Look Ma, No Wires!

Wannabe geek that I am, I've just now made the jump to WiFi. (That's the cool term for the IEEE 802.11b standard.) Of course, for hardcore folks — particularly on the East Coast — this stuff is old hat. But I'm tripping out.

Anyone else gone wireless? Are there any wardrivers in Honolulu yet? Planning on making some cryptic chalk marks downtown?

This is all silly, I know, but when I think back to my Commodore 64 and its tape drive, my mind reels at how quickly sci-fi stuff is proliferating in the average Joe's (or Jane's) living room.

With an access-point-slash-router and a little PCMCIA card, I can now enjoy the fruits of RoadRunner cable modem access from the sofa, the bedroom, even the bathroom. (Not that I would.) A few minutes ago, I printed something on my wife's printer while sprawled out on the floor by the TV, and I giggled like a little schoolgirl.

Right now, Jen's surfing Fametracker on the futon while waiting for Apolo Anton Ohno to come on The Tonight Show.

I saw the appeal of being truly mobile with my already cute little Sony Vaio ever since wireless standards finally started settling down. (Ah, Bluetooth.) But oddly enough, it wasn't until "wardriving" became a geekly obsession — and now, "warchalking" — that I succumbed to my desire.

I really do wonder, now, where I can get online in town. Do our local Starbucks offer access like many on the Mainland? Did the IT guy in that office across the street leave his SSID set to "default"? Are there any grass-roots dreamers in Honolulu thinking of following the example of folks in other cities, like Portland or New York or Richmond, Virginia?

It's definitely an area that's expanding much faster than businesses and governments are prepared to handle. Already (as is their right) ISPs are cracking down on folks leaving their WAPs open to random passers by. And the private sector is already abuzz with reactionary stories of "wardrivers" hacking into corporate sites (rather than just bumming a ride), which in turn is making some especially nervous about "warchalking."

On the other hand, some ISPs are supporting these efforts, figuring that a well-distributed citywide network may very well be easier to manage in the longterm than individual customers. Some city and state governments are getting into the act — even Utah.

Exciting stuff. Or at least I think so!

Comments

Hee! Welcome to the revolution! Or... something.

We've had wireless at home for a couple of years now, and at the office for almost that long, and I love it. To be able to go to any room in the house with the trusty laptop (or on the balcony when the heat isn't oppressive), or to go to an hours-long meeting at work and be able to get something productive done despite the meeting ( ;) ) is wonderful! Another benefit we have is from the type of base station we chose, which includes the ability to provide net for multiple computers with a single IP address (called NAT or Network Address Translation) and has a built-in modem. This means that, when dvorak and I travel, we can both take our laptops and both get net via the wireless instead of only one person getting net access. (Yes, we're geeks. But you knew that.)

Unfortunately, the local bookstores and coffee shops haven't caught onto the wireless frenzy here in the DC area as they have in points further north. I have even approached a couple of independent coffee shops offering to help them set up net, but they all gave me blank stares. The first place to offer me people-watching, coffee, and net is likely going to get a good bit of business. :)

And, if you are going to jump into the world of wireless, please do read about the security implications of doing so. Not only is leaving your access point open for use a problem, but even if you think you have "secured" your wireless network, please be aware that WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol) is worthless to all but the most casual of hijackers.

It should be interesting to see some of the implications of places like Starbucks offering ubiquitous wireless net access, though. A friend was able to get net from a Starbucks at a park about a block away from said store, all without Starbucks' knowledge. And, since they are not blocking outbound mail or proxies, it seems like a matter of time before spammers decide that a laptop and some coffee are a great way to spread their latest and greatest porn ad or get rich quick scheme.

But, I'm babbling. Hope you're all having a good weekend!

Morning Brew in Kailua has wireless, but it's password protected.

There appear to be several access points in my building, some unsecured.

My friend in San Francisco has a 5 block region around his house mapped out, and in addition to Starbucks he's got schools and personal networks to hop on.

If it weren't for the security issues, and the fact that I think I'm one of the only people in Maunawili with cable modem access, let alone WiFi, I'd love to let others leech bandwidth (especially since I'm paying for *both* a DSL and RoadRunner connection at the moment).

Meri, I think I have the same kind of base station. It's basically the router for our apartment, giving 'net access to two desktops as well as my laptop. I was surprised how, comparatively, cheap the components were too. The base station cost about the same as the old wired router I had, and the PCMCIA card was comparable to an expensive NIC card.

And absolutely, I was stunned to see all the quick and easy utilities out there that can 'sniff' out WEP passwords in a matter of seconds. What are the alternatives? (And remember, I'm a wannabe geek! I know I should be running Linux, but... I'm not quite ready for that!)

I'm impressed any local business is playing the WiFi game, Lisa. That's good to know. You should try it, if you get the chance - I'll bet your range out in Maunawili would be outstanding!

Uh has been wired for awhile now, although the access points seem to be very sporadic. You do need a UH network account to sign up.

The Boyfriend says there's a wireless network in the Law Library that doesn't need a login, but I haven't seen this in action.

Wow, Vivi, thanks. The coverage is limited, but I can see it growing pretty quickly in the near future.

I don't get the "UH account" validation thing, though. It doesn't seem like it's going to check if you have a UH account every time you try and access the wireless network.

The page you linked does verify that you have an account, yes. But then it gives you a network name (SSID) and a password that, frankly, could not only already be posted all over the web, but could be easily guessed.

To think, for a little more $$ I didn't HAVE to string CAT 5 all over (and under) the house. Actually, the cost I spent in the router, NIC's, bulk cabling, jacks, and connectors probably came out to more then the total cost in wireless. Oh well, that's me.. gotta do stuff the hard way. ;P

To get access to the UH wireless network, you have to sign up at the ITS office. Then your uhunix id and password "validates" that you're meant to be on the network. So every time you want to access the network, you need to load that page up on your browser. The Boyfriend's got an Airport card in his TiBook and he spent a lot of his free time online in Paradise Palms last semester. It's a really fast connection.

Thanks for the ChalkChalking link. Very funny! I wanted to go wireless when we first got cable modem, but the security aspects (or lack thereof) kept me wired. We'll figure it out when we buy or upgrade the next computer.

Well, if you've been thinking of making the jump, and you're a member of Costco, now's a good time to do it.

It's $149 for the combo WAP and 3-port hub and the PCMCIA card.

(Of course they do this the week after I get the exact same pair of gadgets, thinking I got a steal with a mail-in rebate that brought the price down to $199!)

I live on Schofield, and my neighbors and I set up a WAN to split road runner. I was walking around and found another WAP. I connected to it and got loads of MP3s. I don't know if the owner even knows it.

If anyone is interested, I would LOVE to start claking and mapping the heck out of Honolulu. I'm sure there are TONS of people out there with WAPs set up. Email me if you're interested.

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