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Gadget Wisdom

Author: David Shanske

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2011-09-25 06:23:49

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Wiring Project – Part 1

my First Cable Modem
Image by lerxst / boycat via Flickr

Recently, the excess of computer wires hooking together our systems and unsuccessful attempts to get them into order frustrated us.

So, with a significant investment of time, and the cost of some organizational tools, ie some new cables, cable tacks, velcro ties, etc., we’re going to try and tackle this issue.

Our first plan involves a redo of our networking appliances. That includes the DSL/cable modem, the router, and a gigabit switch. All these items belong together, as they all serve to form the house network. But currently, they terminate behind and under a desk in an ugly mess.

In comes our current love affair with Swedish furniture. It isn’t too expensive, and it looks decent for the price we can afford. We recently replaced some old bookshelves with some Billy Bookshelves from Ikea, nice because of three features: a curve at the bottom allowing the shelves to press flat on the wall without removing the baseboard, the fact the backing slides into a groove to hold it in place, rather than merely being nailed, and the fact that you can buy height extensions and build your bookcases up to the ceiling.

For the first stage of our project, we decided to build in inobtrusive network wiring rack into an endtable. Endtables are nice in that they are small. We were concerned about ventilation, so we ended up planning on using an Eina table, designed as a side table for a bed. It is made of particleboard, but it is thick and stable. The item offers optional casters for rolling around. Importantly for us, it is open on both sides.

We haven’t yet finished preplanning for this reconstruction, as we attribute our failure to succeed in organization projects like this in the past due to lack of preplanning. But our plan is to install the equipment and place the item under our large computer desk, as many people place rolling filing cabinets, with the wood face facing outward, as opposed to what would be seen normally, the open faced sides. This only leaning down will allow the components to be seen.

All cables will be tied and secured to the cart in such a way the cart can easily be disconnected and moved for cleaning and maintenance. The room where these cables are located borders another room that needs network access, so we’ve built an in-wall patch panel. It is a simple project. Two keystone wallplates with network jacks on them connected by a short piece of wire, so a wire plugged into identical jacks on each side will act as a single coupled-together wire. Since keystone jacks are modular, we can add extra cables, network or otherwise, as needed.

The patch jack, we should probably call it, sits behind the table under the desk. And we plan to put all of the wires going into it from the network table into some flexible split-loom tubing, which will further hide it, giving it a more professional feel, although it does admittedly limit redesign, as removing the cables from the tubing is an annoyance…which is why pre-planning is so important.

We’ll update you on this with pictures as it develops. Also on the design block, a bedroom HTPC installation plan designed to do some of the same thing.

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Published on December 9, 2008
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Streaming Live

In the latest in our series on streaming video, we take a look at live or frequently updated/altered feed. So far, with a few exceptions, we’ve discussed on-demand programming. You select an episode, and watch it any time. But what about live feed? We mentioned a few we will repeat here in our pseudo-lineup, including Bloomberg US live, and many more of interest. Not all streams offer content 24 hours a day.

We’ve posted some oddly formed addresses, with the prefix mms, rtsp, etc. You can use players outside of a web browser to access these channels directly. We recommend you start by trying VLC, available for all platforms. Windows Media Player should work too. Feeds are subject to disconnection and change at any time.

  • BBC One-Minute World News – The latest one-minute news summary from the BBC, updated 24-hours a day
  • BBC World News Live – This is supposed to be a link to BBC World News Live Streaming, direct from their website. We had trouble with it, however.
  • C-Span – We mentioned them before. But they stream everything they offer on cable. So, if you have a hankering for Question Time in the British Parliament, or a Congressman taking a nap, tune in.
    • Direct Links for External Players
      • C-Span 1 – mms://rx-wes-sea157.rbn.com/farm/pull/tx-rbn-sea001:1459/wmtencoder/cspan/cspan/wmlive/cspan1v.asf
      • C-Span 2 – mms://rx-wes-sea157.rbn.com/farm/pull/tx-rbn-sea001:1459/wmtencoder/cspan/cspan/wmlive/cspan2v.asf
      • C-Span 3 – mms://rx-wes-sea157.rbn.com/farm/pull/tx-rbn-sea001:1459/wmtencoder/cspan/cspan/wmlive/cspan3v.asf
  • Fox News
  • Pentagon Military Channel Player – Direct Link – mms://wlc-01.media.qualitytech.com/COMP001916SCH1_pentagon_bb.wmv?WMCache=0
  • Sky News – Live Events Channel – British and European News
    • Direct Link – mms://live1.wm.skynews.servecast.net/skynews_wmlz_live300k
  • Bloomberg Video Player
  • Brooklyn Community Access Television – Nothing like public access. There are a variety of these online. Check out your local public access stations to see if they simulcast.
    • BCAT 1 – mms://68.161.249.58/channel1
    • BCAT 2 – mms://68.161.249.58/channel2
    • BCAT 3 – mms://68.161.249.58/channel3
  • CBC Hourly Newscast – Direct Link – mms://a1987.v87520.c8752.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1987/8752/1175113574000/origin.media.cbc.ca/windows/hourly/hourlynewscast.wmv
  • CNN
  • NBC News Update – mms://msnbc.wmod.llnwd.net/a275/e1/video/100/vh.asf
  • NASA TV

