My First WarDrive (How Exciting)

IrishLuck1980 · 07-14-2004

Well, I stumbled onto this page on accident. Started reading some links and the Forum. I was hooked. I spent the next 5 hours gaining all the information I could from various sources. Even went on mIRC.

This is what I use.

Dell TrueMobile 1300 WLAN PC Card
Netstumbler
Gateway Laptop

So I get in my car and see what I can see in the City of Buffalo, NY. WOW. I came across over 50 APs and only 3 were protected! Hell, I parked my car when Netstumbler started going crazy and next thing I know I got Internet. lol Wow. I found my new hobby. Plan on getting an Antenna soon.

07-14-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishLuck1980

Well, I stumbled onto this page on accident. Started reading some links and the Forum. I was hooked. I spent the next 5 hours gaining all the information I could from various sources. Even went on mIRC.

This is what I use.

Dell TrueMobile 1300 WLAN PC Card
Netstumbler
Gateway Laptop

So I get in my car and see what I can see in the City of Buffalo, NY. WOW. I came across over 50 APs and only 3 were protected! Hell, I parked my car when Netstumbler started going crazy and next thing I know I got Internet. lol Wow. I found my new hobby. Plan on getting an Antenna soon.

Excuse me while I put on a Flame Retardant suit.

What you are doing is illegal my friend.

IrishLuck1980 · 07-14-2004

So then I should disable Windows Automatic Network Detect Setting?

G8tK33per · 07-14-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishLuck1980

So I get in my car and see what I can see in the City of Buffalo, NY. WOW. I came across over 50 APs and only 3 were protected! Hell, I parked my car when Netstumbler started going crazy and next thing I know I got Internet. lol Wow. I found my new hobby. Plan on getting an Antenna soon.

Obviously you didn't read enough, I see a ban in your future...

Thorn · 07-14-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishLuck1980

... Hell, I parked my car when Netstumbler started going crazy and next thing I know I got Internet. lol Wow. ...

Congratulations. You've just admitted to committing a felony on a public forum. Connecting to a network without permission is illegal. If you keep it up, your nickname won't be "IrishLuck1980" for long. You'll have to change it to "Inmate #1827402" or "Bubba's BoyToy."

FYI, it is the policy of this forum to give all available information on a poster at the request of Law Enforcement Officials.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishLuck1980

So then I should disable Windows Automatic Network Detect Setting?

Yes, and TCP/IP, as well as any other network protocols you may be running.

tcd04 · 07-19-2004

How about helping the guy understand what he did was wrong, help him stumble without breaking laws, rather then just be harsh about it. You don't have to use scare tactics!

He's obviously new to this!

I remember how i got into this hobby, i literally stumbled into it. I had the laptop in the car on a trip one week, the wife was driving and i was typing up some docs that i needed to get done. The enterasys roamabout card, basically an Orinco Gold 128 rebranded, was in the laptop because i use wireless networking at home and the office, and while sitting at a stop sign and typing suddenly Norton Antivirus pops up the message that my virus definitions have been updated.

First off I'm thinking WTF, i sure as hell ain't near my home network. Then i noticed the connection in the tray was active rather than x'd out because of no connection. Next thing i did was pull the card out and put it in the laptop bag, that was scary!! Got home and started to figure out what happened, and while in the process of reading up on it i stumbled across netstumbler.org and started reading. I have to say, you guys on here are a wealth of knowledge, but just try and teach the newbies rather then flame them. Anyway, i finally decided to register so i could post and view the pics on peoples posts, for some reason it always asked me to login to view the attachments to the posts.

So anyway, now i have been using netstumbler for a while, mainly to help setup wireless networks, its a great tool to use, i like to use it for surveying a site and identifying the dead spots. Sure the tools with the client manager are good too, i just like having some software to play around with. Recently a friend and me tried a long haul connection with 18 inch dishes on each end, which i modified because i had some old RCA DirecTV dishes laying around, and we got across town with them, though its a small town so there isn't much for tall buildings to provide obstructions. So I'm hooked on playing around with 2.4 ghz. Currently I'm building some more antennas and preamps to go for a longer shot yet!

