Android passive wifi survey - hidden networks / ssid not seen - General Questions and Answers

I am using a samsumg galaxy tab to conduct WIFI site surveys of both work and other wireless networks. The issue is that it can only see hidden networks / ssid's which the device is connected to. If there is a network next door and it is hidden, the device can not see it. I have been using wifi analyser and wifi manger, plus tried many other apps but none of them could see the hidden networks.
From what I can tell, android can not see hidden wireless networks (unless you know about them and connect to them). Is this correct? if so, has anyone come up with a workaround or fix? I know from a PC, there is many apps that I use to see all these networks. It is just easier to take the tab then to take a laptop. I also use it to identify faulty AP's, works a treat if you know the network.
Thankyou.

I also have faced the same problem with my HTC Hero! :S

Per default a hidden network can not be seen because it doesn't broadcast it's SSID. If you know the SSID though, you can connect to the network.
WiFi stumblers that show hidden networks basically just grab packets from the air and grab the SSID from them. (simplified explanation)

I understand that hidden network do not broadcast the SSID, however they still broadcast management frames that a WIFI analyser can pick up. For example, on a PC using netstumbler, you can see AP's without the SSID being broadcasted. This at least shows you what AP's are in adjacent buildings, channel they are on and their mac address, regardless if the network is hidden or not. I am wanting to know, if there is an app around that can do the same but on the Galaxy Tab.
I am not trying to connect to these networks, I am just wanting to know if they are or might be interferring with out company's wireless network. (ie same channel)

Can anyone assist me please or answer my question?

scre80 said:
Can anyone assist me please or answer my question?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't even connect to my wifi from my Android phone if I shut off SSID broadcast...
I'm not sure if it's even possible!

m3t4lw01f said:
I can't even connect to my wifi from my Android phone if I shut off SSID broadcast...
I'm not sure if it's even possible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It definitely is, I just tried it.

frosty_ice said:
It definitely is, I just tried it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What device/rom/modem?
I'm on an I9000 with Darky 10 and zsjpg modem, and I cannot use a wifi with hidden ssid.
I revise my question to: is it not possible on certain devices/roms?

You can connect to hidden networks if you know the SSID, however I am trying to see all hidden networks around me without connecting to them. The same as you can do with netstumbler on a laptop. I have tried the netstumbler android app and this can also not see hidden networks. So far, all apps I have tried can not see them. I am thinging this might be a restriction of Android. Can anyone confirm this?

I haven't found one that does either, but like I said my phone doesn't seem to be able to even connect to a wifi with hidden SSID, so that may be why for me.
I have a buddy with a Xoom here at work, I'll see what he says. It runs Honeycomb though, so not an apples to apples comparison.

Yes please. Would be good to know if a xoom can see hidden networks.

scre80 said:
Yes please. Would be good to know if a xoom can see hidden networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He isn't 100% sure, but he doesn't think it does.

Can anyone assist? Any android experts?

I would also like to know. How can we get this working on Android?

bump for answer

I had this problem on my Galaxy S2 I9100 with kernel UGKG2 but the problem went away after flashing kernel XWLA4.
Not sure if that will help anyone or not but it now works correctly with the new kernel for me.

