Fieldwatch tool identifies nearby wireless devices with a phone

Open-source wireless detection

Ham radio enthusiast OffGridPete has open-sourced Fieldwatch, a free MIT-licensed tool on GitHub that recognizes up to 242 types of wireless devices. The application listens for WiFi and Bluetooth signals that a phone can receive, allowing users to find, track and compare devices nearby.

OffGridPete says Fieldwatch can identify signatures associated with trackers, drones, smart glasses and cameras, along with hundreds of other devices. The app can alert a user when a selected device type or address appears and can flag a device that appears to be following the user. It also allows a session to be recorded at one location or along a drive for comparison with later visits.

Offline operation and editable signatures

Fieldwatch was built as a personal tool for examining WiFi access points and Bluetooth LE advertisements detected by a phone. Its signature list can be edited in the app, and OffGridPete describes the project as a filtering engine with an extensible signature library. Users can add signatures while using the tool and create reports of detected sources.

According to its creator, Fieldwatch is passive and works offline. He says it does not send information elsewhere, store data on a server, require an account or use a dongle or backend server. Its stated purpose is to classify radios heard by the phone so users can focus on or receive alerts about selected devices.

OffGridPete also responded to suggestions of existing services by saying Fieldwatch has a different role from WiGLE. In his description, WiGLE maps and shares access points in a large online database, while Fieldwatch identifies and classifies nearby radio sources heard by the phone.

Flock Safety camera detection

Fieldwatch includes capabilities aimed at detecting Flock Safety cameras. OffGridPete says the tool can help users identify equipment linked to the automated license plate recognition company, reduce false alerts caused by similar wireless devices and add more identification details to exported reports.

OffGridPete is also one of two listed contributors to Go Flock Yourself, a small receive-only GitHub app that attempts to detect nearby Flock cameras. Cybernews reported earlier in the week that Flock was trying to remove the most complete map of its nationwide surveillance network, created by cybersecurity researcher Joshua Michael.

Sources: Github