Introduction: WiFi Network Scanner

In this instructable, I'll walk you through how to make a basic WiFi network scanning tool. This is a tool you can carry around to see what WiFi networks are available to you. This can be a useful item when you're in a public area and want to see what kind of network availability there is but don't have a cell phone or laptop.

Step 1: Supplies

If you haven't picked up the Arduino Grove Starter Kit, I would highly recommend you do so. Since the pin layout on the LinkIT ONE and Arduino are the same, the Grove Starter Shields work with one another.

  • LinkIT ONE
  • Grove Arduino Base Shield
  • Grove Button
  • Grove RGB LCD

Step 2: Hooking Everything Up

You'll want to attach the Grove base shield by aligning it carefully with the pins on your Linkit ONE and slowly pushing it together.

Then, make sure you plug the button sensor into D2 and plug the RGB LCD into an I2C port. as shown in the picture above.

Step 3: Connecting the WiFi Antenna

Because we want to scan for WiFi networks, we are going to need to attach the WiFi Antenna in order to do so. The process is pretty straightforward. Grab the WiFi Antenna out of your LinkIT ONE kit (IT should have come with the LinkIT ONE) and attach it to the slot on the back that says WiFi.

Step 4: Deploying the Code

Next, you'll want to download the included code file and deploy it to your device. We're using a combination of scanning for networks (The WiFi library) and printing out our results (The LCD Library).

The code is pretty heavily commented, so hopefully it is easy to read.

Step 5: Deployment

And now you're all set! I would recommend plugging in the LinkIT ONE Battery (that should have also come with your kit) to make this thing truly portable. Now you can go to any coffee shop or restaurant and see all the different WiFi networks available! Just click the button to cycle through the different networks! It is as easy as that!