Drive-by Wi-Fi surfing becomes a sport... of sorts

A group of wireless networking enthusiasts from down-under are gearing up to hold a Wi-Fi treasure hunt.

The event will take place on 7 December in New Zealand, and is being organised by NZWireless - an organisation that is helping to drive the rollout of community-based wireless networks. To complete the challenge, contestants will have to find a series of wireless access points spread across a wide area of Auckland.

Each wireless network will yield a clue to the location of the next - this clue is likely be hidden in the network's SSID identifier - and teams will have to search around the area using network-detection software such as Netstumbler. The first team to track down all the networks will win, with another prize going to whoever can achieve the strongest signals from the networks.

The NZWireless Wi-Fi treasure hunt is though to be the first of its kind. Although essentially a light-hearted activity it may help to increase awareness of Wi-Fi issues such as security, as the presence of a small army of war-drivers looking for access points may encourage local companies to secure their networks.

Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet UK