Mozilla Stumbler is an open-source wireless network scanner that collects GPS data for the Mozilla Location Service, our crowd-sourced location database. We have just released version 1.0 on the Google Play Store, making it easier for users to install Mozilla Stumbler and stay updated. If you prefer the alternative f-droid catalog, you can also get Mozilla Stumbler on f-droid.
As you move around, the app “stumbles” upon new Wi-Fi networks and cell towers. The Mozilla Location Service combines these wireless observations to provide geolocation services such as showing your location on a map and Find My Device for Firefox OS. The Stumbler’s own map view shows our database coverage (as blue clouds) on your Android device, so you can see which individual streets are yet to be stumbled. For more information about the service visit our project page.
How to use Mozilla Stumbler
- Go to un-stumbled areas (not covered in blue) to fill in the coverage map
- Try walking, biking, or driving new routes with Mozilla Stumbler every day.
- Start with major streets and intersections, then explore side streets. But make sure you stay safe and away from shady places.
- Your contributions will take a day to show up on the coverage map.
- The app stops automatically when your battery is low.
Competitive contributors can enter an optional nickname in Stumbler’s settings and track their progress on our leaderboard. The weekly leaderboards are very active. New contributors, because they are often stumbling in new areas and reporting undiscovered wireless networks, have a good chance of ranking at the top of weekly leaderboards.
To conserve cellular data usage, the Stumbler’s map view only shows high resolution map tiles on Wi-Fi. To always show the high resolution maps, you can change the Stumbler’s Developer Settings.
Please report bugs on our GitHub bug tracker or the #geo IRC channel on Mozilla’s IRC server. Mozilla Stumbler is open-source software. The code is available on GitHub.