Perhaps the live feed model is limited only to traffic cameras, public access, and a few news feeds and is commercially unsatisfying compared to on-demand. Send us your links and suggestions for added content.

Published on December 7, 2008
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Streaming Video for Cable Users

We’ve made no secret that we’ve been on a streaming video kick of late. For our latest work, we’ve decided to check out the streaming offerings available on cable. It has been made harder for us with a serious lack of Linux-based support. We invite comments with additional links to video streaming content. Not everything on TV is available online, and vice-versa, but certainly enough to keep you busy…at least as busy as TV.

This list only covers direct services by the content providers…ie the websites of the various channels we’ve profiled. Future posts will discuss third-party sites and paid services.

  • Broadcast
    • CBS
      • CBS Video – Offers Primetime, Daytime, Late Night, Classic, and Special programming Not all shows are available as full episodes.
    • NBC
    • FOX
    • ABC
      • ABC Video – Clips Full Episodes of many ABC shows. (Windows/Mac only. It is said they are trying to get linux support.)
      • Full Episode Player – Direct link to the full episode player
    • CW
      • CW-TV Video – Full Episodes of shows (Windows/Mac only. But it told us to check back for future OS support)
    • PBS
  • Cable Entertainment
    • TBS
    • Nickelodeon
      • Nick Jr. Video – Didn’t see any full-length episodes.
      • Turbo Nick – This interactive site appears to have some full-length episodes of Spongebob and other Nick shows.
    • Lifetime
    • USA Network
      • Full Episodes – Full episodes of several popular shows. Also, on show specific pages, they offer enhanced content and interviews.
    • Sci-Fi Channel
    • Bravo
      • Videos – This doesn’t seem to get us the full list. You need to navigate around the Bravo website to find clips and episodic content
    • Cartoon Network
    • E!
      • Video – Various Entertainment Clips
    • Spike TV – Spike offers some Full Episode content on its site
    • FX
      • FX Full Episodes – Episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 30 Days, Sons of Anarchy, Testees, etc.
    • ABC Family
      • ABC Family: Videos – Even though we can’t watch ABC, you can catch some full episodes and clips at ABC Family.
    • BET
    • Comedy Central
    • Disney Channel
    • AMC
      • AMC Videos – Lots of extras, but no full-length episodes
    • WE – Video Section – Nothing full-length
    • Oxygen – Video Section – Nothing full-length, webisodes, interviews, etc.
    • Turner Classic Movies
      • Media Room – Offers movie clips, trailers, and some full-length classics.
    • TV Land/Nick at Nite
      • TVLand Website – Full episodes are added every day of a rotating selection of shows. We saw full episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun, the Andy Griffith Show, Beverly Hillbillies, Family Foreman, Gunsmoke, High School Reunion, Hogan’s Heroes, and She’s Got the Look.
      • Video – A direct link to their video section with not just full episodes, but interviews, classic TV moments, musical interludes, etc.
    • TV One
      • Video – Mostly clips.
    • BBC America
      • Video – More clips. Shame. The BBC itself has episodes online, but they aren’t accessible from the US without making it think your computer is there. To quote them…

        Rights agreements mean that BBC iPlayer television programmes are only available to users to download or stream (Click to Play) in the UK. However, BBC Worldwide is working on an international version, which we will make available as soon as possible. Most radio programmes are available outside the UK in addition to podcasts, although sporting and other programmes may be subject to rights agreements. In addition, many BBC News programmes are available for viewers outside the UK, as are BBC Sport highlights

        .

