Found a deal for anyone interested in reading the forums wireless on their notebook/desktop...

Until Saturday night, Target has the Microsoft Wireless Notebook/Desktop Kit for $99!! Normally they sell for $179-199, and the best I found online was $159... Now you can read the Lightning board from the privacy of your very own bathroom, or sitting in your truck in the garage

I figured I'd make the post related to the forum

Git out and get a kit while they still have em!!!

 

SWEET! THANKS!

 

Listening to .......... and drinking a ..........


Let's get this party started!!

 

...quoting Homer S.:

"WOO HOO!!"

 

I personally like to post while on the can. LOL

 

security!!

 

Make sure you're able to encrypt the network traffic else your neighbor(s) can and will post on their favorite boards (or worse) whilest on their crapper (or worse) courtesy of your ISP account.

 

been wireless for almost 2 years now and never enabled wep because i dont think anyone that lives within a mile of me knows what the internet is, lol.

btw, my access point and card cost me about $500 back then

 

There's a $20 rebate on the kit as well, bringing you down to a nice $79 for a whole kit

http://ak.buy.com/buy_assets/retail/..._E_Coupon2.pdf

it's not just for a purchase from buy.com... should work from anywhere.

 

Even WEP is just like locking the doors on your truck.. If they want to get in they will just use a hammer.

You can dload an application ( netstumbler ) that will turn your PC with Lucent or Cisco wireless card into a scanning and mapping station. I drove from work to the house 10 miles away one night and picked up 14 access points 11 of which were unencrypted. That is driving down I 35 at 60 miles an hour. Which means those AP's were withing 300-400 feet of the track as it whissed by. I knew the network name the AP manufacturer, channel, and whether or not wep was turned on. If you hook a GPS to your laptop it will map the AP's on a map for you so you know where to go back to for free internet.

I have been using wireless for a couple years now and I make a little $$ on the side installing, configuring and securing Wi Fi networks.

Beware of the CHEAP wi-fi network cards - seen LOTS of them where the drivers simply dont work.

Cisco is one of the best and thier prices have gone down a lot but no where near $100.00

I am always amazed by the people who email me looking for wireless help that want to use Wifi to share a DSL connection with their neighbor or a nearby company. Why would you spend $300 plus labor to save $20 a month ?

Doug

 

Like doug said wireless security is a joke, even at our office we disabled it and put the access points outside of our firewall and then ppl use the VPN to get back inside, which is secure.

 

Yep... BUT if you run encryption and your neighbor doesn't the lazy folks just looking will pass you by and go for the easier target.... The idea in security is to NOT be the easy target. You don't have to be Fort Knox just don't be the easy one... Common sense, don't leave your keys in your truck, use wheel locks, hide valuables. All good advice but wont stop a determined thief.

If you run wireless at home and have Financial info or other sensitive stuff on your PC get a personal firewall. Zonealarm or Black ice ....

Before all the layoffs we had some fun driving to coworkers houses and changing the settings on their DSL routers from the street, then changing the passwords to the router so they had to hard reset them to get back in...

Doug

 

haha, ive messed with war-chalking a little myself


Luckily, i tried my own house, and you have to be in pretty good veiw to pick up my netgear router with its teeny weeny antenna (pic below). Not even any trees in the yard to hide behind. Neighbors houses are far enough away that youd have to have a orinoco with a pringles can yagi to see my wifi

 

Agree 100%.

 

I just ordered this


So next year I will be able to keep a eye on the boards, and to send you updates right from the track.

Hows that for being connected, LOL