Related

Att Fuse Problem

Hello Everyone,
I just received a ATT fuse and for the life of me I cannot seem to get the WIFI to work. I've had the tilt and the 8125 previously and I tried duplicating settings to no avail.
Are there known issues with the WIFI on this phone?
I can connect to my WEP enabled wireless router, but opera and IE fails to connect and just keeps giving me errors. This is what I have read and what I have tried:
Setting to "work" instead of "Internet"
I've tried the cab files posted in another thread to disable ATT proxy
I'm a little lost in what to check. I did follow everything I've read here that came up in "WIFI" search. I have not unlocked the phone nor flash a rom.
Could someone lend a hand?
Sign up for the att media program...its on the attwireless site
This is a bit drastic, but an easy potential fix is to flash another ROM (after flashing Hard-SPL of course). AT&T often adds a bunch of unnecessary crap to their ROMs, which may interfere with normal functions. You could always flash the AT&T ROM back if you'd like.
Hi Animexi80,
I already have a data plan. The problem isn't with Media net, it is with the phone's built in WIFI.
Trancecoder,
Really, that drastic of a step.. Do you know of a rom that fixed a WIFI problem?
Thanks
TweedyPepper said:
Do you know of a rom that fixed a WIFI problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I never even gave the AT&T ROM a chance, so I was unaware of Wi-Fi issues. Pretty much any ROM should work. If you flash a Fuze-specific ROM, you may want to run the CAB that disables the hidden AT&T proxy. If you flash a generic Touch Pro ROM, you'll likely need to run a CAB that fixes the keyboard layout.
Ok, I suppose I will give it a go.
If I may ask, would you tell me which rom and radio you're running. It would help rule things out it it doesn't correct the problem.
thanks
you may want to run the CAB that disables the hidden AT&T proxy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the "hidden AT&T proxy?"
I just got an AT&T Fuze and after enableing wifi using the wireless manager, had no trouble connecting to home wireless networks with various security configurations (WEP, WPA, hidden SSID, etc.). Of course if the access point has the MAC filter enabled, the Fuze MAC address must be added to the allowed list.
TweedyPepper said:
If I may ask, would you tell me which rom and radio you're running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running an older PROven ROM, version 1.03. I'll be upgrading soon, probably to NATF's ROM. My radio ROM is 1.08.25.20, but (1) the radio ROM doesn't control Wi-Fi, so it's moot, and (2) it has not had very good battery life, so I'll downgrade back to 1.02.25.28 tonight.
rlsmith999 said:
What is the "hidden AT&T proxy?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a proxy setting, separate from the normal one under Connections, that is hidden. It's used to make things such as Cingular, er, Cellular Video work.
rlsmith999 said:
I just got an AT&T Fuze and after enableing wifi using the wireless manager, had no trouble connecting to home wireless networks with various security configurations (WEP, WPA, hidden SSID, etc.). Of course if the access point has the MAC filter enabled, the Fuze MAC address must be added to the allowed list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a bit off-topic, but FYI, anything below WPA/WPA2 cannot be considered secure. WEP can be cracked in minutes, hidden SSIDs don't make APs invisible, and MAC filtering is useless (except with WPA/WPA2) as anyone sniffing traffic can see client MAC addresses in the clear.
I have found that sometimes when I have both a "data connection" and a "wi-fi" connection that they phone seems to not lock on the wi-fi but tries to use a weak data connection so try turning off the data connection and see if that fixes the problem. Also give a soft reset a try as well.
Surprised by how few ppl are having wi-fi issues. I've tried about 6 ROMs now and have the same problem with everyone (guessing this proves its more of a hardware vs software issue)
I can locate and connect to a wi-fi network but no data transfers. I have to continually disconnect/turn off/reconnect over and over and finally I will get a connection..but if unit goes into sleep for a few minutes...I have to repeat.
Very annoying...no one else is having wi-fi issues?
Hi Everyone,
Sorry I haven't reported back sooner. I wound up loading a different rom on the phone and away went the problem.
jank0023, I have no idea. I would flash the phone back to stock and return it for another if all else fails. In all my searching, here and elsewhere, there ahve been a handful of wifi problems I came across. It doesn't seem like that common of a problem afaik.
jank0023 said:
Surprised by how few ppl are having wi-fi issues. I've tried about 6 ROMs now and have the same problem with everyone (guessing this proves its more of a hardware vs software issue)
I can locate and connect to a wi-fi network but no data transfers. I have to continually disconnect/turn off/reconnect over and over and finally I will get a connection..but if unit goes into sleep for a few minutes...I have to repeat.
Very annoying...no one else is having wi-fi issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its your router try another channel make sure its on a supported signal (a,b, g)... lastly ensure your router is excepting all devices. I know these are basic checklist items but sometimes these can get us. I had a laptop that would only work on channel 6 ;-).
gravesy56 said:
If its your router try another channel make sure its on a supported signal (a,b, g)... lastly ensure your router is excepting all devices. I know these are basic checklist items but sometimes these can get us. I had a laptop that would only work on channel 6 ;-).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys for the suggestions...I don't think its related to my network setup as I have about 4 other devices able to obtain signals with no problems using DHCP.
Issues don't seem to be as severe on some of the most recent ROMs I've used but still not perfect.

