Jericho: Is Technology TOO cheap?
Our 802.11b router just got upgraded to 802.11g. For those of you that lack in tech speak - my wireless acess point point at home, the little blue box I hooked up so that our laptop could be trully portable, is headed for the trash bin. We bought a newer, faster (smaller!) wireless box in go-faster silver.
My "B" router is still in pretty good shape. For whatever reason, it stops talking to my cable modem now and then. If you unplug it and plug it back in, it resets and does just fine for a few days. However, I did spend about two hours on line with Dell tech support one night because I tried to troubleshoot a problem from the laptop end instead of the infrastructure end - doing the trick above fixed the issue.
So, I have this nice router that for which I have no use. Linksys - big brand name. You could probably find the same box on eBay for $20 if you wanted one. I offered it to two friends - figuring they might have a use in their own house or in their family or friend's place. Nope. No takers.
Ten years ago this item would have been worth hundreds of dollars. Five or so years ago, "G" routers hit the market and this router hit my price range, about $60 bucks. Now, it's good for keeping the trash below it from blowing out of the bin, and not very good at that.
When I was on the call with Dell, I had the oportunity to see the wireless access points in the apartment complex. Out of SIX - I was the only one on a pure "B". Being the lowest technology was bad enough, but being the lowest of six. I'm used to thinking that I'm well and above my neighbors. Not so. I used to worry that since I don't turn on the security features on my router that any fool out there with a wireless card could jump on my router and use my connection. With broadband - I'm not terribly concerned about someone jumping on and checking email. Considering half of the routers I saw were without security, I'm even less worried. What worries me is that so many routers means alot more router knowledge is out there and "router hacking" could become a fun past-time for kids.
So, the blue Linksys' future is in question. It will most likely go to Goodwill. There's just something freaky about all of this.
My "B" router is still in pretty good shape. For whatever reason, it stops talking to my cable modem now and then. If you unplug it and plug it back in, it resets and does just fine for a few days. However, I did spend about two hours on line with Dell tech support one night because I tried to troubleshoot a problem from the laptop end instead of the infrastructure end - doing the trick above fixed the issue.
So, I have this nice router that for which I have no use. Linksys - big brand name. You could probably find the same box on eBay for $20 if you wanted one. I offered it to two friends - figuring they might have a use in their own house or in their family or friend's place. Nope. No takers.
Ten years ago this item would have been worth hundreds of dollars. Five or so years ago, "G" routers hit the market and this router hit my price range, about $60 bucks. Now, it's good for keeping the trash below it from blowing out of the bin, and not very good at that.
When I was on the call with Dell, I had the oportunity to see the wireless access points in the apartment complex. Out of SIX - I was the only one on a pure "B". Being the lowest technology was bad enough, but being the lowest of six. I'm used to thinking that I'm well and above my neighbors. Not so. I used to worry that since I don't turn on the security features on my router that any fool out there with a wireless card could jump on my router and use my connection. With broadband - I'm not terribly concerned about someone jumping on and checking email. Considering half of the routers I saw were without security, I'm even less worried. What worries me is that so many routers means alot more router knowledge is out there and "router hacking" could become a fun past-time for kids.
So, the blue Linksys' future is in question. It will most likely go to Goodwill. There's just something freaky about all of this.
posted by Jericho Brown at 3/05/2007 12:19:00 PM
3 Comments:
Wifi hacking is easy.
Any script kiddie can download Ethereal and pick up your router traffic. If that traffic is not encrypted, they can easily scope your data. If it is encrypted, it is harder, but not impossible to crack.
I have said it many times before - there is no security.
Someone who wants your data will get it.
The trick is to put enough stumbling blocks in the way to reach a point of diminishing returns for the hacker.
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