3 Hall of Fame names and your badges. On a phone, press and hold the receipt to save it. On a computer, right-click it and choose Save Image. Copy stats as text gives you a ready-made message to paste.

Video export

1. Scroll to Video Export and tap Make my video.
2. Keep the screen open for about 23 seconds while it records.
3. Tap Save video when it's done, then post it to TikTok, Reels or Shorts.

The music is original and made by the site, so it's free to post.

Chapter 14

Help and questions