Re: [nycwireless] Orinoco Problems
My laptops take a few minutes to warm up (?) and then netstumbler starts picking up the APs. Something is definitely up. The only things that have changed are the automated Windows XP updates from our friends in Redmond. Sameer -- Dr. Sameer Verma, Ph.D. Asst. Professor of Information Systems San Francisco State University San Francisco CA 94132 USA http://verma.sfsu.edu/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've had similar quirkiness with a couple of Orinoco gold cards. I'd setup netstumbler to... umm... stumble, but after a few minutes, it'd detect no signals from any APs around me (and I have a *bunch*). It's as if I had disconnected the internal antenna from the receiver. More strange -- I'd reboot the machine, and it still wouldn't detect any signals. I'd wait a few hours, and it was fine again. This was with two different cards; no excessive heat or other anomalies were noticed. I never did figure out exactly what was going on; I ended up putting it aside for a while, and never got back to it. Very strange stuff. Jeff On Wed, 18 Feb 2004, Kev wrote: Hey guys. I recently ran into some problems working with a pair of Orinoco cards (One gold, one silver) with Netstumbler on a Thinkpad 240 running Win2K SP4. It seems that I have lost the ability to detect any type of APs, and that despite the fact that I have not update the firmware ... Did anyone run into something similar in your experience? -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/ -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
[nycwireless] Assist with answers
Hi friends, Please I need answers to the following questions. 1. Are there any available dual band access points and NICs (2.4/5 Ghz).If yes, what are their capacities, distance covered and power output. 2. What is the relationship between the capacities of the access point and router? 3. What are the available NICs for laptops and desktops? 4. How is the subscriber management (identity, coding, security) done? 5. What software packages are available for protecting against virus attack? 6. Please give detail technical and equipment requirements for backhaul connection. 8. Do the equipment come with connecting cables 9. Please give a little insight on the relationship between the bandwidth requirement of a VSAT system and the number of subscribers on a WiFi system. Thanks. Cheers/ Tony __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
Re: [nycwireless] Assist with answers
On Fri, 20 Feb 2004, Anthony Ikemefuna wrote: 1. Are there any available dual band access points and NICs (2.4/5 Ghz).If yes, what are their capacities, distance covered and power output. Im currently using a wireless bridge from Netgear (I think the model is WG602) that is both 802.11b and 802.11g. Netgear also make a dual-band wireless PC Card that does 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g. No idea of range and power - Im using Orinocco Gold cards. 3. What are the available NICs for laptops and desktops? Im sure you can make a list by checking out manufacturer sites (NetGear, LinkSys, D-Link, Cisco, etc etc). -- Aj. Sys. Admin / Developer -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
Cantenna construction (was Re: [nycwireless] Orinoco Problems)
Hmmm...I seemed to have stomped out the problem on my Orinocos. It seems that the poorly written lucent drivers did a a number on Netstumbler, and NS was not sufficiently updated to give a stable response (Remember that the latest NS is still a 0.3.30 beta release from '02 and even on a stable and well supported card it is unstable at its best). I turned off the automatic configuration option in NS, rebooted the machine, reinit NS and it works fine now. Oh well, I guess you would usually NOT want to run NS for too long. Active snooping for hours can show up in logs of certain APs, and you don't want that. Anyways, it also seems that certain firmware in Orinoco cards don't like to play nice with NS. 7.52, 6.06 and 8.10 comes in mind. If you run NS you should use 6.16 (Kismet recommended best firmware) or 8.72 (Works fine in Kismet and NS in Win2K). Oh, does anyone know of a way to ascertain whether a cantenna is working as advertised or not? I made a cantenna out of a Campbell's Chunky Soup can with an LMR-100 pigtail from FabCorp and a standard 4 post N-connector. So far I cannot tell whether it is working as it should, or that it still needs tuning. What is a nice, scientific way to measure improvement in antenna gain? Also, what do most people use to bond the connector to the can itself? I just used 4 screws. Should they be soldered on or capped with nuts? I've had similar quirkiness with a couple of Orinoco gold cards. I'd setup netstumbler to... umm... stumble, but after a few minutes, it'd detect no signals from any APs around me (and I have a *bunch*). It's as if I had disconnected the internal antenna from the receiver. More strange -- I'd reboot the machine, and it still wouldn't detect any signals. I'd wait a few hours, and it was fine again. This was with two different cards; no excessive heat or other anomalies were noticed. I never did figure out exactly what was going on; I ended up putting it aside for a while, and never got back to it. Very strange stuff. Jeff On Wed, 18 Feb 2004, Kev wrote: Hey guys. I recently ran into some problems working with a pair of Orinoco cards (One gold, one silver) with Netstumbler on a Thinkpad 240 running Win2K SP4. It seems that I have lost the ability to detect any type of APs, and that despite the fact that I have not update the firmware ... Did anyone run into something similar in your experience? -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/ -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
Re: [nycwireless] Access Point Suggestion (let them thank you)
I assume you asked the Cafe and it wasn't their own, otherwise the thanking issue would be moot. My question is, are you sure you were using an access point someone INTENDED to leave open for public use? How do you know this? Whatever, there's no way to address the AP you found. And for those intentionally setting up a public access point, your suggestion is a nice one, though I'd rather donations via Kagi. I despise PayPal and would not use it. - Al At 5:43 PM -0800 2/19/04, Rob Kelley wrote: Happy day. Tonight I yet again encountered an open access point right where and when I needed it (Cafe Heartland, 24th and 9th) but once again I wished for the same thing--some way to thank the provider... So here's one suggestion for anyone setting up access points: 1. Make the ESSID include some type of reference--a URL (www.sidewayzen.com) an email address ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), or just something... 2. If you have a site, offer a way to make donations (PayPal) People appreciate it when you give them them say thank you--either in comment or cash. What do you think? Rob -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