Connecting your Xoom to a wireless network with a hidden ssid?

Hi Guys,
I have searched, but did not find a working solution on how to connect the Xoom to a wireless network, which does not broadcast its ssid. My friend has an Acer Iconia and he can connect to hidden networks, so Android 3.0 must be able to.
Has anybody been able to get this to work on their Xoom?
Cheers,
Deputy
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
You can type the name of the ssid in if you know it. And if you're in range, you'll connect.
Hi, yeah, that works on my phone (CM7) but not on the Xoom... It is disabled for an okish reason, but I was hoping someone would know how to enable it anyway.
The Android framework doesn't properly support hidden SSIDs, unfortunately.
There's a WifiManager setting for network entries, but it doesn't actually do anything.
IMO there's no good reason to use a hidden SSID. It really doesn't provide any additional security (A determined hacker can find your network anyway)
With the incompatibilities it causes with many devices, why do it?
Not sure where some people are having issues adding hidden SSIDs, I had no problem adding my network to the Xoom right out of the box a couple weeks ago. The wifi setup function under wireless settings actually prompts for your SSID when manually adding one. Perhaps I was lucky in getting a less-problematic Xoom, but it works just fine for me. The 3.1 update was pushed out to it automatically last Saturday and I still connect no problem.
Wifi is pretty quick, though it sucks to hear the info about it not utilizing the full potential of 802.11n.
Don't believe the hype that your system is not any more secure through SSID cloaking, doing so makes it is less of a target, unless it's the only AP around and someone knowledgeable enough is looking to get in. Don't use it as your only layer of security, but use it in conjunction with the strongest encryption your systems support.
I agree with both of you, there is no reason to use it, but my employer seems to have a different opinion, so I can't do much with it over there.
Thanks for your replies.
Have 3 Hidden-SSID networks configured in my Xoom; I bet your problem lies elsewhere (special chars, maybe? Misspelled SSID?)
kcrudup said:
Have 3 Hidden-SSID networks configured in my Xoom; I bet your problem lies elsewhere (special chars, maybe? Misspelled SSID?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried it many times. I am sure the spelling is ok. Mine uses no authentication. Is it the same for your networks?
Would be very interesting to find the difference. (but, then again, I can't change the network properties at my company)
deputynl said:
Mine uses no authentication
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WPA2-PSK for all of mine.
(But you've gotta wonder- what's the effin' point of having a hidden SSID for "security" but Open Authentication?!)
kcrudup said:
WPA2-PSK for all of mine.
(But you've gotta wonder- what's the effin' point of having a hidden SSID for "security" but Open Authentication?!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know! I think it is funny, but still I can't connect ;-)
kcrudup said:
Have 3 Hidden-SSID networks configured in my Xoom; I bet your problem lies elsewhere (special chars, maybe? Misspelled SSID?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought a second Xoom for my wife and ran into this same problem with hers. Mine connects to the network fine whether its broadcasting or not, I normally have it turned off. Hers will only connect when said broadcast is turned on.
it makes me think it has to be a setting somewhere that's off on hers, just have to find it.

