There is a new database with hotspots online which is even bigger than jiwire: The database from Lycos (http://wlan.lycos.es/) contains 1323 Hotspots all over Spain at the moment.
There is also a forum about wireless Internet access to be found and you can download the WLAN Sniffer for free, a connection tool for WiFi Users.

Fantastic tut Adam, you really went the extra mile (and more). Made for a great read.

What sort of ranges/distances are we looking at here for a standard router/transmitter and something like an Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG WiFi receiver picking it up in a home environment (ie. with multiple walls)? How far out of your house (like at the bottom of your garden, or even across the street at a neighbour's house) could you possibly expect to pick up and use the signal (at 512/256kbps broadband speeds)?

I understand it's subjective to various aspects, but what sort of rough, "ball-park" figure..... like 10, 50, 100, 200 feet? I really have no idea. (Am grabbing a laptop with WiFi in the next couple of days!)

Thanks mate, great guide!

by the way WEP = Wired Equivalent Privacy.

Adam,

Gotta give it to you man! You change your name and you're like a new person, all informative and informational! Like what you did with this thread though! Lot of good helpful information! Nice work!

Excellent article, very helpful. I have one questoin, I just hooked up my wireless network with the Linksys G router, and how do I make sure my computer is set and the router is set to WPA and TKIP encryption? Is there any way I can test to see if I am safe? Also can you recomend any good programs to help me stay safe using my WIFI? I have Zone Alarm Pro, will this help with the WIFI too? Or just wired? I do have an account at Jwire, but I cant get it set up correctly yet, it keeps saying the Autehtication is incorrect for the network I want to sign on to....How does Jwire work?

Nice article. I think a wifi trouble shooting guide would also be handy.

is anyone using MIMO networking called PRE-N on a laptop, coverage seems fantastic but its expensive and I am wonder myself how it works with the intel 2915 ABG , I get my dellx xps gen2 est 09/26/2005 I cant wait !

mikron

In order to use Microsoft vs Intel Pro Wireless, would one have to uninstall Intel and is Microsoft that much better?

^---- no, you don't need to uninstall proset to use the windows tool. Select the menu Tools->Use Microsoft Client (F10). Then, proset will deactivate and you can use the tool provided by microsoft from that point forward.

In my opinion, proset is better than WZC. Do not install the junk (intel assistant for problems. well, the one that takes > 20MB) when installing the proset driver and you're fine.

Wow, very well done, i really enjoyed it. Im one of those wireless guys to. Very nice!

Loved the pictures btw

or Worst Encryption Possible

you can crack wep in under 5 mins not exacaly secure, WPA-PSK w/ 30 char password, now thats a diffrent story.

there are some things that are wrong with the guide

disableing SSID broadcast will do NOTHING to protect your network, your id is broadcasted when a client connects therefore making it visible to monitoring users. dont want to wait for someone to connect? Deauth the client then, that will force the client to reconnect to the AP revealing the SSID

mac filtering? LMAO you can change your mac in BOTH linux and windows in a matter of seconds

linux : ifconfig eth0 down, ifconfig eth0 hw ether xx.xx.xx.xx.xx, ifconfig eth0 up

in linux it depends how fast you can type

windows: right click on network neighborhood -> properties --> right click Wireless NIC --> properties --> configure --> locally administered address or network address, type in MAC of your choice, click ok, dont even need to reboot, windows will automatically restart the card

so in windows its how fast you can click

I bought a new Netgear WGR614 Wireless Router and it hooked up and worked easily enought. Fast too.
BUT, after an hour of using it, it shut down and when I went to check the settings in the unit, it was too hot to the touch to hold. I shut it down and unplugged it.
My question is: Is is suppose to be that HOT?
I need to know before I attempt to use it or send it back.
Thanxs

I would also like to add that just tonight, my good friend and computer wizard helped me replace a Linksys WRTS4GS router with their new SRX 200 model. Wow, what a nightmare! The reason for going to the SRX was obviously range and once I got it configured correctly, it is very impressive. I had my friend configure the old GS router as an extender so that my brother in law could get a strong signal above the garage at the far end of the house. Previously I could only receive a weak signal up there and now it's reading "Very Good" which is a great improvement. My advice for anyone that isn't working in the computer field or very educated in this kind of technology is before you even start, dial tech support and as soon as they get on, ask for level two because that's where they're going to send you as soon as they hear it's an SRX. Maybe they just haven't been trained yet but at least I got it connected and running. Hold time for tech was just over an hour fifteen. Fun, Fun, Fun!
Respectfully,
Ed

If network security is what your looking for check out:
http://www.remote-exploit.org/index.php/Main_Page

they have interesting tutorials, and the software tools to boot... best of all it's free