uses the ESP8266 wifi module to look for near smartphones around you. You can do this very easily with any computer and some software but this is a good way to learn the possibilities of these tiny ESP8266 modules.
VERY IMPORTANT: This code is only for educational purposes. We don’t want to listen for any private communication and we don't do it. All packets that you can listen with this code are public packets without any encryption or secure layer on it, continuously broadcasted to the air by smartphones. Please, check which country's laws applies to you before use this code.
For more information visit https://blog-blacktechx.hashnode.dev/esp8266-wifi-probe-request-sniffer
Your phone is constantly searching for all WiFi networks which you already connect in the past (unless you did remove as "saved"), saying to anyone who is listening for those public packets where you have been before, and of course, your unique device MAC address.
Those public packets are named as "probe requests" and are used by smartphones to connect faster to wifi networks than if it waits for the network send a Beacon frame to announce the SSID.
This program just listen for those "probe requests" and prints to serial port the information. For now only shows the RSSI (bigger values are near devices), the MAC address of the device and the SSID (if available) of the wifi network which is looking for. Something like that:
For programing You have two option
It is automatic flasher tool and it also has Serial monitor that is important in this project because prob requests are displayed through Serial output. How to Flash using ESP8266 WIFI PROBE SNIFFER Web tool
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Select your esp8266 boad
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Connect your ESP8266 board via USB
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Click Connect and Select the serial port of your ESP
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on Device Dashboard Click on install
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after restart the ESP boad and on Device Dashboard Click on "log"
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after few seconds you will see output
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download and open
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open Arduino skitch
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select your esp8266 based board now click on "upload" button
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after upload restart the ESP boad and open Serial monitor
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now after few seconds you will see output like this-
