does exist a software that can detect the position of wlan access point?

Question

hi. someone knows a software that can detect the position or the radio wave direction of a wlan access point if i am (i.e. my pc) in station mode and detect the position of station connected to me if i am in access point mode without use any gps module?

Answer 1

There isn't any software that can do this.

Radio waves are free to travel in all directions at the same time so you need to "triangulate" the location using directional antennas using at least three different positions. Or build a radio direction finder antenna / radio system which uses multiple antennas which are offset enough to calculate the direction. Even then you only get close not an exact reading.
Here are a couple of articles on Radio Direction Finding
http://home.att.net/~jleggio/projects/rdf/rdf.htm
http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Operating_Modes/Radio_Direction_Finding/
http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=13679

Wifi is simply a radio transmitter when broken down to its basics.

Answer 2

There are development programs in place at several of the larger wireless access point providers (Motorola/Symbol and Cisco, to name two that I'm aware of) that are attempting to track the locations of "assets" (i.e. laptops, netphones, etc) by recording the time difference of arrival of certain signals at different access points throughout a facility. This technology only works if there are multiple access points (3 are needed for 2 dimensional location; 4 are needed for 3 dimensional location). This is the situation in most wireless-equipped offices / warehouses / campuses, but not in most people's homes. One COULD possibly add software to a home router that has multiple antennas to perform direction finding based on the time difference of arrival at the two antennas, but this would be highly inaccurate due to the many reflections and fadings that a single signal will go through before arriving at the router.

Answer 3

If you connect to someone else's access point without authority it is illegal. Your location can be found. I have witnessed 2 arrests for this, one of the people is doing 2 years for it, he could have got up yo 5.

Answer 4

of course it is possible...the same technology that is in wifi is in the cell phone and the cell phone can tell u what street are u on..right? mine does...so like in the movies u can pe pin pointed if your radio signal can be picked up from at least 3 different posistions...hell how do u think GPS works?.....exactly the same way...but GPS uses about 12 radio connections from 12 different sattelites plus...the US ARMY has land beacons that can pinpoint u within 10-15 cm