RE: Cantenna construction (was Re: [nycwireless] Orinoco Problems)
I have used several antennas of know gain as a comparison to get a estimated gain on antennas that I have built. I also was brave enough to make one of the SWR meters, which will help indicate the health of the entire RF system. That is the link, the rest of the message is a quote that summarizes my approach as well. http://pe2er.tmfweb.nl/wifiswr/ Without the proper (multi-thousand dollar) tools, how can you estimate antenna performance? This is one method I gleaned from Mr. Rob Flickenger Using the Link Test software that comes with the Orinoco silver cards, you can see the signal and noise readings (in db) of a received signal, and your test partner's reception of your signal. As I happen to be 0.6 mile LOS from ORA headquarters, with very little noise on the channel between, we had a fairly controlled testbed to experiment with. We shot at the omni on the roof, and used the access point at ORA as our link test partner. To estimate antenna performance, we started by connecting commercial antennas of known gain, and taking readings. Then, we connected our test antennas and compared the results. We had the following at our disposal: two 10db, 180 degree sector panel antennas one 11db, 120 degree sector panel antenna one 24db parabolic dish a couple of Pringles cans and some tin foil Here were the average received signal and noise readings from each, in roughly the same position: Antenna Signal Noise 10db A: -83db -92db 10db B: -83db -92db 11db: -82db -95db 24db: -67db -102db Pringles can (shotgun): -78db -99db Pringles can (internal): -81db -98db The test partner (AP side) signal results were virtually the same. Interestingly, even at only 0.6 mile, we saw some thermal fade effect; as the evening turned into night, we saw about 3db gain across the board (it had been a particularly hot day: almost 100 degrees. I don't know what the relative humidity was, but it felt fairly dry.) Yagis and dishes are much more directional than sectors and omnis. This bore out in the numbers, as the perceived noise level was consistently lower with the more directional antennas. This can help alot on long distance shots, as not only will your perceived signal be greater, the competing noise will seem to be less. More directional antennas also help keep noise down for your neighbors trying to share the spectrum as well. Be a good neighbor and use the most directional antennas that will work for your application (yes, noise is everybody's problem.) When trying to aim a yagi (like our little can), keep in mind that they have large side lobes that extend up to 45 degrees from the center of the can. Don't point directly at where you're trying to go, aim slightly to the left or the right. We also found that elevating the antenna helped a bit as well. When aiming the antenna, hold it behind the connector, and SLOWLY sweep from left to right, with the Link Test program running. When you get the maximum signal, slowly raise the end of the can to see if it makes a difference. Go slowly, changing only one variable at a time. Remember that the can is polarized, so match the phase of the antenna you're talking to (for example, if shooting at an omni, be sure the element is on the bottom or the top of the can, or you won't be able to see it!) You can use this to your advantage to try to eliminate some noise on a long distance link: slowly turn both ends of the link from vertical through horizontal, and stop at the point that you see the most gain (and lowest noise.) -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
Re: [nycwireless] Access Point Suggestion (let them thank you)
Thanks for the reply. Not sure about Kagi, but I'll look. Honestly, my main concern was how to make money over wireless safe. Paypal _seems_ more safe than some type of credit card merchant thing. It's also pretty quick to set up. But I'm not sure about security. Expert opinion appreciated. You're right, I don't know if it's meant to be public (so I didn't post the name here). It further builds the case. If someone opens a laptop in the park outside my building, they'll see four nodes, three private and mine. Which one should they use? Well, all they have is the ESSID. So right now my ESSID is nycwireless (www.sidewayzen.com). I think that's enough to clue people in. We as community wireless folks really need to make our node stand out as open. Ideally, it'd be nice if access points could provide clients a full profile (not just an ESSID). NodeDB.com offers a profile online but you have to remember to check there (Maybe Joe's Node (Check NodeDB.com for info)). Not as simple as just the sitename, but if you don't have a website, it'll do the job. Comments welcome. Rob __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
[nycwireless] Wanted to buy: Soekris
Anybody have a used Soekris they're looking to offload? I'm looking for a 4521 or 4801 preferably with Orinoco card, storage card, and even the OS. Pigtail a nice plus. Must have power supply. http://www.soekris.com/net4521.htm http://www.soekris.com/net4801.htm Price range is between $150-$250, depending on item and goodies. Let me know, Rob __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
[nycwireless] Re: nycwireless Digest, Vol 12, Issue 14
Are you aware of http://www.wifithankyou.com ? I had announced this site at the last meeting, and on the list around the same time. Your recommendations are useful for identifying nodes so that people can thank a person directly. For the multitude of nodes where such information is unavailable, you can register a Wi-Fi Thank You that can be found with relative ease by interested node owners. Not an ideal solution, but its a start. Dana Spiegel sociableDESIGN :: www.sociableDESIGN.com 123 Bank Street, Suite 510, New York, NY 10014 m +1 917 402 0422 :: f +1 760 454 3690 :: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Feb 20, 2004, at 1:14 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Rob Kelley [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: February 19, 2004 8:43:14 PM EST To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [nycwireless] Access Point Suggestion (let them thank you) Happy day. Tonight I yet again encountered an open access point right where and when I needed it (Cafe Heartland, 24th and 9th) but once again I wished for the same thing--some way to thank the provider... So here's one suggestion for anyone setting up access points: 1. Make the ESSID include some type of reference--a URL (www.sidewayzen.com) an email address ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), or just something... 2. If you have a site, offer a way to make donations (PayPal) People appreciate it when you give them them say thank you--either in comment or cash. What do you think? Rob __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
[nycwireless] wifithankyou
Dana: This is very cool. I'm going to add it to my site. Thanks! Rob __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
