Pocket WiFi

If you are looking for a pocket sized WiFi access point router for sharing the Internet below are several devices that I own or have considered buying in the past.

D-Link DWL-G730AP Wireless Pocket Router – This pocket wifi router is comes in a nice carrying case with accessories. The web based graphical user interface is easy to use and comes with a wizard to get all items configured. This device is only 2.4 GHz and has great range for it size. It has a small phone size power adapter that is light and easy to carry. This pocket WiFi router can also be powered from a USB port. I have owned one of these devices since 2005 and keep in my computer bag for sharing wired Internet with others or to make my wired hotel wired Internet wireless so that I can watch TV from my hotel bed while working my computer. The device can operate in three modes: router, access point (aka wireless bridge) and wireless client. I usually use it as a router but have confirmed the access point (bridge mode) and client mode work fine.

Cradlepoint PHS300 Personal Hotspot – The pocket sized WiFi router is designed to operate with a USB EVDO card. It can be powered from a power adapter or use the removable rechargeable battery. Having a removable rechargeable battery is great for times when power is not available. I have owned one these since 2008 and currently use with a Sierra Wireless AirCard USB 598 with data service from Sprint. I like having the flexibility to use my USB aircard plugged into my PC as well is with this device. The exact model I have is actually Sprint branded and limits the number of devices that can share the EVDO connection but the Cradlepoint branded device does not have these limits. This device support 4G wireless USB aircards if the firmware is upgraded.

TRENDnet 300Mbps Wireless-N Travel Router – This pocket WiFi router is almost identical to the D-Link in features and appearance but add 802.11n speeds and coverage. It supports Router, Access Point and AP Client modes like the D-Link and can be powered from an electrical outlet or USB port. If I were buying a device today I would gladly pay the extra $10 compared to the D-Link to get higher throughput and the additional security options. Per the vendor “Maximum wireless signal rates are referenced from IEEE 802.11 theoretical specifications. Actual data throughput and coverage will vary depending on interference, network traffic, building materials and other conditions.” Since this is a 2.4 GHz only device and antenna separation is minimal it is very unlikely that device will ever achieve 300Mbps data rates but it is nice to have MIMO support for areas with RF issues.

Virtual Access Point Software – If you are looking for a zero cost, zero weight pocket WiFi option then you may want to consider using virtual access point software to transform your PC into a WiFi access point router. Windows 7 has a great virtual WiFi feature making this a great alternative to buying a pocket WiFi device for sharing your Internet.

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Virtual Access Point Software

Below is a list of Virtual Access Point Software products. Most/all of them rely on a Windows 7/Windows 2008 R2 feature that can virtualize a wireless physical adapter into multiple wireless virtual adapters.

On Windows 7 and on Windows Server 2008 R2 with the Wireless LAN Service installed, the operating system installs a virtual device if a Hosted Network capable wireless adapter is present on the machine. This virtual device normally shows up in the “Network Connections Folder” as “Wireless Network Connection 2″ with a Device Name of “Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport adapter” if the computer has a single wireless network adapter. This virtual device is used exclusively for performing software access point (SoftAP) connections. The lifetime of this virtual device is tied to the physical wireless adapter. If the physical wireless adapter is disabled, this virtual device will be removed as well.

VirtualAccessPoint.com – Virtual Accesss Point Tool is a 100% web based tool to create virtual access points. The tool requires requires Microsoft Windows 7 and Java. Some uses for this tool: Turn your laptop into a WiFi Hotspot, Turn your laptop into an access point, Turn your laptop into a wireless access point. After creating virtual access point Internet Connection Sharing must be manually enabled.

WLANController Client – WLANController has two components, a software client that transforms Windows based computers into WiFi virtual access points and scanners and a web based dashboard that can manage multiple devices from a single graphical user interface. The WLANController Dashboard and client make the deployment and management of large WiFi networks quicker, simpler and less costly. We eliminated the need for any new hardware and software (other than our client) by using the Virtual Access Point capabilities available in Windows.

Connectify – Connectify is a free and easy to use software router for Windows 7 computers. With Connectify, users can wirelessly share any Internet connection: a cable modem, a cellular card, or even another Wi-Fi network. Other Wi-Fi enabled devices including laptops, smart phones, music players, and gaming systems can see and join your Connectify hotspot just like any other Wi-Fi access point and are kept safe and secure by password-protected WPA2 Encryption.