But, it all started with the accidental connection while working mobile. I just never thought about that happening, I have since read that Windows XP is a pain for stumblers because of the zero config wireless crap built in, which i think is why mine connected to something it shouldn't have that day. Makes me wonder how many people inadvertently connect to a AP with that running, some may never know because they are busy doing something. I wouldn't have known if the notice hadn't popped up. Evidently i had a connection long enough that Norton Auto LiveUpdate connected and downloaded a virus definition update and installed it using the AP that was who knows where. Got stuck at a red light for like 10 minutes in rush hour while typing up the latest invoices for my home business. Who would have thought, i never imagined that happening, though i had just upgraded my home network to include wireless and really hadn't done much research on having it setup on the laptop.

Live and learn..

And if you want to report me then go ahead. And if you want to ban me for admitting to something that happened accidentally before i even knew what i was doing having the wireless card in the laptop, then so be it. And just in case, good bye.

Thorn · 07-20-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcd04

How about helping the guy understand what he did was wrong, help him stumble without breaking laws, rather then just be harsh about it. You don't have to use scare tactics!

He's obviously new to this!

I remember how i got into this hobby, i literally stumbled into it. I had the laptop in the car on a trip one week, the wife was driving and i was typing up some docs that i needed to get done. The enterasys roamabout card, basically an Orinco Gold 128 rebranded, was in the laptop because i use wireless networking at home and the office, and while sitting at a stop sign and typing suddenly Norton Antivirus pops up the message that my virus definitions have been updated.

First off I'm thinking WTF, i sure as hell ain't near my home network. Then i noticed the connection in the tray was active rather than x'd out because of no connection. Next thing i did was pull the card out and put it in the laptop bag, that was scary!! Got home and started to figure out what happened, and while in the process of reading up on it i stumbled across netstumbler.org and started reading. I have to say, you guys on here are a wealth of knowledge, but just try and teach the newbies rather then flame them. Anyway, i finally decided to register so i could post and view the pics on peoples posts, for some reason it always asked me to login to view the attachments to the posts.

So anyway, now i have been using netstumbler for a while, mainly to help setup wireless networks, its a great tool to use, i like to use it for surveying a site and identifying the dead spots. Sure the tools with the client manager are good too, i just like having some software to play around with. Recently a friend and me tried a long haul connection with 18 inch dishes on each end, which i modified because i had some old RCA DirecTV dishes laying around, and we got across town with them, though its a small town so there isn't much for tall buildings to provide obstructions. So I'm hooked on playing around with 2.4 ghz. Currently I'm building some more antennas and preamps to go for a longer shot yet!

But, it all started with the accidental connection while working mobile. I just never thought about that happening, I have since read that Windows XP is a pain for stumblers because of the zero config wireless crap built in, which i think is why mine connected to something it shouldn't have that day. Makes me wonder how many people inadvertently connect to a AP with that running, some may never know because they are busy doing something. I wouldn't have known if the notice hadn't popped up. Evidently i had a connection long enough that Norton Auto LiveUpdate connected and downloaded a virus definition update and installed it using the AP that was who knows where. Got stuck at a red light for like 10 minutes in rush hour while typing up the latest invoices for my home business. Who would have thought, i never imagined that happening, though i had just upgraded my home network to include wireless and really hadn't done much research on having it setup on the laptop.

Live and learn..

And if you want to report me then go ahead. And if you want to ban me for admitting to something that happened accidentally before i even knew what i was doing having the wireless card in the laptop, then so be it. And just in case, good bye.

Actually we do need to use "scare tactics." Telling someone that they may be liable for arrest and conviction due to their actions is the way you get the point across that they are commiting crimes and they should stop immediately.

Being knew doesn't matter. There are an amazing amount of people who come in here weekly and use the "accidental" excuse. Letting it pass does nothing except to the attitude that such connections are "It's OK, as long as you didn't know." It is NOT OK, and using a tool like WZC improperly is not acceptable. Besides, if they don't know what their computers are doing, it is further proof that they should RTFM in the first place.

Being forgiving of stupidity doesn't help do anything except foster further stupidity.

We do not make an effort to actively report people here. However, posting that you have commited crimes is hardly a bright idea. We do cooperate with law enforement when requests are made for information.

wrzwaldo · 07-20-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcd04

How about helping the guy understand what he did was wrong, help him stumble without breaking laws, rather then just be harsh about it. You don't have to use scare tactics!

...

