📡 What is WiFi Mothership?
WiFi Mothership is a global wardriving network and research platform that collects, analyzes, and visualizes wireless network data from around the world.
Unlike traditional wardriving tools, we don't just map WiFi networks - we track WiFi access points, Bluetooth devices, and cell towers in a comprehensive database that helps researchers, security professionals, and enthusiasts understand the wireless landscape.
🎯 What We Track
- 📡 WiFi Networks: SSIDs, BSSIDs, encryption types, channels, signal strength, manufacturers
- 📱 Bluetooth Devices: Device types, signal strength, location data
- 📡 Cell Towers: Network types (4G/5G), operators, coverage areas
- 🔐 Security Analysis: Open networks, WEP/WPA/WPA2/WPA3 distribution
- 📊 Statistical Trends: Channel usage, frequency bands (2.4GHz/5GHz/6GHz), device manufacturers
🔒 Privacy & Ethics
WiFi Mothership is committed to ethical wireless research:
- We collect PUBLIC broadcast data only - no packet sniffing or traffic interception
- Network names (SSIDs) and MAC addresses (BSSIDs) are public information broadcasted by devices
- We do NOT collect or store any private communications, passwords, or user data
- All data is used for research, security analysis, and educational purposes
- We help identify open/vulnerable networks that need securing
🚀 Features
- Interactive Map: 5.6M+ networks plotted with multiple visualization modes (clustered, heatmap, individual points)
- Upload System: Drag-and-drop CSV files from Kismet or other wardriving tools
- Global Leaderboard: Compete with other wardrivers for most networks discovered
- Advanced Analytics: 3D visualizations, security analysis, channel distribution, manufacturer insights
- Real-time Alerts: Notifications for suspicious networks, unusual activity
- API Access: Programmatic access to network data for researchers
🛠️ Technology Stack
Built with cutting-edge serverless architecture for scalability and performance:
- Backend: Cloudflare Workers (serverless API)
- Database: Cloudflare D1 (distributed SQLite)
- Storage: Cloudflare R2 (object storage), KV (session management)
- Frontend: Vanilla JS, Leaflet.js for maps, Chart.js for visualizations
- Authentication: Google OAuth 2.0 (no passwords to manage!)
📡 MapRad.io - Cell Tower Data
Discovery: MapRad.io is an Australian tool showing licensed radio sites (cell towers, antennas, repeaters) based on ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) data.
For U.S. Cell Tower Data:
- OpenCelliD: Global open tower database (great for developers)
- FCC ASR / License Data: Official U.S. registered towers
- CellMapper.net: Crowdsourced cellular mapping (like WiGLE, but for cell networks)
MapRad.io is region-specific (Australia only) and won't help with U.S./global WiGLE-style data collection.
🎓 Get Started
Ready to join the global wardriving network?
- 1. Sign In: Use Google OAuth to create your account
- 2. Upload Data: Drag-and-drop your wardriving CSV files to contribute
- 3. Explore: View the interactive map and analytics dashboard
- 4. Compete: Climb the leaderboard by discovering new networks
🎠 Avatar Carousel: A Fun Side Quest
Confession time: During long coding sessions, when focus starts to wane, I sometimes add fun features just because they make me smile. The avatar carousel is one of those ideas!
How it works: Upload up to 5 profile photos to your carousel. Every time someone views your profile, leaderboard entry, or sees your username anywhere on the site, the system randomly picks one photo from your collection to display. It's like giving your profile a personality that changes with every visit!
Sometimes the best features aren't in the original plan—they're born from creative wandering when your brain needs a break from serious work. 😄
🎉 Mars Attacks GIF Celebrations
Implemented: November 7, 2025
Every time you successfully upload a file to the Mothership, you're rewarded with a random Mars Attacks GIF celebration! These iconic Tim Burton movie clips play for 3 seconds to celebrate your contribution to the network database.
Features:
- Queue System: If you upload multiple files, all GIF celebrations queue up and play sequentially—you'll never miss one!
- Click to Skip: In a hurry? Click anywhere on the overlay to skip to the next GIF or return to uploading
- Sequential Playback: GIFs cycle through all 21 Mars Attacks clips in order—no accidental repeats!