Virtual Router – Virtual Router turns any Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2 Computer into a Wifi Hot Spot using Windows 7′s Wireless Hosted Network (Virtual Wifi) technology. The Wireless Network create/shared with Virtual Router uses WPA2 Encryption, and there is not way to turn off that encryption. This is actually a feature of the Wireless Hosted Network API’s built into Windows 7 and 2008 R2 to ensure the best security possible and the password/key must at least 8 characters.

Virtual AP – Virtual AP is an easy-to-use software that turns any LAN-connected PC or laptop into a Wi-Fi wireless access point.

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WLANController.com Public Beta Now Available

WLANController.com public beta is now available. If you haven’t already heard about it, WLAN Controller is a service that leverages your existing Windows based computers for WiFi networking!

We are very excited about this cloud based Wireless LAN (WLAN) controller that can manage soft access points and scanners. We eliminated the need for any new hardware or software by using the WiFi capabilities available in Windows based computers that exist in almost every organization. See the bottom of the post for some very amazing information about Windows 7**.

WLAN Controller Video

Check out video below of me using a Windows Vista computer as a remote WiFi scanner. Pretty cool stuff.

Centrally Manage Windows 7, Vista, XP Soft Access Points and Scanners

The results of our efforts are the WLAN Controller service and client. The WLANController.com dashboard can be accessed from any type of modern browser and we have clients today for Microsoft operating systems (Windows 7, Vista, and XP) and plan to release clients for other operating systems in the near future.

Use the WLANController.com service to:

• Create an infinitely scalable WiFi network for work or recreation
• Centrally configure and manage hundreds of devices
• Run remote wireless scans to discover interfering and rogue access points
• Software only solution, zero additional hardware required

Use WLAN Controller client software to:

• Convert your Windows 7 computers into WiFi access points and scanners
• Convert your Windows Vista and XP computers into WiFi scanners
• Access point operates in background with no impact to computer
• Share business or home broadband Internet

WLAN Controller Account Request

To get an account during the public beta period do the following.

1) Follow me @wlanbook on Twitter.
&
2) Request an invite using our account request form.

.

Visit http://wlancontroller.com to learn more about the software and service.

**On July 22, 2010 Microsoft reported that they have sold more than 175 million Windows 7 licenses. As of 7/22/10 – Windows 7 is now running on more than 16% of all PCs worldwide and is the fastest selling operating system in history [source].

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Windows 7 Internet Connection Sharing

Image below shows a single hardware Atheros AR5007 WiFi adapter that supports virtual WiFi. The primary adapter is connected ot the Internet via SSID “slow”. The virtual adapter is configured as a virtual access point with SSID “test”.

Enabling Internet Connection Sharing

1) Right click adapter that is connected to Internet (primary adapter connected to SSID “slow”)
2) Select properties and select sharing tab
3) Check “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s
Internet connection”
4) Select to connection to users will connect to (in this case virtual
access point interface Wireless Connection 2)

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How To Turn Your Windows 7 Laptop Into Wireless Access Point Router

Go to website http://www.virtualaccesspoint.com and follow steps below (requires Java). This website automates the command line process needed to create a virtual access point in Windows 7.

1. Enter SSID
2. Enter key
3. Click “Turn On Soft AP” Button.
4. Configure Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)

Using Windows 7 Virtual Access Point WiFi

Turning a Windows 7 laptop into an access point is possible because of a new Microsoft feature called “hosted network”.

The wireless Hosted Network is a new WLAN feature supported on Windows 7 and on Windows Server 2008 R2 with the Wireless LAN Service installed. This feature implements two major functions:

* The virtualization of a physical wireless adapter into more than one virtual wireless adapter sometimes referred to as Virtual WiFi.
* A software-based wireless access point (AP) sometimes referred to as a SoftAP that uses a designated virtual wireless adapter.

These two functions coexist in a Windows system together. Enabling or disabling the wireless Hosted Network enables or disables both virtual WiFi and SoftAP. It is not possible to enable or disable these two
functions separately in Windows.