      • Here’s the link for the BBC’s Iplayer.
    • G4
      • Video Podcasts – A collection of programming you can download to your mobile player or watch on your computer
    • Fuse – Fuse has a variety of music video content
    • The N
      • The Click – The N’s broadband video player that include extra and full episodes
    • Music Choice – Currently available not only on some cable providers, but through cbale providers over broadband. For more information, click here.
  • Cable Documentary and Learning
  • Cable News
  • Cable Music Channels
  • Movie Channels
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Published on December 3, 2008
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Are DVDs obsolete?

The New York Times in a recent article commented on the future of media.

MATTHEW BOWERS has been paying to have HBO piped into his home every month for nearly two decades. He tunes in for the occasional episode of “Entourage” and every couple of months orders a movie on demand. Recently, the whole family watched “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

But when his company laid him off in September, he started to think about the value he was getting out of the premium cable channel. “It’s ridiculous to pay for this service I rarely use when I can get the same stuff online and save a lot of money,” he said. The result? HBO is losing a customer.

DVD Sales are dropping, and crucial car advertising on TV is drying up. And most importantly, TV watchers now have cheaper ways of watching programming, including Netflix, Hulu, and others we’ve mentioned.

Warner Brothers Television, which supplies “The Mentalist” and “Eleventh Hour” to CBS, recently asked the network to pull full-length episodes from its Web site, along with the comedy “Big Bang Theory.” The thinking is that they were potentially too hurtful to old-fashioned syndication sales to television stations down the road.

MGM signed a deal recently with YouTube to provide content, but it doesn’t include any of its most valuable content. They have chosen less popular movies such as Bulletproof Monk and reruns of the original American Gladiators series.

There is certainly potential profit in digital streaming, as seen, but it hardly compares to the profit studios make in television and DVD syndication. None of these sites, however popular, offer a full catalog of options, thus buying or renting physical media is still viable option. You never know when something might be pulled from Hulu or Youtube, thus making it unavailable for impulse viewing.

So, while DVDs might be replaced by Blu-Ray, or other media…while more and more people may choose to stream their videos directly to their televisions, or take advantage of new download and burn yourself services, there will always be a market for owning a copy of a video free and clear, and without entanglements.

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Published on December 1, 2008
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Money-Saving Tips for Geeks

The Wired blog has an interesting article with this title. We thought we’d summarize and put our two cents in.

  • Don’t buy any more movies on DVD or Blu-Ray -  Their rationale for this is that DVDs immediately begin to lose value, and unless you are going to watch them more than once a year, you might as well rent. At the forefront of renting is Netflix, which will send movies to your door, or stream them to you.
  • Don’t rent movies – Why not go a step farther and stop renting entirely? They suggest a DVD sharing club with your friends. But, with Netflix at a minimum $4.99 for 2 movies per month(1 at a time), $8.99 for unlimited(1 movie at a time), more for Blu-Ray, this idea might work. We’ve recently considered trying another option we find interesting, DVDXpress. For those of you who haven’t seen this, these are rentable DVD Kiosks installed at supermarkets. Real-time inventory is available online. The only downside compared to Netflix is a limited selection, but if you have a desire for a more recent movie with no commitment and limited price, it isn’t a bad option. Also…remember this thing called your local library? They often have movie sections of their own.
  • Drop your cable/satellite plan – We stopped using rabbit ears at home when reception got too bad(ironically when cable wired up the neighborhood, can you say conspiracy). But recently, as an experiment, we hooked up the old roof antenna to check out digital over-the-air programming, and assuming you are in the right position to get it, the quality on broadcast station rivals that of those same stations on cable, due to bandwidth. Also, as we’ve recently written(Streaming Video Part 1 and Part 2), the internet is full of entertainment. Hulu, Youtube, Google Video, Joost, etc. Turn an old computer into a media center for your television or buy one of the new hardware options for the same(more on this in a future post).
  • Drop your phones – Many people are dropping their landline phones, using a cell phone for their primary. There is also the option of internet phone services of various types to back this up. We used to get horrible cell service in our own home, thus making this option less viable.
  • Turn off your electronics when not in use – Our discussion of this issue can be found here. There are a variety of options for power-saving you can explore. We went from keeping all of our multiple systems and peripherals on to one server operating 24/7 and the remaining computers booting on demand. We’ve altered the server to use more energy efficient hard drives, switched to a lower watt processor and enabled frequency scaling to lower its power usage when idle, and went with an energy efficient lower watt power supply, and have taken to turning off peripherals such as printers when not in use.

