Known as a Stingray or a cell-site simulator, the tool masquerades as a cell tower in order to force all devices in a given area to connect into it. Agents can then pick the number they’re interested in and locate the device. Normally that would be a mobile phone, but a search warrant application discovered by Forbes shows it can also be used to find vehicles, as long as they have onboard Wi-Fi. That’s because car Wi-Fi systems act like a phone, in that they reach out to mobile networks to get their data.

Brewster, T. (2021, July 22). The FBI is locating cars by spying on their WiFi. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2021/07/22/the-fbi-is-using-stingray-smartphone-surveillance-to-locate-cars-and-spy-on-their-wifi/?sh=78fc6a835c89