With this feature, a Windows computer can use a single physical wireless adapter to connect as a client to a hardware access point (AP), while at the same time acting as a software AP allowing other wireless-capable devices to connect to it. This feature requires that a Hosted Network capable wireless adapter is installed in the local computer. The driver for the wireless adapter must implement the wireless LAN device driver model defined by Microsoft for use on Windows 7. To receive the Windows 7 logo, a wireless driver must implement the wireless Hosted Network feature. [source]

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iPad WiFi Issues Fix

Like many others, I too **was** having problems with WiFi connectivity on my iPad.

I solved my iPad WiFi problems by configuring my access point (AP) for 802.11bg only mode. I have an enterprise class dual radio Cisco access point that allowed me to create a different SSID per 802.11 radio. I created one with for 802.11b/g and one for 802.11a. I use the 802.11bg mode for my iPhone 3GS and iPad.

iPad Works Fine With My 802.11bg WiFi

Yep..that’s it..no more problems. I couldn’t believe it, so I changed my AP back to to 802.11abg mixed and then to 802.11a only mode and noticed that the connectivity issues returned. My unscientific testing seems to indicate that the iPad has an issue with 802.11a/5GHz frequency.

My iPad WiFi Troubleshooting Process

I read on many blogs that the issue could be caused by the location of the WiFi antenna. After finding the photos below taken by iFixit I don’t think this is the case. I don’t know how these antennas operate but it seems that the body of the iPad is utilized based on the contacts that can be seen in the photos below. I’m pretty sure Apple wouldn’t release a product that would be impacted by how it is positioned like some blogs suggested.

I then found the Apple’s iPad: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections. I tried all the suggestions but nothing helped.

I then found another support document titled “iPad: Does not automatically rejoin known Wi-Fi networks“.

Symptoms
Under certain conditions, iPad may not automatically rejoin a known Wi-Fi network after restart or waking from sleep. This can occur with some third-party Wi-Fi routers that are dual-band capable when:

* Using the same network name for each network
* Using different security settings for each network

Products Affected
iPad

Resolution
If you encounter this issue, try the following:

* Create separate Wi-Fi network names to identify each band. This can be done easily by appending one or more characters to the current network name.
o Example: Add a G to the 802.11b/g network name and an N to the 802.11n network name.
* Ensure that both networks use the same security type (WEP, WPA, WPA2, and so on)

If the issue persists, reset your network settings using Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

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Free Web Based WiFi Stumbler

Some how I missed the release of this free web based WiFi Stumbler from Meraki. A very clean and well implemented scanner using Java that works on Macs and PCs.

SSID-Channel distribution graph – This graph shows how many visible SSIDs are being broadcast in each channel of the 2.4Ghz and 5GHz wireless spectrums. This information can help you plan your channel selection to utilize channels that are most clear of interference.
Search field – Search for open networks, specific manufacturers of access points, a particular SSID or MAC address or any other string in the scan results using this field. You can also use standard Google search syntax. Click on “Advanced search” to expose a variety of filters to easily customize your displayed results.
Network list – This section lists useful information about the wireless networks that are visible to WiFi Stumbler. You can sort the list by any column by clicking on the header for that column.

Description of information presented in each column in the Network list:
SSID – Name of SSID. Hidden SSIDs will appear as blank (all other columns will be filled in)
MAC Address (BSSID) – Hardware address of access point
Radio Type – Wireless protocol of network (802.11b/g, 802.11a or 802.11n)
Channel – Wireless channel that the network is operating on
Signal Strength (dB) – Signal level of network in RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication). Since RSSI outputs from different client cards can vary, these signals are best used as a relative measure of signal strength when comparing networks
Manufacturer – Name of manufacturer of access point
Security – Wireless security protocol in use (or Open if none)
Last Seen – Last time a response or beacon from this network was received

Great Time To Be In WiFi Industry

It is great to see vendors and WLAN professionals releasing so many useful tools and sharing information for building, securing, and managing wireless/WiFi networks.

Try it out here.

Seeing this tool inspires me to add more visualization to our web based based wireless access point rogue scanner.

I’ll have to update my list of Netstumbler alternatives and add this great tool.

If there are any other free tools that I seem to have missed let me know.

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

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iPad WiFi Scanner and Site Survey Tool

Why I like the iPad as a platform for WiFi tools such as a WiFi scanner or WiFi site survey tool:

Display – Nice big display compared to the iPhone. Anyone that has conducted WiFi site surveys for millions of square feet knows that having a big laptop screen is useful. The 9.7-inch (diagonal) multi-touch display isn’t huge but should work well for WiFi site surveys.

