Hardware & Devices

Dan Neely19-Mar-09 9:50

19-Mar-09 9:50

Wapping the antenna with foil to make an approximation of a parabolic dish (cantenna[^]) makes your signal more directional. ie you've got s much stringer signal and consequently greater range in the direction it's pointing and much less in any other direction. If you did this and aimed into the ground/sky you'd significantly reduce your power/range/speed in all horizontal directions. Removing/completely warping the antenna in foil would attenuate your signal in all directions.

If your router is compatible with them you could flash with the Tomato or DD-WRT firmwares which would give you control your transmission strength. What you can't do is to reduce your broadcast range without reducing your maximum speed; both of them are directly dependent on signal strength. Also, as long as you're using WPA2 encryption you've got nothing to worry about; you can't be hacked. If you're using WEP/idiot protection only (no SSID broadcast, MAC filtering); there's nothing you can do to stop someone from breaking into your network. WPA1 is currently inbetween, there's one known attack but it doesn't really let the attacker get in far enough to actually do anything other than earning "first WPA1 bragging rights".

Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots.
-- Robert Royall

Xmen Real 19-Mar-09 17:31

19-Mar-09 17:31

dan neely wrote:
Also, as long as you're using WPA2 encryption you've got nothing to worry about; you can't be hacked.

I'm using WPA 2 but I didn't forget an article where it was written that do not depend on this encryption. It can be cracked too. The way they told was just keep change the router UserName and Password and the Key. But that is BS. I want permanent solution. If there isnt any then I would like to use the wired router, at least better than fearing that someone is copying my data or sending bad mails using my net. Is that a bad idea ?

TVMU^P[[IGIOQHG^JSH`A#@`RFJ\c^JPL>;"[,*/|+&WLEZGc`AFXc!L
%^]*IRXD#@GKCQ`R\^SF_WcHbORY87֦ʻ6ϣN8ȤBcRAV\Z^&SU~%CSWQ@#2
W_AD`EPABIKRDFVS)EVLQK)JKQUFK[M`UKs*$GwU#QDXBER@CBN%
R0~53%eYrd8mt^7Z6]iTF+(EWfJ9zaK-iTV.C\y<pjxsg-b$f4ia>

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Dan Neely20-Mar-09 2:16

20-Mar-09 2:16

If you're paranoid enough not to trust an encryption scheme that's never been broken (excepting possible idiot password choices) then just throw your router and modem out and keep your PC's off the internet entirely. You're at far greater risk of being hacked over the internet while using a wired network. Roll eyes | :rolleyes:

Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots.
-- Robert Royall

Dan Neely23-Mar-09 4:04

23-Mar-09 4:04

I call BS. WPA2 has not been cracked. The only known WPA1 exploit won't actually let the attacker do anything useful. Having an attacker enter your WPA2 network because he guessed that you used "password" (or anything else from the idiot list) as your PW doesn't count as breaking the system. If you use something like: "!uWP$2$dtib!apn!ltwptwifp" you're safe.

PS the "good" password is an encrypted message to you. Laugh | :laugh:

Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots.
-- Robert Royall

Xmen Real 23-Mar-09 4:07

23-Mar-09 4:07

dan neely wrote:
WPA2 has not been cracked.

oh really...click me[^]

dan neely wrote:
If you use something like: "!uWP$2$dtib!apn!ltwptwifp" you're safe.

I'm using more wierd than this one

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Roger Wright20-Mar-09 21:59

Roger Wright

20-Mar-09 21:59

Reducing the range is not a solution; that will badly affect the performance. A good solution is to encrypt the messages, but the stronger the encryption, the more the performance will suffer; it takes many CPU cycles to encrypt/decrypt the packets. A better solution it to filter out unwanted users by using MAC filtering. I know a MAC can be spoofed, but it's rare, and few people know how to do it.

"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

Xmen Real 20-Mar-09 22:51

20-Mar-09 22:51

Roger Wright wrote:
few people know how to do it.

here few are everywheret thats why I thought to reduce the range. All I want is just reduce its radius to 30m from 100m.

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rbuchana21-Mar-09 19:14

rbuchana

21-Mar-09 19:14

Can you unscrew the antenna slightly?

Xmen Real 21-Mar-09 19:17

21-Mar-09 19:17

yes it was mine first try. But the manufacturer is very clever they fixed that in. No screw, no way to unplug the antenna until I break its warranty

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rbuchana21-Mar-09 19:31

rbuchana

21-Mar-09 19:31

Put the router in a metal box.

Xmen Real 21-Mar-09 19:34

21-Mar-09 19:34

hehehe

which metal ?

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Dan Neely23-Mar-09 2:31

23-Mar-09 2:31

Any grounded metal box will serve as a Faraday cage and absorb 100% of the RF signal. This will reduce your range to the volume of the box.

Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots.
-- Robert Royall

Xmen Real 23-Mar-09 3:36

23-Mar-09 3:36

you mean if I put a grounded tin box on the antenna then the range will go down ?

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Dan Neely23-Mar-09 4:00

23-Mar-09 4:00

You have to completely enclose the router and yes. The faraday cage will absorb 100% of the RF, NOTHING will get out. Your signal strength will be zero. It's all or nothing. I was being sarcastic.

Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots.
-- Robert Royall

Xmen Real 23-Mar-09 4:04

23-Mar-09 4:04

dan neely wrote:
I was being sarcastic.

okay...but the thing you told looks good and I have a great idea if that works.

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Dan Neely23-Mar-09 4:06

23-Mar-09 4:06

It won't. If it's not complete you'll just have all the power coming out directionally from where it's leaking.

PS the routers power cord and the cat6 running from the router to the modem will make it leak. Roll eyes | :rolleyes:

Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots.
-- Robert Royall

Xmen Real 23-Mar-09 4:10

23-Mar-09 4:10

what if I supply 6v instead 12. I'm sure it will die soon.

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Dan Neely23-Mar-09 3:19

Problem with UPS on the server

23-Mar-09 3:19

Roger Wright wrote:
A better solution it to filter out unwanted users by using MAC filtering. I know a MAC can be spoofed, but it's rare, and few people know how to do it.

It's a feature in aircrack; so you're really not gaining anything over not broadcasting an SSID or only using WEP. Any of the three will keep your neighbors from connecting accidentally; none will stop a thief for more than a few seconds.

Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots.
-- Robert Royall

Mekong River17-Mar-09 22:55

17-Mar-09 22:55

Hi, our server has been using APC Smart-UPS 1500 nearly 3 years. This UPS equip with the software and successfully install it. When I open and logon to its console, I found the following indication:

Insufficient Runtime Available
Discharged battery
Extended undervoltage

Each of indication has its description message which i can't write here (too much) but i found that the status of the UPS is critical.

From here I would like to know whether any problem with my UPS? Is it a problem with the battery of the UPS?

I found this picture http://www.laaudiofile.com/images/smartupsstatus.jpg[^] indicate the normal running of UPS but the for me is not.

Please give me some advice!!!
Thank!!!

Sebastian Schneider18-Mar-09 0:36

Sebastian Schneider

18-Mar-09 0:36

The problem is pretty obviously with the battery:

Extended undervoltage times have lead to activation of the UPS for quite some time. During the undervoltage, your UPS probabvly provided a part of its battery-power as a substitute. If the battery is used, the electrodes disintegrate over time, which leads to reduced runtime.

So, you can fix your UPS by replacing the battery, but that battery probably also will lose performance due to extended undervoltages. Check the UPS regularly, and replace the battery whenever necessary.

Cheers,
Sebastian

--
"If it was two men, the non-driver would have challenged the driver to simply crash through the gates. The macho image thing, you know." - Marc Clifton

Mekong River18-Mar-09 15:17

18-Mar-09 15:17

Sebastian Schneider wrote:
So, you can fix your UPS by replacing the battery, but that battery probably also will lose performance due to extended undervoltages. Check the UPS regularly, and replace the battery whenever necessary.

In my working place, we provide the power from 6am to 6:30pm from Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday there is no electricity. Everyday we leave an office at 5:30pm before the electricity is cutting off. So we can turn off the UPS. When the electricity is cut off the UPS still has power until its finish and this occure everyday.

Is this is the causing problem that made the battery become failure? If I change the battery, does the new battery is going to work well if the electricity is provide with the above mention environment?

Thank for your reply!!!

Dave Kreskowiak18-Mar-09 15:50

Dave Kreskowiak

18-Mar-09 15:50

The condition of the battery, in my humble opinion, is normal. UPS batteries don't last forever. In my experience, lead-acid batteries only last a few years before they have to be replaced, no matter what the conditions are.

A guide to posting questions on CodeProject[^]

Dave Kreskowiak
Microsoft MVP
Visual Developer - Visual Basic
2006, 2007, 2008

Mekong River18-Mar-09 15:54

18-Mar-09 15:54

The UPS is model APC Smart-UPS 1500. When I check for the UPS age its told me 2.93 years old.

According to my provided information, what should I do with this UPS?

Sebastian Schneider19-Mar-09 0:05

Sebastian Schneider

19-Mar-09 0:05

Well, you either need to replace the battery or the UPS. The batteries are pretty common and probably cost less than a new UPS.

As Dave and I said, batteries lose capacity over time, and you probably don't want to buy a new UPS every time that happens.

You sound like you want a definitive answer though, so: Replace the battery!

Cheers,
Sebastian

--
"If it was two men, the non-driver would have challenged the driver to simply crash through the gates. The macho image thing, you know." - Marc Clifton

Mekong River19-Mar-09 0:12