Do you have any suggestions of your own? Why not comment? Wired goes in, in a future article to suggest we rid ourselves of several ‘useless’ gadgets that we can throw in the trash, thus saving us money. These include:

  • Printers – We can’t disagree that unless you need it, expensive printers and their inks are an unnecessary luxury. For photo printing, a local store or online service will print your photos with much better results than a home system, and likely less per image when you add up costs. There is a good case for keeping a cheap printer for documents, as one cannot avoid the occasional printing job, but with technology the way it is, you can bring most electronic documents with you if you have a cell phone or organizer and minimize its costs
  • Scanners – Except for artists, scanners also have become an unnecessary item. The popularity of digital cameras have eliminated the use most people used it for. For textual scanning…more things are available in a digital format each day. Let the professionals scan it for you.

That said, we do own an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax. Printers are so cheap nowadays that we can justify it. It sits in a corner and does very little, and we’ve never used it for photo printing, and while we’ve used the copy function, we’ve never even used the scanner function(although we’ve meant to in order to scan and rid ourselves of important papers we still need to keep). As for reading on a screen…for some things you still want a book. So far, none of the electronic reading options reproduce the book-reading experience.

  • Built-In Optical Drives – This one applies mostly to laptop owners. Why lug around a built-in optical drive when hard drive and usb drive space is so inexpensive you can copy whatever you need for a trip to the drive, allowing your laptop to be much smaller. You can even keep an external USB optical drive for when it is needed. If you run desktops, at least one of them can afford an optical drive.
  • Landline Phones – Mentioned above. There are still advantages to having one, even if it is run over the net. Someone we know has a landline that has no long distance plan, but is used for incoming and local calls only. If they want to call out, they use a calling card or their cell phone.
  • Fax Machines – E-mail is certainly a better alternative, but there are enough businesses out there that still insist you fax documents that you’d better have access to one, even if you use an internet fax service or the local Staples. There is no need for most people to own a dedicated fax machine. We have one, but it came with the all-in-one printer(which was on sale cheap).

Ultimately, we must disagree with their article, but we think reviewing and scaling down these devices is a good idea for space and monetary savings. Keep an inexpensive all-in-one workhorse for your home office, and unless you really need it, dump the photo printer. Scale back your landline and consider VoIP alternatives.

Five years ago, we invested money in building up our systems to a level unnecessary in a home, just because we loved tech. Two years ago, we started scaling back, reconsidering extravagances, getting rid of unnecessary things. And we continue to do periodic reviews…ask yourself this…

  • How can I accomplish the same amount of things with less equipment?
  • Do I really need this (insert device/function)?
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Published on December 1, 2008
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Organizing your Collections

Computer rigeneriamoci
Image by rigeneriamoci via Flickr

Organization is a hard thing. A few months ago, it took a week-long effort to index our entire movie collection. Now, when something is added to the collection, it takes a few seconds, which is minimal, but the benefits are major. We store our movies in two storage boxes, and alphabetization is not worth the time. On the screen however, we can open the file on a movie and get the location and locate it.

We champion open-source software, and looked for a piece of free software to use.

We tried a few different programs, but settled on the simple Griffith, which is available for Windows and Linux. It searches a variety of databases for data on movies, and, assuming it finds it, adds information on the cast, the director, length of the movie, and an image, if one is available. It makes browsing the collection on the screen appearing the same as browsing through it on a shelf.

An alternative is MeD Movie Manager, which, by virtue of running on Java, runs on all hardware. It supports two features that Griffith does not… Support for television series via the TV.com database and the ability to scan directories to retrieve movie file names, which saves you a lot of data entry hassle if you store movies in digital format.

There are better and more complete programs, but they cost money.

We maintain a music collection, but we don’t keep it indexed, instead we ripped it, keeping the original CDs as backup media. Now, there are a variety of ripping programs, as well as CD Databases such as freedb.org, but as they are contributed by multiple volunteers, the notation style is inconsistent. A future project we have on the books is editing the metadata to correct mistakes and adjust some inconsistencies. One of the big problems are our collection of commercial purchased mix CDs, ie the Best of (insert genre here). Since each track has a different artist, they are being sorted incorrectly by missing programs, and have to be manually retagged. A lesson we’ve learned is to review the data and edit it as the CD is ripped, something we will do in the future.

