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Old 06-12-14, 10:27 AM   #11
AC_Hacker
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...Voip is another part of the internet bundle. Just another service like pandora or iheart radio. If your internet dies, so do they. If the power goes out, so do they. Not the same thing as an old-fashioned land line...
This is only partly true.

I used to run an Internet server at home. I used a UPS with a massive lead acid battery more for surge protection than anything.

One day I came home and all power was off, no lights, no heat, no nothing.

To my delight, my web server was still merrily serving up web pages in the cold dark cellar of the house, by the power of the hulking battery in the UPS.

So, if you have DSL, you have all of the fail-safe aspects of a land line working for you. You just need to supply backup power to the modem, and the IP phone box, that is if you put the phone box ahead of the house router... and also the cordless phone(s) if you have those, too. I have a wired phone first in line, right next to the IP Phone box.

I haven't had any experience with cable and power outages.

On my IP Phone box, and also on the Vonage box, quality of service is provided by the phone box, so it makes sense to put it before the router.

But I really like your Wi-Fi phone idea.

-AC

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Old 06-12-14, 07:16 PM   #12
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Everywhere you go, there are free wifi hotspots. McDonald's and starbucks (and clone coffee shops) are all over and have free wifi. Hotels, restaurants, libraries, shopping malls, office supply houses, etc.... all have it. Obviously, I have it at home and work. And I don't password protect my hotspot, either.

I have a firewall for the lan, but passers-by and visitors can surf the web on me. It's kinda cool, in a way. There's a chiropractor's office about 75 yards from me on the corner that's within range. People will actually sit in the parking lot (towards my house) and leech with their laptops and such. When we come outside, they wave hello.

While mobile, I have an app called WeFi that works like mapquest. It will point out all the free hotspots near where you are with high accuracy. You will be amazed at the sheer number of places near you, everywhere you go, every day, all the time...
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Old 06-15-14, 11:50 AM   #13
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Cell only here, too. My phone is on Republic Wireless also. A few years back we took a look at our phone usage an decided the home phone was a waste of money. My son has never had a land line. Times change.
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Old 06-16-14, 08:35 AM   #14
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Everywhere you go, there are free wifi hotspots. McDonald's and starbucks (and clone coffee shops) are all over and have free wifi. Hotels, restaurants, libraries, shopping malls, office supply houses, etc.... all have it. Obviously, I have it at home and work. And I don't password protect my hotspot, either.

I have a firewall for the lan, but passers-by and visitors can surf the web on me. It's kinda cool, in a way. There's a chiropractor's office about 75 yards from me on the corner that's within range. People will actually sit in the parking lot (towards my house) and leech with their laptops and such. When we come outside, they wave hello.

While mobile, I have an app called WeFi that works like mapquest. It will point out all the free hotspots near where you are with high accuracy. You will be amazed at the sheer number of places near you, everywhere you go, every day, all the time...
Hey Jeff, that is actually a very bad idea. Reason being, if anyone surfs, for example, child pornography and they trace it back to your IP address, it ends up being you who is responsible for it. Just be careful with your internet access.
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Old 06-16-14, 12:10 PM   #15
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Hey Jeff, that is actually a very bad idea. Reason being, if anyone surfs, for example, child pornography and they trace it back to your IP address, it ends up being you who is responsible for it. Just be careful with your internet access.
Is this actually a reasonable concern?

I mean the MAC number is also part of the IP packet, is it not?

-AC
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Old 06-16-14, 02:17 PM   #16
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True, but from what I've read, it's the owner of the internet connection who ends up being liable regardless of what machine is responsible for the illegal internet activity.

I'll give you an example. You leave your wireless opened up to the public, some joe shmoe comes along and taps into it and does something illegal then takes off. How do the cops know that you didn't just use some laptop to do what you wanted to do then tossed it or took it off your premise so that it couldn't be found?

I'm sure if the person was innocent he wouldn't be jailed, but I bet you that the cops would go through any computer in your house and pretty much check every file you had on your systems to make sure you weren't the one. I also bet you'd be flagged so they'd be checking everything you did from that point forward.

I'm just saying, be careful. I work in IT so it probably makes me a bit more paranoid then most cause I know what people can do. It's nice giving away free cookies, but all it takes is one bozo to choke on it and sue your butt to ruin it for everyone else.

I'm not saying don't do nice things for people, I'm just saying, be careful what you're doing and who you're doing the nice things for. Some people will take advantage.

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Old 06-16-14, 04:01 PM   #17
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I'll give you an example. You leave your wireless opened up to the public, some joe shmoe comes along and taps into it and does something illegal then takes off. How do the cops know that you didn't just use some laptop to do what you wanted to do then tossed it or took it off your premise so that it couldn't be found?
With packets having unique MAC numbers, I think your example is a little far fetched.

My actual concern is that too many people self-censor and don't do really brave things, or interesting things, or perhaps really kind, charitable things (as jeff5may is doing) because they imagine adversarial scenarios that keep them living as prisoners of their own fearful fantasies.

That's it.

-AC
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Old 06-16-14, 07:16 PM   #18
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Yes, this is why internet access and "security" will never be cheap, universal, and/or shared. Back in the day, I sold lots of home and car alarm systems preaching the same thing. Billy Bob will get you if he can. Better protect yourself.

From my desk, as I write this post, I can see 7 other hotspots with my smartphone, and they are all locked with some form of wpX authentication. What this tells me is the telecom companies have spread the word thickly, and are making out like bandits. The way I see it, if everyone wasn't living in fear, a few of us neighbors would've already ganged up, cutting that number by 2 or 3. So if someone is smart enough to download the same sharing app I use on the go, I can give away a little of my headroom and the cable company better not mind!
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Old 06-16-14, 07:29 PM   #19
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A mac address is trivial (even standard practice) to spoof. The public ip address is least likely to be fake but still do-able. If you leave your wifi open at least you have "plausible deniability". But it would be best to double up the routers. Example, after the open wifi router have another router locked down properly for your own traffic. Open wifi is the easiest path to infection there is these days.
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Old 06-16-14, 08:03 PM   #20
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Y'all do what you feel is best... Feel free to vote with your wallet. But if you believe a forty dollar black box is going to protect you from Jason Bourne or Morpheus, you're wrong. What it will protect you from is your fear. You can sleep at night knowing the 12-year old next door isn't playing halo or command and conquer on your connection. And, of course, the multitudes of technically illiterate individuals randomly surfing the most common websites on the planet will have to find their own way. Don't worry, they will never learn how to crack that cisco router.

As for me, I will continue mercilessly leeching off the large corporate chains who have decided to offer a free connection in 99% of their storefronts, as well as the giving souls who don't lock their wifi connections. You can continue to pay three bills, totaling hundreds of dollars every month. I just don't see the value in it.


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