- Centered Display: GIFs appear centered on your screen wherever you're scrolled, so you never miss the celebration
Recent Updates:
- Nov 7, 2025: Reduced GIF duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds for faster uploads
- Nov 7, 2025: Added click-to-skip functionality for power users
- Nov 7, 2025: Implemented sequential playback to prevent repeated GIFs
Because wardriving should be fun! 👽🛸
👻 Anonymous Uploads & The Orphan Account
Implemented: October 27, 2025
Not ready to create an account? No problem! WiFi Mothership supports anonymous uploads so you can contribute to the global database without signing in.
How it works:
- No Account Required: Just drag and drop your wardriving CSV files on the upload page—no sign-in needed!
- Full Leaderboard Presence: Anonymous uploads are tracked under the "Orphan" user account (User ID #1)
- Community Contribution: Your discoveries help other wardrivers even if you're not logged in
- Upgrade Anytime: Sign in with Google later to claim your own account and start earning personal points
The "Orphan" Account: All anonymous uploads are attributed to a special system account called "Orphan" (anonymous@wifimothership.com). This account appears on the leaderboard alongside regular users, showing the collective contribution of the community's anonymous uploads. You can view Orphan's profile just like any other user!
Feature History:
- Oct 27, 2025: Initial implementation of anonymous upload system
- Oct 27, 2025: Created Orphan user account (User ID #1) for attribution
- Nov 2, 2025: Added duplicate file detection via SHA-256 hashing
- Nov 6, 2025: Enhanced Chucky admin panel for Orphan account management
Privacy-first wardriving—contribute without commitment! 🛡️
🌍 Future Feature: what3words Integration
Planned Enhancement
We're planning to integrate what3words - a system that converts GPS coordinates into memorable 3-word addresses. Instead of sharing complex coordinates like "51.520847, -0.195521", you could share "///filled.count.soap"!
📍 How It Would Work:
- Network Locations: Every network would display a 3-word address like "///piano.laptop.dinner" alongside its coordinates
- Easy Sharing: Share network locations with friends using memorable addresses instead of long GPS coordinates
- Search by 3wa: Find networks near any 3-word address (e.g., "Show me networks at ///index.home.raft")
- Upload Notifications: See where your files were uploaded (e.g., "First network: ///music.ocean.drums (Seattle, WA)")
🚀 Planned Features:
- Display 3-word addresses in all map popups
- "Jump to location" search by 3-word address
- Social sharing with memorable addresses
- QR codes for network locations
- Multi-language support (26+ languages)
💡 This feature requires a Business API plan ($540/year) and will be added once the site generates revenue. In the meantime, we can implement free search features using the AutoSuggest API!
Learn more: what3words.com
📡 Cell Tower Discovery & Mapping
Live Feature
WiFi Mothership integrates with OpenCellID to display estimated cell tower locations on the Surveillance Detection Page. Compare aggregated tower positions against your own wardriving signal detections!
🔍 What is OpenCellID?
- Crowdsourced wardriving data - NOT official carrier infrastructure data (see OpenCellID Data Sources)
- Millions of user contributions - Smartphone apps like Tower Collector submit GPS + Cell ID combinations while users move around (How to Join)
- Estimated tower positions - Calculated from averaging multiple user detections of same Cell ID
- Community-driven database - Similar to your wardriving, but from global contributors
📊 What You Get:
- Carrier identification - T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint (from MCC/MNC codes)
- Technology details - GSM, UMTS, LTE, 5G tower types
- Estimated range - Based on detection distance spread
- Orange markers & clusters - Visually distinct from WiFi/Bluetooth networks
🗺️ How to Use:
- Visit the Surveillance Detection Page
- Toggle the "📡 Cell Towers" overlay using the control panel
- Zoom in to city-level (zoom 11+) - OpenCellID requires close-up view
- Towers auto-load for your current viewport
- Click any tower marker to see carrier, technology (LTE/5G), Cell ID, and more
- Compare tower locations against your wardriving signal detections!
🚀 Why This Matters:
- Compare YOUR data vs THE WORLD - See how your detections align with global wardriving
- Better tower positioning - Millions of detections averaged = more accurate estimates
- Coverage validation - Verify towers you detected match OpenCellID's database
- Global coverage - See towers in areas you haven't driven yet
- Carrier identification - Automatic carrier names from MCC/MNC codes
- Technology filtering - GSM, UMTS, LTE, 5G tower types
💡 IMPORTANT: OpenCellID data is crowdsourced wardriving from millions of smartphone users worldwide—NOT official carrier tower databases. Tower positions are estimated by averaging detection points, similar to how your own cell detections work. It's community wardriving data, just on a global scale! Learn more at OpenCellID.org