How can I program a wireless adapter?

Question

Is it possible to program a wireless adapter attached to a computer? I need to modify how they work, not just using them to perform a task such as scanning or connecting. I have already tried the Native Wifi API, but that library is too high level. I cannot modify how exactly the wireless adapter works. Any solution in any programming language in any operating system is very welcomed. (Sounds so desperate lol)

Answer 1

Generally speaking, the manufacturer will attempt to prevent you from doing this. Since what you're working with is really a radio transceiver, its operation is regulated. In the US, for example, such things fall under the purview of the FCC. Depending on the country, changing how it operates (and then operating it) is likely to be illegal.

Answer 2

You need an open-source operating system then. Hardware varies in how programmable it is, but for example, Atheros wireless cards do not have an on-board processor, and therefore they do the absolute minimum of the 802.11 protocol in hardware, leaving everything else to the device driver. More info in these places: http://linuxwireless.org/ http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/linville/wireless-testing.git;a=summary;

If you really need to go further that what commodity hardware can do, look in to GNU Radio and the USRP/USRP2: http://gnuradio.org/redmine/wiki/gnuradio

And yes, you do have to be careful about the legal implications of this stuff, but then if you don't turn off the regulatory framework, there is software to help with that.

Answer 3

If you have an atheros chipset on your WLAN card then load up linux and install ath5k/ath9k or madwifi and you can do some interesting things with the driver.