Finally, we come to books. Another project on our list, as space considerations require us to keep books in places where a reading of the spines is not as easy. We intend to index the collection, and already have chosen social cataloguing website LibraryThing, which offers a lifetime membership for $25, or free for under 200 books.

It pulls data from the Library of Congress or from Amazon.com, and permits a list or cover view of books in the collection, as well as searches. You can add reviews and ratings which can be read by other members. It can even recommend new books based on your collection, as well as a variety of other interactive tools to get you involved in the greater world of books.

Online Competitor, Shelfari, which is owned by Amazon, does offer an alternative social networking option for book-lovers, but not the level of cataloguing offered by LibraryThing. LibraryThing also indexes some small professional collections, as evidenced by a recent Massachusetts volunteer event where a group of LibraryThing volunteers indexed 2000 books in a day.

We’ll have more on our index, when we finally devote the time to starting it…Remember, one shelf at a time…But we’d love to hear your methods of organization. Post a comment if you have anything to add.

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Published on December 1, 2008
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Streaming TV to your Computer – Part 2

In a previous post, Streaming TV to your Computer, we pointed out our problem with streaming video sites such as Hulu…namely the presentation. When you stream, you have to navigate a website, and the flash player is available in a window, which you have to adjust to full screen.

Full screen itself can be an issue, as users demand better quality video, which sites are starting to provide. However, a TV-like interface is still lacking. Let’s explore a few options we discovered since last time. Reviews on some of these will be forthcoming.

My Media Player is a free interface for the clips and video at Hulu.com. It runs on Adobe Air, versions of which are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux OSes. Personally, we’d prefer an app that runs off of Mozilla Prism, which allows you to run web based applications, ie websites/flash players, minus the accoutrements of a normal web browser, ie bars, buttons, etc, and allows better desktop integration.

Next is Boxee, which is a fork of the popular XBMC project. It includes a closed-source flash player that integrates into the media center software to stream from sites like Hulu, CBS, Comedy Central, and more coming. This is certainly more in the direction we are thinking of. They created code to allow you to navigate the sites, and a flash player integrated into their software loads the video and allows you to control it. Unfortunately, Boxee is in private alpha release, by invitation only. We arranged an invitation, but packages are only available for 32-Bit Ubuntu Linux or Mac, neither of which we use, so we’ll be getting an Ubuntu LiveCD and reviewing this in a later post.

In the world of High Def, Engadget HD reports that popular site YouTube already has unofficial support to play back and host 720p clips, as well as surround sound. With many sites already at this point, hope you all have enough bandwidth.

There will be more to come on this issue, which has become something of a pet peeve of ours.

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Published on November 23, 2008
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EnergyStar 3.0 TV Specification Goes into Effect

The Energy Star logo is placed on energy-effic...
Image via Wikipedia

The new EnergyStar 3.0 TV specification went into effect November 1st. It includes a test for how much electricity televisions use when turned on, as well as when turned off. Even the default settings could save as much as $100 in power.

Keep it in mind when you buy new televisions. For those of us with old ones, consider turning things off.

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Published on November 13, 2008
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Streaming TV to your Computer

Image representing Hulu as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase

We find the idea of streaming TV live to your computer very useful. The problem is the sheer number of sites that you can use to do so. We’re eagerly waiting more efficient aggregators, however, we doubt the sites that stream would appreciate this.

LifeHacker took a poll in September of the best sites to stream video from. The winner was Hulu. We like Hulu, although we admit we could stand to use it more. It is great when we’re on the road, except for the whole hotel room or houseguest bandwidth issues.

Hulu was founded in 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corp. It is an online video service that offers hit TV shows, movies and clips at Hulu.com and other online destination sites — all for free, anytime in the U.S.(or elsewhere if you convince it you are in the U.S.). To quote them…

Hulu brings together a large selection of videos from more than 100 content providers, including FOX, NBC Universal, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros. and more. Users can choose from more than 900 current primetime TV hits such as The Simpsons, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Office the morning after they air, classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The A Team, Airwolf and Married…with Children, movies like Men in Black, Ghostbusters, and The Karate Kid, and clips from Saturday Night Live, Friends and other popular TV shows and movies.

