Why i LOVE my Wi-Fi card

[Instigator]

Hello,
Today i was sittimg at a local barber shop waiting for my sisters to get their hair done. I realized that I had left my Wi-fi card in my clie. I didn't think it would work but what the heck i though i'll try it anyway. And then to my amazement my clie found a router and it was in a store way up the street. Man i love my wi-fi! BTW this post was made through my clie

[NX70BOY]

Coolness. :)

[imadrin]

how did you just "find a router"?.... i thought you needed ssid, passwords, etc.

[dante21]

Yeah please tell me!

[wilsondk]

Most wireless access points (WAPs) are shipped with no security (e.g. Linksys and DLink). If the person installing the WAP doesn't know what he or she is doing, the person just plugs in the WAP and never touches it again. With the default settings, anybody can connect and use the router. *Soapbox* The router should always be locked down immediately--SSID, WEP key (pref. 128 bit), and if you are really paranoid (like me)--MAC address filtering so that only certain wireless cards can access the router.

[Sensei]

man...I want a Wi-Fi card....:( :( :mad: :mad:

[dante21]

I have the dough to get one but I have been saving it for a portable DVD player.

[jadedboi]

i've got a wi fi card for my clie.. but i thought the software required the specific ssid of the router to connect. wep aside, i haven't been able to get the clie to connect to even the unsecured router at home without putting in the ssid.

if there's a way to connect to a router without knowing the ssid, i'd like to know what it is...

it'd be nice if there was a way to transparently change between access points using the clie. there are quite a few wireless freenets setting up in my area, and it'd be a pain to have to input the ssid of each router in a seperate profile. :(

maybe one day netchaser will be compatible with the clie... *hope*

[wilsondk]

My guess is that the WAP for which Instigator's CLIE is configured has the same SSID as the one he found in the barber shop (e.g. the default SSID). He just got lucky...

[bbratberg]

Just enter the word 'any' for the SSID name and it will connect with a WAP that has not been secured.

[imadrin]

Originally posted by bbratberg
Just enter the word 'any' for the SSID name and it will connect with a WAP that has not been secured.

now there is a very useful thing to know

i don't really understand the ad-hoc mode/ setup. would anyone care to enlighten me?

[n2ifp]

The SSID is just identification of the wireless access point. It's not a security feature. If your in close proximity of other wireless access points, it gives an idea of which one is being used, if all were equally accessible.

Adhoc is the mode to use when not using the wireless LAN, but talking to another PC directly. Infrastructure mode is when going through a wireless LAN to talk to another computer, internet, etc.

[networker]

Originally posted by dante21
I have the dough to get one but I have been saving it for a portable DVD player. Check ebay. WL100 usually goes between $65 to $75. I was lucky to get one at $45. Shipping is usually around $8-10.

[networker]

Originally posted by bbratberg
Just enter the word 'any' for the SSID name and it will connect with a WAP that has not been secured. Yes, I used the same at Scholotzsky's Deli. They provide free Wireless access to patrons. The SSID of Any works for most 'Open' nodes.

[dante21]

That is very good to know cause we have plenty up here in the Spokane Wa area. I want one really bad so I will probably go to ebay and see if I can nab one of those badboys.

[Instigator]

Hey, guess what. I also found a wi-fi at the pharmacy and at my mall. I never knew that my little town had that many wi-fi spots. :^)

[rob_squared]

This is called warwalking. :D

I found one at CompUSA and one in my apartment building. So now every time I go into any store I check to see if it has a access point.

[Darwin]

yeah, I'm impressed, I just got my wireless card, and have been trying it around campus. my school has just decided that the academic side needs to have wireless... I tried it outside (about 50 feet from a building) and it worked... actually, I stayed connected walking around just about everywhere.

RIT has finally done SOMETHING right

[med]

I believe double exclamation signs (!!) also work as SSID. This is to access hotspots of unknown config.

cheers

[outdoor]

cool! thanks med!!!!

[dante21]

hey outdoor could you tell me all the stuff that you did to connect with you NX70...if it is not to much to ask!

[Forest_Noggle]

Instigator:

So where are you at? Wouldn't happen to be Oregon would it?


OK EVERYONE:

So now that you all know this works, a couple questions:

I am in a small town in Oregon. There is no WI-FI here that I know of as far as a paid network (other than Sprint, but I believe you have to physically connect to the Sprint phone that I DON'T have). We are supposed to get WI-FI through a Cell provider by next spring. Because of this, I gave up on currently getting into this. Soooooo, with what you are saying, what is the average range that the Sony WI-FI card will pick up?

Are you all in areas that even have a WI-FI subscription service available?

If I set up a home network, could I tap into it from a reasonable distance? How far?

Thanks, Jay

[elo]

The usable distance from the access point depends on the equipment and configuration--150 feet is a common limit; 300 is a best-case scenario. Note that the connection gets considerably slower as you move further away, even within the distances above.

In response to some earlier posts, many access points are available for public use not because they were unsecured out of ignorance, but instead because their owner *chose* to make them publicly available. Say your broadband connection is 100Mbps. The maximum 802.11b throughput is 11Mbps. Why not let others use your extra bandwidth?