[Q] HTC Desire HD WiFi not connecting at house but does everywhere else

Hello. My phone connects when I go to other people's houses or at school, but not at my house. My router is set up with a WiFi access list so that you need to enter the MAC address before being allowed to even see the network. I have triple checked that the WiFi MAC address from my phone is entered correctly as I did everything else. Does anyone have some advice?
I appreciate everyone's time!
Make sure the channel is set to one which your device supports.
I downloaded an app called wifi analyzer; will that help me find which channel to set it to? How do I know which are supported.
Chris097 said:
I downloaded an app called wifi analyzer; will that help me find which channel to set it to? How do I know which are supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the wifi settings (on your device) and see what channel it is set to (usually under regulatory domain).
maybe you should set the maximum number of channels, otherwise some routers might be excluded.
controls which channel is your router and then try to configure the connection manually.
Sorry for the late reply; I have been pretty busy.
I tried a variety of different channels but none of them seem to work. I had seen that the phone does not work on Channel 13 but that did not seem to be the problem. I have also tried changing the security password type on my router but that did not work either. Are there any other suggestions? Thank you again.
your router is wireless network is to advanced for phone allow you network to be seen and just have to enter a password to work it will work been there
ps when it works hit thanks please
lg g2x
rooted
cyanogenmod-eaglesbloodv2.5
trinity uv/ov 1.5 kernal
retired
mytouch 3g slide
rooted
cyanogenmod 7.1
s-off
custom kernal
android_29: your response looks like gibberish.
Chris: Does your router have a WPS button on it? if so, i'd use that. makes things easy.
ridethisbike said:
Chris: Does your router have a WPS button on it? if so, i'd use that. makes things easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried using this as well and my phone still doesn't pick up the network lol. I'm stuck!
Chris097 said:
I tried using this as well and my phone still doesn't pick up the network lol. I'm stuck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm assuming you did... but just in case, you did hit the "Wifi Protected Setup" on the phone right?
I swear i'm not trying to make you sound like an idiot, but we all have our "oh damn i forgot about that" moments, know what i mean? lol
Lol no problem. But yes I did do that
i'm also assuming then that you took ALL security off your network, leaving it open with no password, and that didnt work either.
past that, I don't know what to tell you. some routers are better than others.... maybe yours just hates you?