Size and Weight – The bigger the screen the better..but with size comes weight. While having a 16 inch screen is ideal..an 8 pound laptop for site surveys feels like a 1000 pounds after a few hours of surveying. For me, the perfect screen size for a WiFi Scanner/Site Survey laptop is around 13 inches. The iPad’s 9.7 inch diagonal screen may end up being a little small but for most scanning and surveying it should work well. At around 9.56 inches by 7.47 inches and 1.6 pounds for the WiFi + 3G model the iPad is perfect for carrying around all day long.

Battery and Power – Per Apple’s website the iPad “has up to 10 hours of surfing the web on W-Fi”. Even if the battery life is closer to 7 hours…that is enough for a full day of WiFI scanning and surveying. When scanning a wireless card isn’t transmitting so hopefully the iPad’s battery life is closer to 10 hours when used as a scanner.

Processor and Performance – For large survey projects it helps to have a powerful processor that is responsive when clicking/tapping the screen and also can handle the larger number access points and WiFi devices that sometimes need to get tracked during scanning and surveying. The 1GHz Apple A4 processor is unknown since it is so new so hopefully it is a powerful as marketed by Apple.

Wireless Features – The iPad supports 802.11 a/b/g/n so it has all the capabilities needed for the major WiFi types deployed by organizations today. The iPad will connect at the full speeds to any type of network for any speed testing or active surveying.

iPad Is Value Priced and Feature Rich

At $499 ($523.95 after tax) the iPad with Wi-Fi only and 16GB of storage is a great platform for WiFi tools. We hope to port our very popular (and free) WiFi Scanner app for Snow Leopard to iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch and add/enhance the tool for wireless site surveys.

iPad/iPhone OS SDK for WiFi Tools

Currently there is is no way to access the information we need from the iPhone/iPad OS without using a private framework. This isn’t a big deal in terms of creating the application but if we want the app available in the App Store then we have play by Apple’s rules which means waiting for a updated OS and SDK to be released. Apple usually realeases major iPhone/iPad OS updates once a year around this time so hopefully the next major release will provide a documented way to access to 802.11/WiFi information that meets our needs for porting our WiFi Scanner to the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch platform.

iPad/iPhone WiFi Scanner/Site Survey Tool Features Requests

If you have any feature requests for a WiFi Scanner and Site Survey Tool on the iPad let us know. Check out our WiFi Scanner for Mac OS X for what is possible.

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OUI Lookup Tool – MAC Address Lookup Tool

We have just released a new OUI lookup tool / MAC address lookup tool. The tool is currently in Beta but is very stable and very feature rich.

This OUI lookup tool provides a way to look up OUIs, MAC address prefixes, and full MAC addresses.
If a full MAC address is searched an option to geolocate the BSSID is provided.

Results can be emailed from the page without the need for an email account.

Searches can be conducted using OUIs, MAC address prefixes, and full MAC addresses. OUIs and MAC addresses may be colon-, hyphen-, or period-separated.

Sample search and results below.

00:06:25:FD:32:EB
000018
08:00:22
sitara

Search Multiple Types of Data

Get Lat/Long of Full MAC Address

A full MAC address can be used to geolocate the BSSID by clicking Get Lat/Long.

Email Search Results

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Is Stealing WiFi Illegal?

I think most people have used open networks when an Internet connection is needed and no other option is available but using someone else’s connection for an extended period of time is a security risk and probably illegal where you live.

Watch video the below where a lady calls into Leo Laporte’s Tech Guy Show claiming that the “Linksys” WiFi access she has been using for over a year has “disappeared”. She purchased a Linksys 802.11n extender thinking that would bring “Linksys” back. Leo discovers that she was really using her neighbors WiFi and explains the potential risks of using open networks.

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WiFi Scanner v1.1 For Mac OS X Snow Leopard

WiFi Scanner is a free 802.11 wireless scanner and connection manager for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or later. This will detect access points and clients in ad-hoc mode if the SSID is being broadcasted. It can be used for wireless site surveys, wireless discovery, and to connect to wifi networks. The tool reports signal strength in dBm and shows access point BSSID/MAC addresses.

WiFi Scanner v1.1 Installer Package Download

New Features In WiFi Scanner v1.1 for Snow Leopard

v1.1 of our very popular (and free) WiFi Scanner application for Snow Leopard has following new features.

