Wifi Collector is Nirsoft's first Android application

Martin Brinkmann
Apr 22, 2014
Apps, Google Android
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8

Nir Sofer is a highly productive software developer who has published more than a hundred different programs for Windows in the last decade.

The majority of tools that he has developed are held in high regard, and chance is that you have come across at least some of them in the past.

These tools are highly specialized most of the time, always portable, and very easy to use. Up until now, only Windows software was released on NirSoft.

This changed yesterday with the release of the first Android application.

Wifi Collector is a free application for Android 3.0 and up that scans the area for wireless networks. It works similar to comparable tools such as WirelessNetView or WifiInfoView that run on Windows.

The core advantage of Wifi Collector is that it is easier to carry around considering that you do not need to take a laptop or tablet with you, as all you need is your smartphone to do so.

Once you have installed the application and started it up, you are taken to a basic interface. Here you can tap on start to run a scan, export to save the information to a local file, or go to the settings first.

It is probably a good idea to open the settings first as you define here what is being scanned and what is ignored.

You can define which network information you want the program to collect in the settings. If you are only interested in WEP and WPA-PSK, you can disable the other options for example, or only scan for open networks instead which you can connect to right away.

Other options provided here are to collect 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz networks, ad-hoc networks or infrastructure mode networks, set a minimum signal level (dBm) or start only when GPS is enabled and available.

When you hit Start on the main screen, Wifi Collector will start to record all matching wireless networks until you hit stop.

It displays information about the type of networks collected in its interface, but won't reveal any specifics. You need to use the export button to save the information to a csv, Tab-delimited, HTML or Google Earth file, to open it afterwards in an appropriate viewer application.

Information that are collected by the app include the network name, security, WPS support, the access point manufacturer, signal level, channel frequency and number, the MAC address of the access point, and the date and time it was detected.

A more comfortable option would have been to display the network information directly in the application interface, maybe even with options to establish a connection to it right away.

Verdict

Wifi Collector is a useful application. You can use it to create a detailed wireless network profile of a place or location, or an area.

More interesting than the application in my opinion is that Nir Sofer has published his first Android application. While it is too early to tell if additional applications will follow, it is likely that this is just the beginning.

Summary
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Software Name
Wifi Collector
Operating System
Android
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Comments

  1. bruh said on August 18, 2023 at 1:25 pm
    Reply

    Uhh, this has already been possible – I am not sure how but remember my brother telling me about it. I’m not a whatsapp user so not sure of the specifics, but something about sending the image as a file and somehow bypassing the default compression settings that are applied to inbound photos.

    He has also used this to share movies to whatsapp groups, and files 1Gb+.

    Like I said, I never used whatsapp, but I know 100% this isn’t a “brand new feature”, my brother literally showed me him doing it, like… 5 months ago?

  2. 💥 said on August 18, 2023 at 3:55 pm
    Reply

    Martin, what happened to those: 12 Comments (https://www.ghacks.net/chatgpt-gets-schooled-by-princeton-university/#comments). Is there a specific justifiable reason why they were deleted?

    Hmm, it looks like the gHacks website database is faulty, and not populating threads with their relevant cosponsoring posts.

  3. 45 RPM said on August 19, 2023 at 6:29 pm
    Reply

    The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk that it’s about to be deleted from my ‘daily reads’.

    It’s really like “Press Release as re-written by some d*ck for clicks…poorly.” And the subjects are laughable. Can’t wait for “How to search for files on Windows”.

    1. owl said on August 20, 2023 at 12:51 am
      Reply

      > The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk…

      Sadly, I have to agree.

      Only Martin and Ashwin are worth subscribing to.
      Especially Emre Çitak and Shaun are the worst ones.

      If ghacks.net intended “Clickbait”, it would mark the end of Ghacks Technology News.
      Ghacks doesn’t need crappy clickbaits. Clearly separate articles from newer authors (perhaps AIs and external sales person or external advertising man) as just “Advertisements”!

      We, the subscribers of Ghacks, urge Martin to make a decision.

  4. chessandonions said on August 20, 2023 at 12:40 am
    Reply

    because nevermore wants to “monetize” on every aspect of human life…

  5. Frank Rizzo said on August 20, 2023 at 11:52 pm
    Reply

    “Threads” is like the Walmart of Social Media.

  6. Ashray said on August 21, 2023 at 4:06 pm
    Reply

    How hard can it be to clone a twitter version of that as well? They’re slow.

  7. Paul(us) said on August 21, 2023 at 5:16 pm
    Reply

    Yes, why not mention how large the HD files can be?
    Why, not mention what version of WhatsApp is needed?
    These omissions make the article feel so bare. If not complete.

    1. Paul(us) said on August 21, 2023 at 5:18 pm
      Reply

      Sorry posted on the wrong page.

  8. Marc said on August 21, 2023 at 6:00 pm
    Reply

    such a long article for such a simple matter. Worthless article ! waste of time

  9. plusminus_ said on August 21, 2023 at 7:54 pm
    Reply

    I already do this by attaching them via the ‘Document’ option.

  10. John G. said on August 21, 2023 at 11:43 pm
    Reply

    I don’t know what’s going on here at Ghacks but it’s obvious that something is broken, comments are being mixed whatever the article, I am unable to find some of my later posts neither. :S

  11. Tom Hawack said on August 23, 2023 at 2:28 pm
    Reply

    Quoting the article,
    “As users gain popularity, the value of their tokens may increase, allowing investors to reap rewards.”

    Besides, beyond the thrill and privacy risks or not, the point is to know how you gain popularity, be it on social sites as everywhere in life. Is it by being authentic, by remaining faithful to ourselves or is it to have this particular skill which is to understand what a majority likes, just like politicians, those who’d deny to the maximum extent compatible with their ideological partnership, in order to grab as many of the voters they can?

    I see the very concept of this Friend.tech as unhealthy, propagating what is already an increasing flaw : the quest for fame. I won’t be the only one to count himself out, definitely.

    1. Tom Hawack said on August 23, 2023 at 2:34 pm
      Reply

      @John G. is right : my comment was posted on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/23/what-is-friend-tech/] and it appears there but as well here at [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/08/how-to-follow-everyone-on-threads/]

      This has been lasting for several days. Fix it or at least provide some explanations if you don’t mind.

  12. Tom said on August 24, 2023 at 11:53 am
    Reply

    > Google Chrome is following in Safari’s footsteps by introducing a new feature that allows users to move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen, enhancing user accessibility and interaction.

    Firefox did this long before Safari.

  13. Mavoy said on September 16, 2023 at 2:17 pm
    Reply

    Basically they’ll do anything except fair royalties.

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