Thats why it is strongly encouraged for the folks new to these forums to spend some time lurking. Hell just reading the sticky topics would prevent many of these people from committing (or at least admitting to) such acts. But then I guess it's all about spoon feeding. To lazy to research on their own but not to lazy to break the law (whether on accident or not). After the billionth such post it gets a little tiring. The info is in the forums, if the noobs would use their hands and brains for something other than jerkin off looking at porn the "harsh" replyies would probably decrease.

G8tK33per · 07-20-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcd04

How about helping the guy understand what he did was wrong, help him stumble without breaking laws, rather then just be harsh about it. You don't have to use scare tactics!

Waa, waa, waa...sounds like it's time to change your cotton.

wrzwaldo · 07-20-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcd04

...

Currently I'm building some more antennas and preamps to go for a longer shot yet!

...

What do you plan on doing with a preamp? I would consider my card a "preamp" if i was using it to front end an amp. Are you planning on using your card as a pre preamp? And back on the legalities issue... You do realize there are power limits on the unlicensed ISM bands? And for more scare tactics... The fines for exceeding the set limits can be very large. I notice two very distinct patterns in the amp area. The hams (most of them) like to use less power and spend more time on antenna configuration (least power to establish reliable comms is required by the FCC). While the non-hams (some of them) just want to jam on a big amp and saturate the spectrum. The big amp approach in most cases is just being lazy. A high gain antenna and amp can be dangerous (that's why there are power limits)! If you are new to RF I strongly suggest you do some serious research before you start playing with amps and WiFi. Your nuts will thank you for it.

tcd04 · 07-20-2004

What are you talking about, I'm referring to a preamp, you know, a receive pre-amplifier to make up for line loss between the roof mounted antenna and the receiver, in this case the wireless card in the laptop. Yes, we like to communicate with the least amount of power possible, which usually means high gain antennas and preamps designed specifically for the frequency range being used.

I run preamps for weak signal work on 6m and 2m SSB, and satellite ops, so i already know the operation of these devices, and by far I'm not an RF newbie, just a wifi newb. I even have some 10ghz gear on the shelf, the receive sensitivity on the transverter i use for that is much more sensitive than this Orinoco card. Hence why i want to increase the receive sensitivity of the wifi card with a preamp. The only tricky part with doing this on a wifi card is to be able to separate the transmit and receive, although this shouldn't be that big of an issue at the small power levels these cards transmit. And i am already well into modifying an re-branded Orinoco gold that i snatched off ebay.

Now, if we were talking about an signal amplifier the other way around, aka a brick, then yes a high gain antenna and high power at 2.4 ghz is something that the average person should not play around with.

wrzwaldo · 07-20-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcd04

What are you talking about, I'm referring to a preamp, you know, a receive pre-amplifier to make up for line loss between the roof mounted antenna and the receiver, in this case the wireless card in the laptop...

Well you didn't say that you just said preamp. With some of the knuckle-heads we get in here "preamp" could have meant toilet.

tcd04 · 07-20-2004

That's true, too many CB types out there that refer to their amps based on how many pills (aka tubes/valves) it has.

Point well taken, however, its standard in the world of ham radio to refer to a device used to increase the receive signal strength as a preamp, and a device used to increase the transmitted signal strength as a amp, brick, afterburner, etc.. lol I guess sometimes i'm just used to referring to an item as the commonly used acronym in ham radio.

Oh, and for what its worth, using an amp and antenna is one thing, but a high gain antenna makes for a higher ERP, talk about boiling the neighbors morning coffee via wifi.

07-14-2004	#1 (permalink)
IrishLuck1980 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 2	My First WarDrive (How Exciting) Well, I stumbled onto this page on accident. Started reading some links and the Forum. I was hooked. I spent the next 5 hours gaining all the information I could from various sources. Even went on mIRC. This is what I use. Dell TrueMobile 1300 WLAN PC Card Netstumbler Gateway Laptop So I get in my car and see what I can see in the City of Buffalo, NY. WOW. I came across over 50 APs and only 3 were protected! Hell, I parked my car when Netstumbler started going crazy and next thing I know I got Internet. lol Wow. I found my new hobby. Plan on getting an Antenna soon.