• Change Column Positions
• Sort Results
• Resolve Vendor OUI
• Noise and Signal/Noise Info
• Autoscan/Refresh
• Latitude/Longitude of Discovered Access Points
• Show Access Point in Google Maps
• Show Access Point in Google Earth
• Access Point Finder Using Audio Alert

See below for screenshots of the application and information regarding the various buttons and options.

Interface Tab

The tab entitled “Interface Info” contains information describing the static and dynamic state of the currently selected interface. Additionally, it allows the user to toggle interface power, disconnect from the current network, and change channels.

You will notice that you will not be able to change channels while connected to a network–this is by design. Attempting to do this would return a error. Furthermore, you will notice that when the interface is powered OFF, all the dynamic status information is cleared.

Scan Tab

The tab entitled “Scan” allows the user to scan for networks using the current interface. The scan results are shown in the table view and are can be organized by any column by clicking the column header. For each network, there is several pieces of information displayed in the table row that describe that particular network.

There is a button in the checkbox left corner of the Scan tab which sets/unsets the parameter to merge the scan result with the same SSID.

There is a Auto check box and drop down to select the auto refresh rate.

The Resolve Vendor OUI option to show the IEEE Organization Unit Identifier for the MAC address.

The Show Lat/Long will show the latitude longitude of the BSSID if available via WiFi databases.

And, there is a button in the bottom right corner of the Scan tab which allows the user to join the currently selected network in the table. A sheet will be presented upon clicking the Join button that will allow the user to provide the appropriate credentials for the given network.

Interface Popup Button

The app supports a multiple interface scenario, whereby the machine could have several IEEE 802.11 wireless interfaces. The popup button on the top left corner of the app allows the user to select which interface should be set as the current interface. By default, the popup button will select the primary WLAN interface for the system.

Refresh Button

In the top right corner of the app, there is a push button entitled “Refresh”. This button provides different functionality depending on which tab is currently selected. If the Interface Info or Configuration tabs are selected, the button will refresh the information display in the currently selected tab. If the Scan tab is selected, the button will start a broadcast scan and block until the scan has completed.

Double click a row of results to access the monitor screen.

Monitor Screen

From the monitor screen you will be able to display the BSSID in Google Maps or in Google Earth.

If the Auto refresh option is checked the monitor screen will refresh the RSSI value every refresh interval.

If audio is enabled a beep sound increase in frequency as the RSSI values increases (aka approaches zero). This is typically called the “Geiger Counter” feature in most WiFi scanning applications.

BSSID Search Tab

This tab will allow you to search any MAC address and have it

BSSID In Google Maps

BSSID In Google Earth

Green domes show estimated coverage area based on free space loss.

WiFi Scanner Email List

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iPhone WiFi Scanner Apps Banned By Apple

Apple has just banned iPhone WiFi Scanner apps from the iTunes store that use a “private framework” to scan for WiFi networks.

Below are some of the apps that have been removed from app store.

• WiFi-Where
• WiFiTrack
• WiFiFoForum
• yFy Network Finder
• WiFi Get
• eWifi
• WiFi Analyzer

An email to one developer from Apple stated that because “…There are no published APIs that provide the ability to manipulate the wireless connection or the show level of information regarding the wireless connection as demonstrated in the application….” their app was removed from the app store.

While this is not good news for existing app developers, I think Apple may be cleaning up things in preparation for providing standard methods to access WiFI information in the SDK for the iPhone and iPad.

They already provide standard methods of scanning for WiFi devices in Mac OS X. We currently use these methods for our WiFi Scanner app that works in Snow Leopard.

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Free Rogue Access Point Detector Updated

Rogue Wireless Access Point Scanner is an online rogue wireless acces point scanner scans for wireless devices and then outputs a list of MAC addresses that belong to the wireless device that is plugged into the network.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 with IE or Firefox works best. XP is partially supported and the program doesn’t support Mac OS X at this time.

The utility has been updated with features below.

• Vendor OUI Display
• Lat/Long Coordinates of Access Points
• Display Access Points on Google Maps
• Display Access Points in Googe Earth
• Access Point/Rogue AP Tracking
• Display Access Point Details Such as SSID, RSSI

Vendor OUI Display

Double click on results in wireless devices window to access scanner monitor window. From this window you will be able to access lat/long info, display access point on Google Maps, display access point in Google Earth, and track the access point using an audible alert.

