README

Fieldwatch

I built Fieldwatch as a personal tool to see which Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth LE devices my phone could detect, so I could better understand what was operating around me. It is entirely passive and only listens. There is no dongle, no account, and no backend server. It works offline in the field.

My goals were a modern, easy-to-use interface; flexible, customizable views; a filtering engine so I only see what matters; an extensible signature library so I can identify as many radio sources as possible and add new ones on the fly; and the ability to generate reports of what was observed.

I have been using it and iterating on it for a while now, and it has been useful enough that I thought I would share it.

This is a hobby — something I do for fun in my spare time. There is no Fieldwatch backend. There are no ads. Everything lives on the phone. Source and sideload files are in this repository (dist/ for the APK, instruction card, and manual).

If you spot an error, something stupid, or have a feature idea — in the app or the documentation — please open an issue on this repository. This is how we make it better. I hope you find it as useful as I have. I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Just want to install it? Download Fieldwatch.apk. Instruction card and manual: instruction.txt, Fieldwatch_User_Manual.pdf. What’s new is the changelog for each build. Leave the APK named Fieldwatch.apk. GitHub may say the file is too big to preview — that is their viewer; use Download.

There is a lot of functionality in Fieldwatch. I wrote a comprehensive user guide, and I encourage you to download it so you can get the most out of the app.

Stay updated. Fieldwatch isn't on the Play Store. Once it is installed, opening the app while the phone is online checks GitHub for a newer build. If there is one, Fieldwatch shows the release notes. Update now downloads it. Android still asks you to confirm the install. Later sets that build aside until a newer one is published. Settings has Check for an update if you want to look yourself. Obtainium can still watch https://github.com/OffGridPete/Fieldwatch.

Official builds. The only official Fieldwatch builds are the releases in this repo. Other builds and translations are not made or reviewed by Off Grid Pete LLC.

 On the phone


  
    
      
      Signatures
      More than 250 signatures, in classes. Bookmark one to alert, or add your own.
    
    
      
      Bluetooth floods
      A burst of new pairing addresses at the same loudness. The advertisement does not name the tool.
    
    
      
      GPS
      A warning when this phone's GPS changes in a way that can mean interference. It does not say where that came from.
    
  
  
    
      
      Trusted networks
      A Wi-Fi name you marked can warn if it comes back weaker, from a new maker, or far from its usual places.
    
    
      
      Known cameras
      Saved lists of plate readers and other sensors. Those marks sit on the ma

Top issues

Latest release

A live sit map keeps up on a long drive. The line, the stops, and the camera marks stay where they were.

On Reports → Path, the camera picture for that view slides with the map. Where two wedges of the same color overlap, the tint is painted once.

Hunt on a radio's detail page starts a new hunt. Leaving Hunt clears the walk.

When the signal is lost, the large number reads - - and the line under it reads -- dBm · Signal Lost.

Filters can hide randomized Bluetooth. Wi-Fi stays. The sit still keeps those radios.

Bundled language files are written for this version. Signal Lost and H