Do Android devices scan *actively* for WiFi networks?

Question

hi there!

i am programming for google android and i wonder if the scans for wireless 802.11 networks are done passively or actively? i mean: does the device actually emit a beacon request signal on WifiManager.startScan() or does it just listen for beacons sent periodically by the access points?

Answer 1

Android does passive scans, it listens for beacons. Doing an active scan can create a lot of congestion on the network by sending out probe requests and waiting for probe responses.