Lat/Long Coordinates of Access Points

Display Access Points on Google Maps

Display Access Points in Googe Earth

Access Point/Rogue AP Tracking Using Audible Alert

Clicking the Audio On/Off button for a “beep” sound that will increase/decrease in frequency based on the RSSI value. As the RSSI approaches -50 dBm the audible alert will increase in frequency.

Try iWIDS

iWIDS – Wireless Intrusion Detection System

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BridgeChecker v1.3 Beta Available for Download

BridgeChecker is a windows utility that can automatically disable/enable wireless interfaces. Whenever your computer is connected to an Ethernet port and the link state is good, the utility can automatically turns off the IEEE 802.11 wireless network interface. This conserves IP address allocation, reduces security risks, resolves dual interface routing issues, and prolongs battery life.

Please read the BridgeChecker User Guide before installing and using BridgeChecker v1.3 beta.

BridgeChecker v1.3 has several new features that are summarized below.

BridgeChecker v1.3 Adds Location Awareness

BridgeChecker v1.2 has two modes, BridgeChecker Mode and OneNIC Mode. BridgeChecker v1.3 adds a Location Mode for enabling and disabling adapters based on the client location being “Work” or “Remote”.

To determine if the client’s location is work or remote the administrator can use a ping test, URL test, or gateway IP check. Based on the results of the test the adapters selected for Work or Remote location will be enabled and all other non whitelisted adapters will be disabled. The test will be rechecked every 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 minutes with 5 minutes being the default check interval.

Location Ping Check

Location URL Check

Location Gateway IP Check

BridgeChecker v1.3 Adds Service Startup Delay

v1.3 adds the ability to delay the start of the BridgeChecker service during the boot cycle. This feature is accessed via Manage Settings screen and can be set to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 minutes. The default setting is zero minutes delay.

BridgeChecker Service In “Starting” Status During Delay Period

BridgeChecker Service In “Started” Status After Delay Period Ends

BridgeChecker v1.3 Adds Support for x64 Bit Operating Systems

BridgeChecker now supports x64 Windows Vista and Windows 7. If you previously experienced the error message below, BridgeChecker v1.3 solves this issue.

System.InvalidOperationException: The ‘Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0′ provider is not registered on the local machine.
at System.Data.OleDb.OleDbServicesWrapper.GetDataSource(OleDbConnectionString constr, DataSourceWrapper& datasrcWrapper)
at System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnectionInternal..ctor(OleDbConnectionString constr, OleDbConnection connection)

The program runs in 32 bit mode and installs in the Program Files (x86) directory. Make sure to install by running setup.exe as administrator.

BridgeChecker v1.3 Beta Download

BridgeChecker v1.3 Beta Download. (offsite)

BridgeChecker v1.3 Beta Bug Report and Feedback

Please use comment form below to send in bug reports or feedback regarding BridgeChecker v1.3 Beta.

BridgeChecker Mailing List

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Locally Administered MAC Address

The Locally Administered MAC Address is used to override the “burned-in” address of network interface cards (NICs). The Locally Administered MAC Address is a user-defined MAC address that is used in place of the MAC address originally assigned to the network adapter. Every adapter in the network must have its own unique MAC address. This locally administered address consists of a 12-digit hexadecimal number.

The appropriate assigned ranges and exceptions for the locally administered address include the following:

The range is 00:00:00:00:00:01 to FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FD.
Do not use a multicast address (least significant bit of the high byte = 1).
Do not use all 0s or all F’s.

Creating An Access Point With A Locally Administered MAC Address

Using airbase-ng we can create an Access Point with a locally administered MAC address.

root@bt:~# airbase-ng -e “SSID” -a 00:00:00:00:00:01 wlan0
For information, no action required: Using gettimeofday() instead of /dev/rtc
16:37:27 Created tap interface at0
16:37:27 Trying to set MTU on at0 to 1500
16:37:27 Access Point with BSSID 00:00:00:00:00:01 started.

Tools Used To Create Virtual Access Point

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Netgear WG111US Wireless G Usb Adapter

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How Does Airplane WiFi Work?

Airplane WiFi works like WiFi at free WiFi at coffee shops and book stores. The main components of an airplane WiFi system are below.