charge wont pick up my wifi

I got my wife a droid charge today which she loves but for some reason the wireless tether from my rezound will not show up on her wifi settings. many other devices detect it including my laptop and even iphones i have unlimited wireless tethering. Im no stranger to rooting so maybe kernel related? I dont know but it dont make sense. Let me stress i dont want to tether with the charge i want it to pick up my rezounds wifi. any suggestions? thanks
Try to manually put in the SSID and other network info?
imnuts said:
Try to manually put in the SSID and other network info?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks but im not real sure how to do that
Go to Settings>Wireless>Wifi, and there should be an option to add a network/connection. I can get more detailed info once I get home, but there is a way to enter in the connection info even if the phone doesn't see the network.
I've also heard of incompatibilities between various wireless chips that could also be to blame, though you'd have to find someone else to duplicate this to confirm that is the case.
imnuts said:
Go to Settings>Wireless>Wifi, and there should be an option to add a network/connection. I can get more detailed info once I get home, but there is a way to enter in the connection info even if the phone doesn't see the network.
I've also heard of incompatibilities between various wireless chips that could also be to blame, though you'd have to find someone else to duplicate this to confirm that is the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you very much please give me detailed info cuz that subnet and netmask stuff has me lost
oxlong27 said:
thank you very much please give me detailed info cuz that subnet and netmask stuff has me lost
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have DHCP it should fill itself out. Just enter your SSID and hope for the best.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
I have had the same problem. When using WirelessTether on my charge I can not get an Samsung Captivate or a HTC incredible to see my SSID..but the laptop connects fine. Anyone know why I cant get the phones to see/connect to my droid charge. I have tried entering info manually on both devices to no avail. Anyone know why it doesnt work?
Judging from the above posts i think we can agree that we found another crap that Samsung took on this phone
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
I think I've only had one issue not being able to connect to a network. I connect to a large number of WiFi networks and seem to always get a good link (although the WiFi performance isn't all that great- 15mbps one-way.) To resolve the issue I had I think I just pulled the battery from the phone. It may not always be the phone- some access points and routers generally don't work that well, only support some encryption types, fail even though it broadcasts SSID, can drop links, won't authenticate, etc. I deal with bad wireless far more than I care to and I generally quit messing around and run certain model routers with 3rd party firmware because I'm tired of headaches.
Make sure you can connect to your router with other devices.
Power cycle your router.
Pull the battery on the phone.
Enter in the information into Wireless settings. If information is there already, delete the network and re-enter the info.
You can also download WiFi Analyzer from Market and the WiFi Connector Library and just use WiFi Analyzer to manage your networks.
Also, make sure your router is using an unused channel.
xdadevnube said:
I think I've only had one issue not being able to connect to a network. I connect to a large number of WiFi networks and seem to always get a good link (although the WiFi performance isn't all that great- 15mbps one-way.) To resolve the issue I had I think I just pulled the battery from the phone. It may not always be the phone- some access points and routers generally don't work that well, only support some encryption types, fail even though it broadcasts SSID, can drop links, won't authenticate, etc. I deal with bad wireless far more than I care to and I generally quit messing around and run certain model routers with 3rd party firmware because I'm tired of headaches.
Make sure you can connect to your router with other devices.
Power cycle your router.
Pull the battery on the phone.
Enter in the information into Wireless settings. If information is there already, delete the network and re-enter the info.
You can also download WiFi Analyzer from Market and the WiFi Connector Library and just use WiFi Analyzer to manage your networks.
Also, make sure your router is using an unused channel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks but i dont have a router i got unlimitws wireless tether (legally) i run all my devices including laptop from it but this damn charge wont recognize it
What device is the providing the signal? Try changing encryption type.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
You shouldn't have to enter in any IP/Subnet info. With Wifi turned on, go into Wireless and Networks > Wifi. There should be an option to add a new network. From there, you would just have to enter in the SSID of the network, the encryption type (if any), and passkey (if you're using encryption).

How to delete saved wifi connection?

