Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]

Kia Ora
You are currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and that there are some features you can't use or read.

We are an active community of worldwide senior members participating in chat, politics, travel, health, blogging, graphics, computer issues & help, book club, literature & poetry, finance discussions, recipe exchange and much more. Also, as a member you will be able to access member only sections, many features, send personal messages, make new friends, etc.

Registration is simple, fast and completely free. Why not register today and become a part of the group. Registration button at the very top left of the page.

Thank you for stopping by.

Join our community!

In case of difficulty, email worldwideseniors.org@gmail.com.
If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Wi-Fi
Topic Started: Aug 31 2007, 12:04 AM (160 Views)
ocali
Member Avatar
Gold Star Member
This is just a question that I have been pondering for a while. I understand that Wi-Fi means you don't physically connect to a server.
What I don't understand is how do you get this service? I know that some people are able to 'steal' the service from others that get it and live close to them (in same complex, apt building, etc.)
For example, one of my sons is temporarily renting an apartment in a condo complex and he is able to get on-line because someone in that building has wi-fi.
Signed: Confused :rolleyes:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
wildie
Member Avatar
Veteran Member
ocali
Aug 30 2007, 11:04 AM
This is just a question that I have been pondering for a while. I understand that Wi-Fi means you don't physically connect to a server.
What I don't understand is how do you get this service? I know that some people are able to 'steal' the service from others that get it and live close to them (in same complex, apt building, etc.)
For example, one of my sons is temporarily renting an apartment in a condo complex and he is able to get on-line because someone in that building has wi-fi.
Signed: Confused :rolleyes:

If someone subscribes to high speed internet and connects this service to a wireless router, without enabling the routers built in security provision, its possible for someone nearby, to connect to the router and use its high speed internet connection.
Its possible for more than one computer to use this connection, simultaneously, without interference with each other.
The danger of not using router security is that others can access your computer and gather personal information or even install clandestine programs such as key-loggers.
The unprotected network can also be used as a "BOT" [ derived from ROBOT] Then the unprotected computer can be used for distribution of pornography or even worse allow terrorists to communicate, without exposure.
The security feature on these wireless routers can be difficult for a novice to understand and tricky to set up.
To solve this problem, DLink has developed a way for unknowledgeable people to connect to their website. By following direction, the security for the router can be simply established.
Unsecured routers have spawned an activity called WAR driving. This is driving around in a car looking for wireless access. Check this website----- http://www.wardriving.com/
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ocali
Member Avatar
Gold Star Member
Thanks, Wildie. :light.gif:

Will go thru the web site to learn more....
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
VickiNC
Member Avatar

Thanks for explaining this, wildie. It's something I have wondered about, as well. I don't have wireless in my home, since I feel it's too easily breached...but I never bothered to learn a great deal about it. This helps a lot.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ocali
Member Avatar
Gold Star Member
I don't think I'll be driving around looking for a wi-fi friendly place. :groove.gif:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
wildie
Member Avatar
Veteran Member
When I first moved here last fall, I didn't have internet service, so I used a variation of this.
Our local Country Style Donut Shop was offering free internet. If you bought something, they would give you the password. Then, you could sit in your car and surf.
Also Chapter offer a subscription service.
Of course this isn't exactly WAR driving.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Trotsky
Member Avatar
Big City Boy
wildie,

Do they ever change the password, or does a single donut give you lifetime privileges? :rofl:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Delphi51
Member Avatar
Member title
Some communities are trying to set up wireless access for everyone with modest charges or advertising. This is not going well, partly because the telephone companies are extremely upset about it. If wireless internet became a public service the lucrative cellular telephone industry would be replaced by virtually free internet phones.

I'll admit I have a habit of borrowing people's wireless when travelling. Wherever my wife stops to shop I can usually find an unprotected wireless signal so I can check my email. When it is available, I happily pay the $2 to use it legitimately. I would even stoop to buying a doughnut (yuck). At Grande Cache, Alberta, the local tourist information building has a sign offering free wireless to travellers. Good work, Grande Cache!

I don't see unprotected wireless as much of a security threat. For starters, the other computers on the network are protected to a good extent by the router itself. And hackers don't usually drive around looking for one computer to attack through a tenuous, slow wireless connection; they sit in their houses and attack computers all over the world via internet.