1. Computer/WiFi enabled device (laptop, iPhone)
2. Airplane WiFi network (access points)
3. Air-to-ground wireless data connection (satellite or EVDO)
4. Ground Internet service provider

The technology to make the entire system work is transparent travelers. All that is required is an 802.11 WiFi enabled device and a method to pay for the service. WiFi on airplanes is available on most major airlines.

Airplane WiFi Configurations

There are two companies, GoGo Internet and Row 44, that most airlines are using to provide airplane WiFi service. GoGo Internet uses a ground based cellular data network for data communications and Row 44 uses satellite communications.

Row 44 Airplane WiFi

Satellite antenna atop of plane to communicate with satellites and other electronics inside cabin.

Row 44 Airplane WiFi Equipment

Southwest Airplane Row 44 Satellite Antenna

Row 44 Airplane WiFi Service

GoGo Inflight Airplane WiFi Configuration

GoGo’s airplane wifi configuration is similar to Row 44 except that they rely on a ground based EVDO network (like cell phone data networks) for communications to airplanes.

GoGo Aircell Airplane WiFi EVDO Network

Aircell Airplane WiFi Equipment

GoGo Internet Airplane WiFi Service

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Airplane WiFi Wireless Internet Update

Since my previous post about airplane wifi, a few more airlines have launched wifi Internet using either Aircell’s GoGo or Row 44′s service.

A quick review of the two technologies is below.

Aircell’s GoGo Airplane Internet Service

Aircell has been authorized by the FAA and FCC to use cellular frequencies for inflight broadband communications. Based on a tech primer by Aircell from March 2007 the network is summarized below.

• 100 or fewer EVDO antennas across the US providing coast-to-coast coverage.
• AirCell broadband uses an EV-DO (Rev. A) air-to-ground link, which provides peak data rates up to 3.1Mbps from the ground to the airplane, and up to 1.8Mbps from the airplane to the ground.
• Usable Internet access but not high speed Internet as expected by users with 30Mbps Internet access at home.

Language from tech primer below acknowledging speed limitations of network architecture and GoGo service.

AirCell broadband will be fast enough to give you complete, unfettered access to the Internet without excessive load times. It will run regular e-mail programs with normal attachments just like you do on the ground. It’s not as fast as a T1 line feeding a large corporation, but in daily operations very few people would notice a difference in download times between the two – and then, only when working with very large files. Participants that have demonstrated prototypes of the system in flight have been extremely happy with their experience.

Row 44′s Airplane Internet Service

Unlike Aircell, who built a wireless network for inflight WiFi Internet, Row 44 purchases bandwidth from HughesNet. Bandwidth can be very high, much higher than the EVDO based network used by Aircell but HughesNet uses geosynchronous satellites (about 42,164 km from Earth) has always suffered from latency issues when used for two-way communications. Additional details from Row 44′s website about the broadband system are below.

• Data rates averaging 30 Mbps in the downlink direction (from the satellite to the aircraft) and 620 Kbps maximum in the uplink direction.
• System will allow full access to the Internet as well as VoIP services, cell phone roaming usage where allowed by government regulation as well as live TV using IPTV.
• The system weighs less than 150 lbs and can be installed in two overnights, with the plane re-entering revenue service between the overnights.
• Second multi-cast 45 Mbps receive-only channel can be provisioned using the same equipment for dedicated transport of IP television. The passenger will gain access to all these services via the airline’s in-flight entertainment system or their own devices through Wi-Fi access points onboard the aircraft.

In-Flight WiFi Guide

Below is a summary compiled by travel site Jaunted with prices and WiFi Internet services offered by major airlines.

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

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DoD Commercial WLAN Technologies Instruction 8420.01

The US Department of Defense (DOD) released a commercial wireless local area network (WLAN) devices, systems, and technologies Instruction (NUMBER 8420.01) that implements the DoD Directive 8100.2 related to commercial wireless that was released in 2004 and updated in 2006 [DoD Instruction Number 8420.01].

DoDD 8100.2

Use of Commercial Wireless Devices, Services, and Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) – April 14, 2004. [source]

DoDD 8100.2 Supplement

Use of Commercial Wireless Local-Area Network (WLAN) Devices, Systems, Technologies in the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) -June 2, 2006. [source]

The 8420.01 Instruction mainly applies to DoD owned 802.11 devices and networks.

