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| WiFi Box Frequently Asked Questions | ||
This is a work in progress. Submit your questions for inclusion.
Are there updates? Are they flash updates?
Can this be used for cracking, its just not built in?
Can you use t:his on an encrypted network?
Can you specify a specific access point to connect to?
Are you going to build in a WEP cracker any time soon?
Can you sell me better antennas? What would be the best to use?
Is this kit good for wardriving applications? How does it compare to your Cisco and Orinoco kits?
This looks just like a regular router, how on earth does this let you use internet on the road?
Q. Are there updates? Are they flash updates?
A. Currently the box scripts are updating frequently with new features. It isn't an update via flash because that would erase any custom configs you might do to the unit. The updates are script-based and pull down new files and replace them one-by-one. Major release changes may require re-flash in the future, though I don't see it from my vantage point now.
Q. Can this be used for cracking, its just not built in?
A. T here are people that have developed Linux-based and OpenWRT based WEP cracking tools, and being that this is running OpenWRT on top of Linux, you could run anything you like on it.
Q. Can you use this on an encrypted network ;
A. Sure can. Currently the most common method (WEP) is supported and other encryption methods are under development.
Q. Can you specify a specific access point to connect to?
A. Yes!
Q. Are you going to build in a WEP cracker any time soon?
A. No. A WEP cracker will never be included. Although Kismet is included and it can work with Aircrack to crack WEP keys. But you need to implement that because the intention of the unit is to access the Internet via paths that have been intentionally left open. (see: Is this illegal?)
A. I am not a lawyer, and as such, my advice to anyone asking a legal question for which I might be held responsible is that you should consult one. However, as a thinking, ethical American, entitled to sharing an opinion, I will share my understanding of ethics, the law, networking and precedent. They all come up with the same unequivocal answer: this is absolutely moral and completely legal.
This device is doing nothing more than every single device connected to the Internet does countless times a minute. As configured, the unit will only use access points which have been configured to provide wide-open Internet access to all. This device will not crack security. It will not read encrypted packets (unless you have the key) and will not provide any access to the network which is providing the Internet access.
This unit simply uses open access points as a router-hop to the next network in the chain to the ultimate destination. This is something that every single bit of this page you are reading has done to get to you. It has gone though numerous different networks to get from my server to your screen. It is an integral part of internetworking and how the Internet itself works.
It is also a long-established precedent on the wired Internet that routers which have been configured to allow open routing to other networks are, by default, part of the Internet and are considered part of the public domain. Since the Internet is legal, and absolutely and completely based and dependant on this concept, I simply can't imagine that because some access points you encounter are open due to the negligence of router manufacturers and users who have not bothered to configure routers properly, that that this could be considered illegal anywhere that the Internet itself is legal. There is simply no difference whatsoever.
For those that require an analogy outside the established precedent of the internetworking world: If you have left your door wide open with a radio transmitter broadcasting on publicly designated airwaves continuously stating "ALL ARE WELCOME AT 123 MAIN STREET, PLEASE COME IN" ; you should expect visitors. Further, as the visitor to 123 Main Street, you should not expect that you have done anything wrong, even if, after the fact it comes to light that the manufacturer of the transmitter set it with that message out of the box and the owner installed the transmitter and never bothered to read the manual and/or change the message.
I believe all responsibility and negligence for a misconfigured router lies with the manufacturer and the installer. Since a considerable amount of people and businesses are intentionally providing free wireless Internet access, and there is no other mechanism to determine intent other than the owner's configuration, it is absolutely reasonable to believe that wireless access points configured to advertise open paths to the Internet over public airwaves are in the public domain.
If anyone sees fault in any of this logic, please do share your insight.
Q. Can you sell me better antennas? What would be the best to use?
A. I would use the stock antennas. I need to make an answer to your antenna question in the FAQ - A LOT of people ask it. The stock antennas really are best for most applications. Antennas are like eye glasses - if you have stronger than you need, it is NOT a good thing! Unlike if you had a PC card based kit where the manufacturer is under severe space and placement limitations for the integrated antenna, with this unit, the absolute best antennas for most applications are actually already included with the box. You also have the ability to place the box in an optimal signal location. I have tried dozens of antennas, (and also design and build antennas) and the only time you should change them from stock on this particular unit is if you have a specific need outside of general mobile situations that calls for a different antenna radiation pattern.
Now, if you'd like to buy antennas, I've got plenty for sale ;-)
Q. Can this setup be used for wardriving? How does it compare to your Cisco and Orinoco kits?
A. Yes. This is, by far, the absolute best wardriving rig I have EVER sold.
Q. This looks just like a regular router, how on earth does this let you use internet on the road?
A. The WRT54G series of routers is actually a small Linux based computer which has been programmed by Linksys to route data for small networks. Linux gurus have gotten together and figured out how to reprogram the router's basic operating system so that other Linux programmers and scripters can have access to the operating system. We then customize the functions of this unit to serve different applications than for which the unit was originally designed.
Besides the scripts that search for the access points and establish connections, what the reconfiguration of this unit does at its core is change some of the basic routing configurations of the unit. One of the most basic changes is that the WiFi port is disconnected from the Local network and redefined as a separate routed interface to be used for Internet connectivity.
So, more simply, what this box does at the most basic network level is just like a DSL or Cable Modem/Router - except instead of connecting a cable to your Internet Service Provider (the cable or phone company) the unit constantly searches the airwaves for open paths to the Internet, and establishes connections through those access points.