The range of a home wireless router is quite short - reaching to the nearest neighbors only. Make a deal with your neighbors and share the cost! Set it up in your retirement lodge for everyone to use via a motel type wireless booster (a $300 box).
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
wildie
Member Avatar
Veteran Member
My daughter's home is about 300 feet away from me and sharing the internet seemed to be a good idea, but my signal carries for about 150 feet only.
I found a website that has plans for constructing highly directional antenna's for this purpose. This option is still under study.
Today I received a Staples Flyer that was advertising a device that allows you to use your house wiring for a home network. Its just a little box, that plugs into an electrical outlet. One for each computer.
Now, I'm wondering if the signal would travel over to my daughters house. The utility wires are connected directly and not through a transformer.
I would love to experiment, but this setup costs more than a $100 CDN, so that makes me pause.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Trotsky
Member Avatar
Big City Boy
For those who want a pretty good expanation of the nuts and bolts, Wikipedia's entry is pretty thorough:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiFi

wildie,

I would think you could get a directional antenna fairly cheaply that will give you the 300 feet that you need.

I am thinking about getting a couple neighbors together to share a 5 mbps Comcast line. There are 15 apartments per floor in my building. Probably at least 10 are paying for a broadband line. The savings could be dramatic.

Does Wi-Fi have any capability of passing through 5 inches of CONCRETE (floor and ceiling?)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
wildie
Member Avatar
Veteran Member
Trotsky
Sep 6 2007, 01:39 PM
For those who want a pretty good expanation of the nuts and bolts, Wikipedia's entry is pretty thorough:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiFi

wildie,

I would think you could get a directional antenna fairly cheaply that will give you the 300 feet that you need.

I am thinking about getting a couple neighbors together to share a 5 mbps Comcast line. There are 15 apartments per floor in my building. Probably at least 10 are paying for a broadband line. The savings could be dramatic.

Does Wi-Fi have any capability of passing through 5 inches of CONCRETE (floor and ceiling?)

I apologize for my late reply! This thread slipped past me for some reason.
I think that most concrete structures contain iron reinforcing and it is this that will block the signal.
One other problem that you may encounter is band-width sharing. On DSL the subscriber is usually the only user, or there may be a couple of other computers on line as well. Unfortunately, the more users on the line, effects the transmission speed. So if you had an apartment building full of users sharing a single channel, it could become so loaded that it would be useless.
Cable internet is sometimes criticized, as it is basically one pipe that is shared by everybody in the neighborhood. So it can get slow if everybody is on line at once.
I have never known any cable users that have had this problem, but the potential is there.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Delphi51
Member Avatar
Member title
We share with some neighbours when visiting Toronto at Christmas, through a concrete wall. The signal is quite weak and just barely works on my old notebook with external USB wireless stick. It seems to work well on my son's new Mac notebook.

Any chance of running wires in the apartment building? If you don't have any heavy users, I think half a dozen computers would work very well on one DSL or cable connection especially if they aren't all on at the same time. We have 3 computers going at the same time in our house and it works well. University students occupying a house often run 6 computers on one account.

Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Trotsky
Member Avatar
Big City Boy
"Through the concrete", i.e., up or down, is probably out for me and through the walls (with others on the same floor) is apt to be dicey for one primary reason: the drywall is hung onto thin stamped steel "2 X 4's" 16 inches on center. Even for TV reception less than 2 miles from the transmitter interference from these walls is horrific...ghosts upon ghosts upon ghosts with each stud acting as another antenna absorbing and re-radiating ever so slightly out of phase. Even cordless phone transmission (ancient 48 Mhz phone) between my bedroom and LR through one wall leaves something to be desired.

I guess WIRED connections can work well but there you have the problem where consenting adults have to be contiguous. Wiring in the hallway would be anathema to the landlord and people NOT participating might not take keenly to wires run through their apartments.

I would try splitting my meager DSL line (1.5 Mbps) with only one other person but I can get Comcast cable at about 5 Mbps which should be good for 3 or 4 people.

<<I'm too cheap for my own good.>>
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
friendshipgal
Member Avatar
Guess everyone wants their own Trudashians
I'm confused :wub:
When do you need a router to get wireless, or is a router the PCA card I put into the laptop? When I'm down south I have used the park's wireless using the PCA card, they charge for the service but I don't need any thing else to access it. I've also picked it up from a neighbour, actually shared the cost, neither of us had anything but the PCA card...

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Delphi51
Member Avatar
Member title
Too cheap for your own good? Talk your neighbor into getting internet, install a wireless router for him and then you won't need your internet anymore! A friend of mine got DSL and kept saying he was disappointed with the speed. Turned out he was using his neighbour's wireless instead of his own!

Retiredandluvit, you need a router to connect more than one computer to the internet, or just to interconnect them. A router is also a good idea even with one computer because it isolates the computer from outside mischief to a considerable extent.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Computer Help · Next Topic »
Add Reply