_Em
06-14-2007, 11:10 AM
I got this idea for GPWP (Global Positioning Wifi Pings) the other day -- it works like this:
Have one app located on a computer somewhere that listens for pings on a certain port.
Have another app on your PDA that broadcasts a custom crafted ICMP packet to all WiFi devices in range -- the trick being that the originating IP address on the packets would be the listening computer, and the ICMP payload would be the Palm's MAC ID.
Using this method, all ping responses should (unless they're filtered) be sent to the listening computer. Mash these pings up with Google Maps and one of those IP location tools, and you get poor-man's GPRS :) To tune it further, you could add the addresses of the WiFi devices whose location you know to the listening app, so the location becomes more fixed.
This program could be useful for navigation through previously visited areas, for route operators and taxicab drivers to report their current location, but also for reporting the approximate location of your Palm should it go missing (set the program to auto-launch after x hours, or something).
Have one app located on a computer somewhere that listens for pings on a certain port.
Have another app on your PDA that broadcasts a custom crafted ICMP packet to all WiFi devices in range -- the trick being that the originating IP address on the packets would be the listening computer, and the ICMP payload would be the Palm's MAC ID.
Using this method, all ping responses should (unless they're filtered) be sent to the listening computer. Mash these pings up with Google Maps and one of those IP location tools, and you get poor-man's GPRS :) To tune it further, you could add the addresses of the WiFi devices whose location you know to the listening app, so the location becomes more fixed.
This program could be useful for navigation through previously visited areas, for route operators and taxicab drivers to report their current location, but also for reporting the approximate location of your Palm should it go missing (set the program to auto-launch after x hours, or something).