On my S5, all saved wifi connections were visible in the wifi settings page. On the S7, it seems that only the connections within range are visible. If you go into the data usage / restrict networks, every saved wifi connection is displayed, but there is no way to delete them from there. It seems that there is no way to delete a saved wifi connection once it goes out of range. Anyone know how to do this?
bimmerdriver said:
...On the S7, it seems that only the connections within range are visible. I...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the same issue here. Anyone got any workarounds (non-root)? Third party apps don't seem to work. Pretty ridiculous that you can't forget a saved network and causes a serious issue for me: I have to change my password at work and can't forget the WiFi AP before getting to the office so I'm locked out of my work account...
It is a bit annoying but I can't see how it's a problem?
How are you locked out of your work account?
You can change password when you are in range.
What's the other issue?
jarayn said:
It is a bit annoying but I can't see how it's a problem?
How are you locked out of your work account?
You can change password when you are in range.
What's the other issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problematic are Hotel / Airport / etc. Hotspots...
When i received my S7 i "load" an backup from my old android phone... I few days earlier i returned from a long holiday trip and so the "restore-backup" created a lot of hotspots an my S7 i never never need and i'm not able to delete ....
(OK - i can start for a second trip, visit all places and delete hotspot when connected... ) <-- ironic
jarayn said:
It is a bit annoying but I can't see how it's a problem?
How are you locked out of your work account?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We use exchange authentication for WiFi at work. The phone automatically tries to connect using the old password as soon as i'm near the office. Does this three times and locks my ability to use the WiFi. This is before i have chance to see it and forget it in the WiFi settings. Such a simple omission in the UX makes this even an more annoying issue.
Yeah OK the work thing sounds a bit troublesome. I would turn off wifi before I go then turn it on when I'm ready and forget the network before it connects.
...
The holiday wifi hotspot thing i don't get still.
Why is that a problem? You can't see the networks anyway. Is it just an ocd thing?
well you have a drastic option, if nothing else works
go settings>backup and reset>reset network settings
this will erase all your wifi, as well as all bluetooth and data connections saved
Sent from my SM-G930F using XDA-Developers mobile app
---------- Post added at 04:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------
wegiwegi said:
well you have a drastic option, if nothing else works
go settings>backup and reset>reset network settings
this will erase all your wifi, as well as all bluetooth and data connections saved
Sent from my SM-G930F using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just done that myself, all my connections disappeared, it works fine, you should try that
Sent from my SM-G930F using XDA-Developers mobile app
The problem with the holiday Hotspots is at least not a real problem... But I don't like this.
I would prefer a function to delete Hotspots even when I'm not connected to them...
(maybe it is small security issue, because a common SSID can be used to connect with my phone...)
Wifi Manager - choose Known network, then remove.
I reported this to Samsung support. That's the only way to get them to fix it. The more people report it, the more likely they are to fix it sooner.
As for whether it's a "problem", I suppose it's not immediately a show stopper. However, after only a couple of weeks, I accumulated a lot of hotspots that clutter up the restrict networks page. Who knows, if too many build up it could cause an problem. There is no reason for Samsung to have implemented it in this way. I've never seen a device (mobile or pc) that did this.
lost_ said:
Wifi Manager - choose Known network, then remove.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but Android 6 only allows you to forget those networks that you've connected to using the same app. So you can only forget those that you connected to with WiFi Manager, not the in-built settings.
do7slash said:
Thanks, but Android 6 only allows you to forget those networks that you've connected to using the same app. So you can only forget those that you connected to with WiFi Manager, not the in-built settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit: you're correct. I think root and find where file or db that stores the SSID would be the next option.
Edit 2: Get a root editor, backup /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf, then edit it to either remove the entire SSID entry, or set autojoin to 0. There may be root apps that does this.
The plain text passwords are also stored in that supplicant file.
I don't think there is any non-root solution until Samsung changes the Wifi settings to show out-of-range SSIDs. I agree that it is silly for it to not do have this feature at all.
2 solutions so far (?)
Hi,
if you have a non rooted S7 there is no build in possibility to delete the saved wifi connections if you are out of range. Samsung has to fix this in my opinion.
With Marshmallow you can only delete wifi networks with the same app you created them, so third party apps like wifi manager do not work. So far there might be two solutions which work, both are far away from being perfect.
- First solution is to delete ALL network connections...and start from the beginning (1. Go to settings -> 2. Bakup and reset -> 3. Reset network settings -> 4. Follow on screen instructions)...including bluetooth etc.
- Second solution is not fine either. Take a third party app like wifi manager from Kostya on play store and list all known networks. Then set up a (fake) wifi access point with the SSID you want to delete. Once they are in range, you can delete the saved wifi connection. You have to repeat this for every SSID you want to delete.
Best regards,
Alexander
jarayn said:
Yeah OK the work thing sounds a bit troublesome. I would turn off wifi before I go then turn it on when I'm ready and forget the network before it connects.
...
The holiday wifi hotspot thing i don't get still.
Why is that a problem? You can't see the networks anyway. Is it just an ocd thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummm..... maybe cuz stored WiFi networks spew out a wealth of valuable information!!
isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/WiFi+Still+Remains+a+Good+Attack+Vector/21583
lost_ said:
Wifi Manager - choose Known network, then remove.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can not remove!
I updated my S7 today (with Sprint) to Android 7, and they fixed this. Out-of-range WiFi networks are listed under the "Manage Networks" options and can be removed from there.

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