I used to use Netstumbler to configure wireless networs, especially over longer distances with high gain antennas. But since I switched over to Linux I've missed Netstumbler's great histogram feature.

So I brushed up my scripting skills and wrote Scanmeter, a very simple to use bash script for directional antenna pointing. Anyone who wants to give it a whirl or improve it here you go:

http://www.skifactz.com/wifi/Linux_Antenna_Tuning.htm

I wrote a little iTunes batch file for Windows for personal use but I thought I should share it. iTunes does not allow sharing of music library between multiple users on one computer.

This is kind of lame because there are many legitimate reasons one would want to share the library. My wife and I listen to same podcasts for example. Why should we have to download them twice and store them in two separate locations?

The batch file is simple. It damages the library database and swaps the backup database file from the other user. Download the iTunes hack.: http://www.skifactz.com/wifi/tuneshare.htm

I've had this problem with my WiFi VoIP phone that I could not connect through authenticated hotspots because the phone lacks a browser. This is not about unathorized internet access, I use my T-mobile account, it's about being able to make legit calls with my phone.

So I figured out that if you spoof the phone's MAC ID with a laptop, connect and let the phone take over you can bypass the authentication step because the laptop takes care of it.

I don't carry my computer around but I do carry a Linux based Nokia N770 which works great for this kind of penetration hack.

These are Linux and Windows MAC ID faking instructions http://www.skifactz.com/wifi/wifi_authenticated.htm for the purpose of connecting a browserless device to a public hotspot.

I've been wanting to to do this for months and I finally had some free time yesterday. I added an external antenna connector to UTStarcom F1000G wireless SIP phone. http://www.skifactz.com/wifi/F1000G_antenna_1.htm

I connected the phone briefly to a conifer antenna and a biquad. I didn't have time to measure signal gain but I noticed that the phone was picking up more access points then with the built in antenna. I'll do some tests later.

I just bought a  used Nokia 770 online. Lower price is the main reason i went for 770. A friend of mine had it. He used it just for occasional browsing and internet radio. I think he also loaded the Gizmo SIP client on it. He said the performance was kind of slow. But come on, it's not a laptop computer. I'm kind of excited loading Kismet on it and seeing how it works.

I was fixing a friend's UTStarcom F1000G phone and discovered that the phone has an external antenna connector mounted on the PCB. I haven't had time to connect a high gain antenna to it. If anyone is interested in trying it I have pictures and instructions on how to open F1000G on my website.
http://www.skifactz.com/wifi/disassemble_F1000G_1.htm

I will definitelly play with this some more when I get some free time. A high gain WiFi antenna could boost the range quite a bit.

That's a gret idea -- switching MAC IDs. My laptop weighs about 5kg. Not exactly something I usually travell with. Maybe I should modernize or at least remove the "made for windows 98" sticker.

A while back I said I was going to post some info on mobile VOIP phones that use WiFi. I've finally had time to play with this stuff and it's very exciting.

I have this new tutorial: http://www.skifactz.com/wifi/wifi_sip_phone.htm

While this is not a really a hack (or it is in a way because my phone was originally designed for Vonage service) it's still pretty exciting.

In the nutshell, you can use a mobile SIP compliant WiFi phone like Utstarcom F1000G to connect to any open AP and make free calls to other SIP phones. This costs nothing other than about $60 for a used phone. If you pay a few bucks more you can setup an account that allows you to call any landline at very low rates.

No I don't but I'll keep my eyes open.

After 2 years of waiting I installed firmware update on my Nextel i730 phone. Nextel originally mailed CD-ROMs with firmware and cables to subscribers when the realized that their V0 firmware that shipped with phones did not disclose GPS location to dispatchers when you dial 911.

My GPS did not really work until now. One thing that sucks is that it drains the battery. Before the update I could run 2.5 days on a single charge. Today, I was on the phone for 30 minutes and by 9:00pm the battery was dead. GPS is just suckinf up the juice.

I'm wandering if anyone has experience with using Nextel i730 or similar phone as a GPS device connected to a computer. I want to use it with Netstumbler but I don't know if it's reliable. The phone has a NMEA out so it will work. I just don't know how well it will work.

Thanks Biotic. I'll have some more coming. I'm about to start playing with some mobile voip phones.

It's more than just a tweak. I was getting tired by slow internet connection on my Linksys based Wi-Fi repeater so I did some digging.

I created a tutorial explaining how to make the whole setup run faster. The WRT54GL router is running DD-WRT firmware but this applies to WRT54G or any other router/firmware. The only problems is that it's not cheap because it requires more gear.

http://www.skifactz.com/wifi/wrt54g_repeater_improve.htm

A friend is using a slingbox to watch local channels from his hometown in Europe. The box is hooked to his uncle's cable. The picture quality is decent.

Also, broadcasters in the U.S. are increasingly turning to slingbox for traffic and weather cameras for local news. It's much cheaper than setting a microwave link for the feed.

Here's the latest. Increase the power of your Buffallo WHR-G125 router by adding an external antenna. The router comes with a non-removable antenna unlike it's more expensive cousin WHR-HP-G125.

The projects is quick and cheap to do.

http://www.skifactz.com/wifi/whr-g125_antenna.htm

Thanks Don,

I'm working on adding an external antenna to Bufallo WHR-G125 router. I'll be sharing the details when I get that done. It's supposed to be better than WRT54G.