The Cloud “killed” my iPod

Okay to say that a Cloud wifi hotspot killed my iPod is exaggerating somewhat, however it did kill Safari for a while and certainly wasn’t easy to sort out.

iPod touch

I had used my iPod touch at a free wifi hotspot which used the Cloud network.

I had signed in and used the web and no problems.

A few days later I wanted to use the web again on the iPod, but regardless of which site I tried to use whether it be entered manually or through a bookmark, Safari on the iPod just reverted back to the Cloud login page!

I couldn’t log out as I was not connected to the Cloud.

So I switched the iPod touch off and no luck, it still revered to the Cloud login screen.

Now I was getting annoyed.

I knew it wasn’t a connectivity issue, as I could use e-mail and other internet functions on the iPod, but could I use Safari? No I could not!

In the end, I worked out that if I managed to stop the Cloud page from loading, I could get Safari working again.

It was a really weird error that would  not be resolved easily, but at least I resolved it without needing to restore the iPod which is where I was going.

Should I be running a hidden or closed wireless network?

So should you be hiding your wireless network? Should you be closing your Airport network? Should you be not broadcasting your SSID (service set identifier)?

Some people do this to make their network invisible.

Should I be running a hidden or closed wireless network?

Most people are not aware that hiding your SSID or “closing” your network, does not in fact make your network invisible.

All it does is stop broadcasting your SSID (network name).

Your network is still broadcasting and therefore detectable.

I have a (modern) Sony VAIO which can pick up closed networks without any extra software – the ability is built into the latest intel chipsets.

As well as your network still broadcasting your network will also “broadcast” your SSID everytime a client joins your network.

Why?

Well you want to join the network, so you tell the router that you want to join.

You tell it the SSID, it says okay and lets you join.

When you told it the SSID, this was broadcast in the clear and can be easily picked out by “sniffer” programmes.

Exactly the same process can be used to sniff out the the authorised MAC address if you use MAC address access control.

Unfortunately “Closed” networks, MAC access control lists, and reduction in transmission power are all more “feel good” security rather than real security. All these various approaches are dated and mistakenly lead to overconfidence.

They’re like putting a brown paper bag over your wireless router to “secure it”, it may make you feel better, but adds no security whatsoever.

WPA is your friend if you value wireless security.

Photo source.

Wireless Network Tutorials

Apple have posted a nice couple of video tutorials on wireless networking and setting up a wireless network at home.

For seasoned techy geeks like myself who have been using wireless for the best part of a decade, we sometimes forget how magical and fantastical wireless is to people new to it.

“You mean I don’t need to connect any wires to connect to the internet!”

So nice and simple tutorials like these from Apple are useful and can set the groundwork for people to enter a wireless world.

Wireless basics

Setting up your wireless network 

Multiple Wireless Networks

When I first got a wireless router at home back in 2003 no one I knew locally had a wireless network. Partly as no one had DSL (our exchange hadn’t been upgraded) and cable wasn’t available either. I had got an Airport Extreme (802.11g) from Apple which came with a built in 56K modem.

Once DSL became available then wireless became more prevalent. My neighbour had a wireless network, but I could only pick up his and mine.

In the last year however the number of wireless networks has grown considerably. There are at least seven now which I can pick up from my house.

If I drive around the local area I can pick up many more. I am currently using an Acer Windows Mobile PDA as a Satnav as it comes with GPS and this picks up countless wireless networks as I drive round the local area; so much so that I have to turn the wireless off.

Most of these are Sky and BT supplied wireless networks (you can tell from the SSID) so they seem to be selling well.

Why is wireless doing well?

The fact that most laptops are wireless, the PS3 is wireless, the Nintendo Wii is wireless, the PSP is wireless means it can make sense to have wireless internet.

As households move from having a single computer to multiple computers, then wireless makes it much easier to connect them to the internet.

Of course the main issue with multiple wireless networks is interference so be aware of which channels your neighbours are on.

Good article on wireless security

When it comes to wireless security there are lots of myths out there.

Ars Technica has published a nice article on wireless security which covers many of the key issues and importantly debunks some of the myths out there as well.

The SSID (Service Set Identifier) is an identification code (typically a simple name) broadcast by a wireless router. If a wireless device detects multiple SSIDs from multiple access points (APs), it will typically ask the end-user which one it should connect to. Telling a router not to broadcast its SSID may prevent basic wireless access software from displaying the network in question as a connection option, but it does nothing to actually secure the network. Any time a user connects to a router, the SSID is broadcast in plaintext, regardless of whether or not encryption is enabled. SSID information can also be picked up by anyone listening to the network in passive mode.

Read more.

Use WPA to protect your wireless network.

This video from the BBC’s Real Hustle gives you an idea why you should be using WPA to protect your wireless network.

A gang using easily available software break into a WEP protected wireless network and find out what a surfer has been up to as well as having access to his computer and his internet connection.

Though they have used a fair amount of dramatic licence, what they do (rather than how) is possible.

Guten Tag

So there I was in Starbucks drinking a coffee and I thought to myself, oh I can use the T-Mobile hotspot. Before either I didn’t have a T-Mobile account or as happened before I didn’t have my username and password with me.

Well since I got a new LG Viewty I as part of my deal got free access at T-Mobile hotspots.

So I got connected without issue and started to surf, coffee on tap, I was good to go.

Cafe

However Google got really confused. For some reason it assumed (I guess from my IP address) that I was in Germany and defaulted to google.de over my preferred google.co.uk.

Of course T-Mobile has German origins, but even I was surprised that their hotspots in the UK in the American chain of Starbucks use a German IP address.

Photo source.

Problems with WEP

Some people have quite a few problems connecting devices to a WEP encrypted wireless network.

One of the problems with WEP is that the actual standard relies on a 10 character HEX key for 40bit WEP and a 26 character HEX key for 128bit WEP.

In order to make things easier for people, vendors use certain algorithms to convert simple alphanumeric passwords (or passphrases) into HEX keys, thus enabling people to use simple memorable WEP password rather than lengthy HEX keys.

The problem is that different vendors use different algorithms to generate the HEX key and therefore a ASCII password on an AEBS will be hashed differently on a Netgear client and vice versa.

One thing is a 13 character 128 bit WEP password will be hashed by all vendors in the same way (if you use 40bit WEP then a 5 character password is required).

Though sometimes not even that works and the  HEX key must be used regardless.

Having said all that WEP is considered today to be insecure and not recommended (it can be broken quite easily by a determined hacker) if you can use WPA. However if you have legacy devices which don’t support WPA then WEP is sometimes all you can use.

Even More Bizarrely Automatic

I did mention I was having an issue with my wireless network topology and channels. I was having to use the Automatic channel setting which meant my older UFO shaped Airport Extreme decided channel 13 was best.

Well first problem I had was my HP TC1100 Tablet PC did not like channel 13 and refused to connect and co-operate.

So I knew I had to change the channel.

Well I changed the channel from Automatic (13) to channel 6 and guess what? Yes it all works fine now!

Bizarre!

Photo source

What is FON?

I have been hearing a lot about FON recently.

Basically you have a router which creates two wireless networks, one for you and one for other FON users.

Then when you are out and about you can access the net through other FON networks.

Personally I think it’s of little use, as how often are you in a residential area and need net access. Generally I need net access when I am in the centre of cities or in transport nodes.

So if you want to share your internet, FON is a good idea, less so if you are going to depend on it for net access.