The dark side of the above, however, is that some would set up something like this, then gleefully record your passwords and everything else that flies between you and the access point. A third party could do the same.

elo

[n2ifp]

What about someone getting downloads of child porn off someones network? I believe if a user doesn't take reasonable efforts to secure the network, they can be held in complicity. I am not about to take that chance, additionally, for anyone to use my WLAN, they would have to come onto my property.

I am sure there are a few WAP's that are unsecure because of ignorance too :).

[dante21]

Well the cops would look on your hard drive and if they don't see kiddie porn then they can't charge you with anything.....right. Anyway I went to a Starbucks in my area (yeah I know) and I got connected in no time through Tmobile hotspot. I didn't sign up because I wanted more time to mess with it and I had to come in and work tonight. I like it but I want to find a better browser then Netfront. I will mess with it a little longer.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by dante21
Well the cops would look on your hard drive and if they don't see kiddie porn then they can't charge you with anything.....right. Anyway I went to a Starbucks in my area (yeah I know) and I got connected in no time through Tmobile hotspot. I didn't sign up because I wanted more time to mess with it and I had to come in and work tonight. I like it but I want to find a better browser then Netfront. I will mess with it a little longer.

Yes, the quest for a better browser, I am still waiting :(

[dante21]

I messed with it for like 5 minutes so I don't know everything about it so I don't really want to get rid of it I just want to see what else is out there.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by dante21
I messed with it for like 5 minutes so I don't know everything about it so I don't really want to get rid of it I just want to see what else is out there.

Try the newest version of NetFront v1.1.47

You'll find in it in the thread below along with instructions

http://www.cliesource.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=261304#post261304

Enjoy :)!

[likestech]

wifi is a cool technology for a PDA. In the waiting room of a local hospital, I found an access point in about 4 seconds and then downloaded 70 e-mail messages. In this particular instance, wifi worked better than my cell phone!

[dante21]

That is cool. I went to this soup shop and they had one where I downloaded all types of stuff. until I saw that I had a freaking parking ticket on my car. Man I hate downtown spokane.

[foxsht]

I've been thinking about it for a long long time,maybe I should buy one now!

[Instigator]

Originally posted by wilsondk
Most wireless access points (WAPs) are shipped with no security (e.g. Linksys and DLink). If the person installing the WAP doesn't know what he or she is doing, the person just plugs in the WAP and never touches it again. With the default settings, anybody can connect and use the router. *Soapbox* The router should always be locked down immediately--SSID, WEP key (pref. 128 bit), and if you are really paranoid (like me)--MAC address filtering so that only certain wireless cards can access the router.
how would i go about setting up mac address filtering? and the wep key stuff?

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by Instigator

how would i go about setting up mac address filtering? and the wep key stuff?

You WL100/110 card has the MAC address on the label. The WEP Key you create inside your Wireless Access Point using 128 bit HEX. Use a 13 character pass phrase and then copy the resultant HEX 26 character HEX code to the Clie. You can also print it out from your web browser.

Take the MAC address and add it to your router, it should be self explanitory. Then you can enable or disable it. Make a print out of that too for your records. It's not as hard as it sounds.  

[wilsondk]

FYI, my Wireless Access Point doesn't support pass phrases, so I had to come up with the hex key on my own. Birthdays separated by letters worked for me.

[gulkent]

So when you guys browse internet at barbers, airports, doctors office or at malls etc. Do you all just use the free browser after connecting to the network or are you also logging on to your internet service provider in addition to that. Please let me know. thanks

[samsitedesigns]

I use it to take pictures and movies and send them via wirelessly over at home and office.. and other places where i can find wifi connection..  i heard you can get a pocket pc which has a wifi sniffer.. which can find the ssid of wireless access points... you have to upgrade the os to pocket pc 2003 tho :)

 :p:p:p

[ksjenkins]

Originally posted by n2ifp
What about someone getting downloads of child porn off someones network? I believe if a user doesn't take reasonable efforts to secure the network, they can be held in complicity. I am not about to take that chance, additionally, for anyone to use my WLAN, they would have to come onto my property.

I am sure there are a few WAP's that are unsecure because of ignorance too :).

The opposite is true as well! If I leave my WAP open for all, I run Ethereal to sniff anybody loggin on. I only do this when I'm sitting a my PC, tho I haven't gotten any takers yet.;) .. My neighbor leaves his wide open, I hit it the other day by accident, he said he has a sniffer running just to see if anyone else tries to use it.

 

Be careful in your WARwalking :D

 

 

[UZI4U182]

LOL, i like this thread!

I just got my router yesterday, but not the card yet, and I must say - it's agony not being able to use an active WiFi signal!

My router is a Netgear. Incredibly easy to set up!

[wilsondk]

Originally posted by UZI4U182
LOL, i like this thread!

I just got my router yesterday, but not the card yet, and I must say - it's agony not being able to use an active WiFi signal!

My router is a Netgear. Incredibly easy to set up!

I've always liked Netgear equipment.  They've always designed their stuff with a small business in mind.  Enjoy!!!

[n2ifp]

Yes, the Netgear stuff has been very user friendly since the Clie first became radio-active (WiFi) ;)

[UZI4U182]

Well I now got my WL100, and I'm enjoying every bit of it. I have a question: How can you see if your neighbors around your house have WiFi without turning off your router?

[greg elmassian]

put a wifi in your desktop and search from there, or get a ppc and a sniffer program, of go next door and ask him!