WaveDigger: Dig into wireless signals to discover their physical locations
WaveDigger is an open-source Next.js application that queries Apple's undocumented location services API to map the physical locations of Wi-Fi access points and cell towers.
summary is enough Skim this if you want a ready-to-use interface for querying Apple's geolocation database, though the underlying protocol is already documented in external research repositories.
summary
WaveDigger is a web application built with Next.js and deck.gl that maps Wi-Fi access points and cell towers using their hardware identifiers. It functions by sending protobuf-encoded requests directly to Apple's undocumented WLOC API endpoint, leveraging reverse-engineering research from prior open-source efforts. While it provides a convenient interactive map and data export features, its longevity depends on Apple leaving this endpoint unauthenticated. Commenters note that users can opt their access points out of Apple's tracking database by appending _nomap to their SSID.
key points
- Queries Apple's undocumented gs-loc.apple.com/clls/wloc endpoint using protobuf definitions to translate BSSIDs and cell tower parameters into coordinates.
- Built with Next.js 15, TypeScript, and deck.gl for interactive browser-based map rendering and CSV/JSON data export.
- Relies entirely on the reverse-engineering work done by the apple-corelocation-experiments community project.
- Access point owners can opt out of Apple's underlying location database by changing their SSID to end with _nomap.
who should read it
Network engineers, security researchers, and developers interested in location services and reverse-engineered APIs.
discussion warm
consensus
Commenters note that WaveDigger effectively surfaces Apple's crowdsourced Wi-Fi location database—similar to older services like Skyhook or WiGLE—though many wonder why Apple hasn't locked down the API endpoint with device certificates yet.
pushback
Some users point out that the returned cell tower coordinates are often too coarse to be practically useful, and discuss the privacy implications of hardware identifiers being used for surveillance.
Apple says you can opt out of this collection by appending _nomap to the SSID:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102515
> The owner of a Wi-Fi access point can opt it out of Apple's Location Services by changing the access point's SSID (name) to end with "_nomap." For example, "Access_Point" would be changed to "Access_Point_nomap."
It provides a practical way for Wi-Fi owners to opt out of Apple's location database referenced by the app.
Generated by an LLM from the article and thread. Check the sources before relying on it.