Find Wireless Networks With iStumbler

If you're trying to find an open wireless connection, clicking on the AirPort menu repeatedly is quite slow. I have found a free application that allows you to quickly find WiFi networks without having to repeatedly click on the AirPort menu: iStumbler.

After you've installed and launched iStumbler, it will automatically begin scanning for nearby wireless networks, bluetooth devices, and Bonjour services. Click on the AirPort section to see all the nearby wireless networks.



Now you need to find a good network. I've found that a signal less than 35% is usually not strong enough to connect with the network. Select the network you want to connect to and click on the "Join Network" button in the upper left corner of the window.



The button will stay pressed for a couple of seconds. When it becomes unpressed, you should be connected to the network you selected. (The AirPort menu should reflect the change.)



Now that you can connect to a network, let's make it a quicker process. By default, iStumber scans for new networks every 5 seconds or so. You can change this by going to the iStumbler menu and selecting a new time from the "Sample Every" sub-menu.



In addition, iStumbler will keep a cache of all the networks your computer has "seen". This cache will be reset every minute which is much to slow if you're trying to find the nearest network. You can change ths number by going to the iStumbler preferences and changing the "Remember" menu to 10 seconds.



If you want to manually refresh the cache, hit Cmd-Option-E or iStumbler>Empty Cache.



Using iStumbler, it becomes quick and easy for you to find the best nearby wireless network.