[Ti] Wi-Fi technology

[Mark C. Langston]

On Sat, Nov 30, 2002 at 12:35:55PM -0500, NaegeleWDC at aol.com wrote:
> 
> As the site to which Mike referred says, we can access the Internet
> anywhere our Ti's with Airport "sense" nearby wireless access, right?
> Is any one of you using this now?  If so, is Airport all you need to
> connect?    
> 


In a sense.  One can only connect to wireless networks that are "open";
i.e., that are not using WEP, that provide an SSID beacon, and do not
have any other form of host and/or user authentication (e.g., MAC-based
access restriction, VPN requirements, the various methods used to
triangulate a client's location and allow/disallow based on physical
distance from the access point, etc.)

802.11b is somewhat confusing to laypeople in that it is entirely
possible to be "connected" in the trivial sense, yet still not be able
to use the network.  This is because 802.11b uses a two-step process for
network access:  Association (this is the point at which your system may
"see" a wireless network and it will appear to be connected to it), and
Authentication (this is the point at which the access point -- or some
system conomitant with or subsequent to it -- grants you permission to
use the network, and begins passing packets to and from your system).

This often trips people up, with complaints of, "I'm connected to the
network, but nothing works."


For fully open networks (as indicated by various warchalking
activities), yes, your Airport-equipped Tibook is all you need.
However, I must echo another person's caveat:  Do so at your own risk.
I've heard from various individuals representing various agencies,
including federal prosecutors and the special advisor to the POTUS, that
using another's wireless network (and the associated behaviors, such as
war*ing) is in violation of several federal laws.  And quite possibly
compounded by the unauthorized access to the network behind said
wireless connection, both private and public.

Given various interpretations of recently-enacted legislation, the
penalties for such access include both life imprisonment and death, and
you may be deprived of due process, should someone want to press the
issue.  This is a dangerous time to be treading lightly in grey areas
created by emerging technology (I'm well aware that 802.11? is not new;
however, it's still novel to the masses, particularly those who deal
with litigation, and those who are in a position to demand such.)


-- 
Mark C. Langston                                    Sr. Unix SysAdmin
mark at bitshift.org                                       mark at seti.org
Systems & Network Admin                                SETI Institute
http://bitshift.org                               http://www.seti.org