Using the Nintendo DS to sniff out wireless networks just got a whole lot easier (ArsTechnica)
(yeah, I know it's a DS hack, but it's still pretty cool -Auri)
If you're tired of lugging a laptop around with you on a wardriving
trip there may now be a much easier, more portable alternative. While
the homebrew community for the DS has never been as strong as the PSP's
laundry list of 3rd party apps there are some interesting things being
released. The program referenced here started as a way to control games
using the DS's gamepad on your PC, but a clever poster at the
3DGPU forums found out it's also a powerful tool for finding wireless networks.
It quite adeptly displayed signal strengths, WEP status, MAC
addresses and SSID's for 6 networks around me. My wi-fi adaptors only
ever came up with 3.
Usefulness? Checking signal strength (it auto-refreshes) for your
networks, looking for DS hotspots for on-line play, and other
(potentially more criminal) uses of course. Homebrew stuff just keeps
getting cooler.
Indeed it does. The linked program on the post seems to be a very
nice tool for finding networks and hotspots. You can't argue with that
sort of functionality out of a device that can fit into your pocket.