Hulu is advertiser-supported, so you will have to watch ads, but you would have on normal TV as well. It perhaps sharing full-length episodes and clips, and requires only a Flash player to use. If you have an account, you can create a queue of programs you want to watch, as well as subscriptions to specific shows. Hulu offers standard videos in a 480Kbps-700Kbps(depending on the user’s bandwidth) bitrate and a higher-resolution 1000Kbps, and even streaming HD in 720p on some programs.

To be fair, there are other sites that are useful or helpful. SurfTheChannel is an aggregator, which aggregates video from Hulu, YouTube, MetaCafe, etc into a single searchable interface. It isn’t fancy, but it has its uses.

You can also go directly to the websites of the networks that air the show. CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, etc. They usually provide links to episodes as well as extras you can enjoy.

For those who love high-definition, these sites are adding high-definition streaming, and new technologies are coming. Recast Digital has introduced a new optimization process that they claim is “less computer-intensive, requires less bandwidth, doesn’t require any special software download, and handles high frame rates and renders fantastic colour and smooth transitions.” You can catch a showcase of this at their site. It adapts quality based on your bandwidth, but it certainly looks good.

What we want for these sites is full integration into HTPC software and hardware streaming media players, which is certainly doable if the sites cooperate, which would be good for their ad revenue if they do. Netflix is already, it seems, willing to cooperate with manufacturers for its streaming service, the the Netflix Player by Roku coming to mind. They are selling advertiser supported content. If they open it up to developers with protections, they’ll be able to monetize much more effectively.

Thoughts?

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Published on November 12, 2008
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Increasing Wireless Security Now that WPA is Cracked

KeePass Password Safe
Image via Wikipedia

Early on, wireless networks were encrypted using WEP encryption, until it was discovered even the FBI could crack that in a minute.

Then came WPA, which was supposedly much more secure. However, researchers have figured out a way to break the TKIP key in about 12 to 15 minutes. Experts had known that a brute force dictionary attack could eventually break such a key, however, it was not efficient.

Researchers discovered a way to trick a router into sending them larger amounts of data. More data allows them to break the key much more easily using new mathematical techniques. The technique has already been incorporated into popular Wireless sniffer program Aircrack-ng. The newer WPA2 is considered safe from this attack.

That is the simplest way to increase security. If your router has a WPA2 capability, update to it from WPA. If it doesn’t, check to see if there is an upgraded firmware, or consider switching to a custom firmware if one is available to you that may have it. We like DD-WRT, which has ports for many routers(List of supported devices). When you set WPA2, switch from TKIP encryption to AES only. It hasn’t yet been cracked.

WPA and WPA2 for home use use a passphrase to access the network. Recommendations are that this passphrase be at least 13 characters and not consist of any dictionary word. Too many people, both in securing their networks and other passwords, use weak passwords. Remember, you don’t have to remember the thing. Your computer can do that. You can keep it in a secure file, or a password vault such as KeePass.

Do not set your wireless SSID to anything commonly used. A list of the top 1000 most commonly used ones can be found here. Top ones to avoid: linksys, default, NETGEAR, Belkin54g, Wireless, hpsetup, WLAN, Actiontec, smc, Dlink…All of these give unnecessary information about what type of router you have, as many of these are default ssids. It also tells a malicious individual you may be vulnerable.

There is also MAC filtering, which is touted as a security measure as well. A MAC address is unique to a specific piece of hardware. But since they can be spoofed, this is more of a deterrent than anything else.

Other useful features include AP Isolation. This is a feature available on many routers that disables connections from the wireless device to any devices on the network. It would ensure that a wireless computer could access only the internet, not the internal network. However, if you want to access your internal network, this is not as useful.

If you want to go to Enterprise-level WPA2, you can certainly do so. But it is usually overly complex for a simple home installation and requires an external RADIUS server, which you would have to run. If you have an always-on computer around, this might be an option.

As a final measure, you can always just give up. Bruce Schneier, security guru, runs an open wireless network, and outlines his reasons why, and links to much commentary on the subject in this post. The question of whether or not one should have open wireless is a different one than security. We will say that you can always run a secure network independently of your insecure one, and run security independently of your wireless, or if you are technically proficient, have a gateway portal the way hotels do, that secures your connection.

For example, you can use VPN to connect to your private network for security and route all communications through it. Thus it is encrypted before it leaves your computer for the network. Many businesses use this technique for individuals accessing their files remotely.

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Published on November 12, 2008
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