The Instruction does not apply to non 802.11 technologies such as Bluetooth and WIMAX and non DoD systems that use 802.11 such as hotspots, hotel, and home networks.

Policy for Unclassified WLANs

Unclassified WLAN systems shall be standards-based and IEEE 802.11 compliant, employ certified RF communications functions for interoperability, and employ certified and/or validated information assurance (IA) and cryptographic functions.

Unclassified WLAN-enabled PEDs shall use antivirus software, personal firewalls, data-at-rest encryption, and implement strong identification and authentication (I&A) (e.g., two factor, at a minimum) to access the device and the network.

PED = Portable Electronic Device (aka PDA, PDA phone)
WLAN-enabled PEDs = Devices like the iPhone, Palm Pre, and newer Blackberry smartphones

Policy for Classified WLANs

Employ National Security Agency (NSA)-approved encryption end-to-end and secure the storage, processing, receipt, and transmission of information accessed using NSA-approved encryption.

The WLAN must include information assurance measures:

• Classified WLAN-enabled PEDs shall use NSA, Type 1 encryption to protect classified data-in-transit and data-at-rest on PEDs.
• Unclassified and classified DoD wired and wireless LANs shall have a wireless intrusion detection capability that can be used to monitor WLAN activity and identify WLAN-related policy violations.
• Unclassified and classified WLAN-enabled PEDs used to access DoD e-mail systems shall support the signing and encrypting of e-mail.

Download DoD WLAN Instruction 8420.01 PDF

Download and read the entire DoD Instruction Number 8420.01.

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Mac OS X Wireless Problems

I have fewer issues when running Windows XP on my Mac hardware using bootcamp compared to Mac OS X so I know the hardware is OK. Below are several troubleshooting techniques I use when I have connectivity issues.

First, confirm you have the latest airport client software! The Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 AirPort client update is suppose to fix the following issues.

This update is recommended for all Macintosh computers running Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 and includes fixes for the following:

• Inability to turn AirPort on or off in some cases after upgrading from Mac OS X Leopard
• An occasional loss of network connection when using Wake on Demand
• Inability to create a computer-to-computer network, or share the Internet connection on some MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini computers

Troubleshooting Mac OS X Wireless

I applied the Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 AirPort client update a few days ago but still have occasional wireless issues connecting/reconnecting to my WiFi network. I usually take actions below when troubleshooting Mac OS X wireless problems.

Use airport utility to confirm proper signal strength and make sure the SSID and channel you are using for your network isn’t the same as your neighbors.

If you have Snow Leopard, use a free Snow Leopard wifi scanner to confirm proper signal strength and channel.

Once connected turn off the Airport status by holding “command” and “clicking mouse” and dragging icon to the desktop or by unchecking “Show airport status in menu bar” in Network Preferences. I believe this stops the background scans used by airport to track available networks and should make wireless more reliable [source].

Delete Mac OS X Preferred Networks

Delete all “Preferred Network” listings then re-enter into Network Preferences.

1. Open System Preferences and select the “Network” pane
2. Select “AirPort” and click “Configure”
3. In the “By default, join:” pull-down menu, select “Preferred networks”
4. Delete the network(s) you regularly use from the list
5. Launch the “Keychain Access” application located in Applications/Utilities.
6. Click on the “Kind” filter at the top, and look for “AirPort network password” entries. Delete them.
7. Restart, or log out then back in.
8. Repeat steps 1-3, this time re-adding your regularly used AirPort networks to the list.
9. Restart or log out then back in.

[source]

Resetting Mac OS X Wireless

If all else fails and you still are having issues connecting your wireless network, try resetting your wireless network preferences.

1. Network preferences are stored in the ‘System’ file space (/Library) and the ‘User’ file space (~/Library) in the following files:
   System files (network and wireless): /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.network.identification.plist
   /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
   System Files (General configurations) /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist
   802.1x Profiles: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.eap.profiles.plist
2. To reset default network settings, remove (or make copy and remove) all of the above files. You need to be in command line/terminal mode, to do that: Launch ‘Terminal’: Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal From the UNIX Shell, create a directory to store old preferences:
3. cd ~
mkdir saved-preferences
Then, move all network preferences files to this backup folder:
4. mv ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.eap.profiles.plist ~/saved-preferences
cd /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration
5. sudo mv * ~/saved-preferences

The “sudo” command will prompt for admin password to proceed and a reboot should be performed. [source]

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