07-19-2004	#6 (permalink)
tcd04 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 17	Wow... How about helping the guy understand what he did was wrong, help him stumble without breaking laws, rather then just be harsh about it. You don't have to use scare tactics! He's obviously new to this! I remember how i got into this hobby, i literally stumbled into it. I had the laptop in the car on a trip one week, the wife was driving and i was typing up some docs that i needed to get done. The enterasys roamabout card, basically an Orinco Gold 128 rebranded, was in the laptop because i use wireless networking at home and the office, and while sitting at a stop sign and typing suddenly Norton Antivirus pops up the message that my virus definitions have been updated. First off I'm thinking WTF, i sure as hell ain't near my home network. Then i noticed the connection in the tray was active rather than x'd out because of no connection. Next thing i did was pull the card out and put it in the laptop bag, that was scary!! Got home and started to figure out what happened, and while in the process of reading up on it i stumbled across netstumbler.org and started reading. I have to say, you guys on here are a wealth of knowledge, but just try and teach the newbies rather then flame them. Anyway, i finally decided to register so i could post and view the pics on peoples posts, for some reason it always asked me to login to view the attachments to the posts. So anyway, now i have been using netstumbler for a while, mainly to help setup wireless networks, its a great tool to use, i like to use it for surveying a site and identifying the dead spots. Sure the tools with the client manager are good too, i just like having some software to play around with. Recently a friend and me tried a long haul connection with 18 inch dishes on each end, which i modified because i had some old RCA DirecTV dishes laying around, and we got across town with them, though its a small town so there isn't much for tall buildings to provide obstructions. So I'm hooked on playing around with 2.4 ghz. Currently I'm building some more antennas and preamps to go for a longer shot yet! But, it all started with the accidental connection while working mobile. I just never thought about that happening, I have since read that Windows XP is a pain for stumblers because of the zero config wireless crap built in, which i think is why mine connected to something it shouldn't have that day. Makes me wonder how many people inadvertently connect to a AP with that running, some may never know because they are busy doing something. I wouldn't have known if the notice hadn't popped up. Evidently i had a connection long enough that Norton Auto LiveUpdate connected and downloaded a virus definition update and installed it using the AP that was who knows where. Got stuck at a red light for like 10 minutes in rush hour while typing up the latest invoices for my home business. Who would have thought, i never imagined that happening, though i had just upgraded my home network to include wireless and really hadn't done much research on having it setup on the laptop. Live and learn.. And if you want to report me then go ahead. And if you want to ban me for admitting to something that happened accidentally before i even knew what i was doing having the wireless card in the laptop, then so be it. And just in case, good bye.

07-20-2004	#11 (permalink)
tcd04 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 17	Huh? What are you talking about, I'm referring to a preamp, you know, a receive pre-amplifier to make up for line loss between the roof mounted antenna and the receiver, in this case the wireless card in the laptop. Yes, we like to communicate with the least amount of power possible, which usually means high gain antennas and preamps designed specifically for the frequency range being used. I run preamps for weak signal work on 6m and 2m SSB, and satellite ops, so i already know the operation of these devices, and by far I'm not an RF newbie, just a wifi newb. I even have some 10ghz gear on the shelf, the receive sensitivity on the transverter i use for that is much more sensitive than this Orinoco card. Hence why i want to increase the receive sensitivity of the wifi card with a preamp. The only tricky part with doing this on a wifi card is to be able to separate the transmit and receive, although this shouldn't be that big of an issue at the small power levels these cards transmit. And i am already well into modifying an re-branded Orinoco gold that i snatched off ebay. Now, if we were talking about an signal amplifier the other way around, aka a brick, then yes a high gain antenna and high power at 2.4 ghz is something that the average person should not play around with.

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07-14-2004	#3 (permalink)
IrishLuck1980 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 2	So then I should disable Windows Automatic Network Detect Setting?

07-20-2004	#13 (permalink)
tcd04 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 17	That's true, too many CB types out there that refer to their amps based on how many pills (aka tubes/valves) it has. Point well taken, however, its standard in the world of ham radio to refer to a device used to increase the receive signal strength as a preamp, and a device used to increase the transmitted signal strength as a amp, brick, afterburner, etc.. lol I guess sometimes i'm just used to referring to an item as the commonly used acronym in ham radio. Oh, and for what its worth, using an amp and antenna is one thing, but a high gain antenna makes for a higher ERP, talk about boiling the neighbors morning coffee via wifi.