Wireless Fun

[VCDHunter]

I'm typing this from the bottom of my garden on my laptop. It's about 28 degrees C, I've got my chilled stella by my side 20 duty free Lambert & Butler and a lovely potato salad All I need now is someone to goto work for me next week . . . . . . . .

[Capmaster]

I'm typing this from the bottom of my garden on my laptop. It's about 28 degrees C, I've got my chilled stella by my side 20 duty free Lambert & Butler and a lovely potato salad All I need now is someone to goto work for me next week . . . . . . . .

Lazy bastard

Actually, sounds like a perfectly reasonable way to sepnd the day - basking in the sun, sipping Egyptian beer and post-whoring. Can I come over?

[VCDHunter]

Just bring a laptop and a wireless NIC - I have a case of Stella on standby, if you bring Indy he'll have to bring his own wine coolers

[Capmaster]

Just bring a laptop and a wireless NIC - I have a case of Stella on standby, if you bring Indy he'll have to bring his own wine coolers

It's tempting

[northcat_8]

Just bring a laptop and a wireless NIC - I have a case of Stella on standby, if you bring Indy he'll have to bring his own wine coolers

It's tempting

I hear you cap...it is tempting but getting by those wine coolers is just too much to overcome

Congrats on the wireless VCD. A friend of mine has wireless and it is sweet. Nothing like just being able to log on from anywhere...lucky bastard :P

[Conquest10]

I got a wireless laptop. Its great. Don't have a router yet so I just jack someone's signal for the time being.

[Capmaster]

I got a wireless laptop. Its great. Don't have a router yet so I just jack someone's signal for the time being.

That's precisely why we use 64-bit WEP and MAC address filtering on our home WLAN. Some of the WAPs and routers will let you put a threshold in the setup where it won't connect unless the signal is a strong one. That eliminates the cruisers.

[IAIHMB]

How good has your connection been so far? We have satellite TV and when it rains we lose all connection, are wireless internet connections any better?

[duffyr83]

i have a wireless network at home too. never had any problems with it. weather doesnt affect, just as long as the cable modem up and running theres no problems

alright

[Doramius]

I'd still bring a tower, and I have an 1000W AC inverter in my car with an UPS, too. Left it there from camping this weekend. My friends and I were playing 'Return to Wolfenstein' and roasting marshmallows. It's a cool setup if there's a LAN party nearby and you don't want to be inside with everyone else (especially gamers who don't shower or use deodorant). Just connect via wireless NIC. As long as there's not heavy distortion between you & the inside of the building and you're not too far away in the parking lot, you're good to go.

[Capmaster]

How good has your connection been so far? We have satellite TV and when it rains we lose all connection, are wireless internet connections any better?

Weather doesn't affect it at all.

[Grimey]

My brothers place is set up for wireless internet. it's pretty handy.

[ChrisX]

I got wireless Internet access using my notebook and certainly is fun.

I can be anywhere around the home, upstairs or on lower level.

You can even share your Internet access with your neighbor or from your neighbor and worked out in agreement.

This can be done without intrusion of a local computer network.

Chris

[DVD_Ripper]

Biggest concern here in the states is "wireless thugs" driving around the neighborhood trying to tap into these wireless networks. Most homeowners don't know what a firewall is....

[ChrisX]

Biggest concern here in the states is "wireless thugs" driving around the neighborhood trying to tap into these wireless networks. Most homeowners don't know what a firewall is....

I've read it and learnt of a guy in Los Angeles saying a lot of Americans aren't securing their wireless Internet access.

He was able to access Internet via other people’s wireless access everywhere.

He was saying the people who owned the laptops have no idea how to add security and they left them as no protection at all. All because they just don’t know.

They just don't know what WEP or WPA is and they just don’t know how to encrypt the wireless signals with the codes used just like a password.

They can as in so many digits as the key number length depend how secure you want, a 64-bit, a 128-bit or a 256-bit.

The key number gets larger the more secure your protection is from unauthorized intrusion.

A firewall is one way to protect your laptop from this privacy threat.

[Byronleehk]

So true DVD_Ripper.

As a matter of fact I know of a place (I live in LA) where you can 'order' a WIFI detector for just $80.00 and up...sad but true

[Doramius]

I have a detector for wireless networks, but I only use it to check signal strength when I'm in the parking lot outside of a LAN party. But it's got a firewall and I still need the codes and setup to connect to it. Of course I've gone other places and used internet service for free, but haven't done it very often. They might as well put up towers and make it like cell phones work. Pay $30 and get codes and just connect anywhere there's signal availability. we're not far from doing that now.

[tekkieman]

They might as well put up towers and make it like cell phones work. Pay $30 and get codes and just connect anywhere there's signal availability. we're not far from doing that now.

That would be sweet! Only problem is since cell phones barely work here, I bet wireless would be just as bad.

[Doramius]

Not so. The $30 monthly also includes the hardware to set up the wireless netwrok in your own home. So anybody near you can use it too, IF they have the codes by paying their $30 a month to the main provider.

[tekkieman]

They might as well put up towers and make it like cell phones work.

Problem is still the connection to the provider. If we have the cell towers here (we do), and still can't get enough signal strength for the phones to work reliably, wireless internet access will be the same way (in my location).

We do have one RF provider in the area, but I could not try their service as it requires LOS to the local air park. Very few places here have LOS to the air park!

Now, if you mean, say, like DirectWay, where there could be a single neighborhood dish, that anyone in the neighborhood with the codes could access, that just might work. No, that would work. It's no different than what we do now, except that each local account holder makes their own deals with the neighbors. You can get enough wireless range to provide 5-8 houses with access through your account. Charge them $15-20 each, your bill is paid with a little extra profit.

I can provide about 5 houses around mine with access. Charge $15.00 per house for 3Mb DSL. Since I have 10 sub accounts and currently only use 3 for myself, the rest are up for rent! My monthly bill is $42.00. Simple math! 8)

[Doramius]

It won't be long until the public realizes more of this and it starts getting incorporated. Of course the big companies will probably realize this first or around the same time and try preventative measures to stop it or slow it down while they make as much profit as possible.

Back east I had Time Warner broadband through my cable and it only cost $30 a month for their max bandwidth of 10Mbps. They had heavy competition with RCA and another company. Also DSL at 3-5Mbps was $20 a month. Out in Vegas, I'm paying $35 a month for 1.5Mbps with DSL. Cox charges $40 for 1.5 and $45-$50 for 3Mbps. People here are getting raped. Now I ask, other than the fact that they can meter it, what's the major difference that causes 3Mbps to be more expensive than 1.5Mbps, other than the fact that it's faster? I don't charge people to network to my computer at a LAN party. We usually charge for food, electricity, room rental, and maybe prizes if we can't get a sponsor to do it. The equipment was paid for by the first 3 LAN parties or the sponsors paid us to advertise them and we used the sponsor's money for equipment. To Play at a few of the LAN parties I've helped out with, playing the games is virtually free.

[Treebeard]

So true DVD_Ripper.

As a matter of fact I know of a place (I live in LA) where you can 'order' a WIFI detector for just $80.00 and up...sad but true

Why pay for something like this when you can simply use netstumbler?