Welcome to NetStumbler.com, the home of the award-winning wireless networking tool and the best source for your daily Wi-Fi, WiMAX, 3G and VoIP news.
NetStumbler 0.4.0 is the long-awaited version that supports more cards than ever before, and even includes help!
Release Notes (PDF)
MiniStumbler 0.4.0 now works on most (but not all) Hermes, Prism and Atmel chipsets, including some CF and SDIO cards.
Release Notes (PDF)
NetStumbler (also known as Network Stumbler) is a tool for Windows that facilitates detection of Wireless LANs using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g WLAN standards. It runs on Microsoft Windows 98 and above. A trimmed-down version called MiniStumbler is available for Windows CE.
NetStumbler is commonly used for:
Mac users can now download the new version of Skype for their OS. According to Skype’s website, the new 2.6 beta offers “improved audio quality” and enables users to transfer calls to their contacts. The call forwarding ability is exclusive to this version. Other new features include typing indicators, dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) signals in Skype-to-Skype calls, public chat support, the facility to use Skype credit to avail of Skype Prime services, and automatic updating. Skype also remedied many of the bugs experienced by Mac users before.
Via [arstechnica.com]
Vonage was found guilty of violating three of Verizon’s business method patents. Two of the patents define VoIP traffic and how it’s handled on traditional Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN). The third patent covers the spectrum from wireline to Wi-Fi VoIP support.
Via [networkworld.com]
Chicago is about to become one of the first cities where people can stay connected wherever they go. This next generation of computer communications allows users to stay connected wirelessly to the Internet as they travel through the city. Motorola Inc. has constructed this technology and handed the reigns over to Sprint Nextel Corp. who will envelop the region in a powerful digital signal. Once logged on, users will be able to travel throughout Chicago with their laptop and stay connected the entire time. Sprint says they hope to be fully operational by the end of the year.
Via [chicagotribune.com]
If you’re relying on Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol for Wi-Fi security you may be at risk. Three German security researchers have found a way to tap into WEP protected data within a minute. Previosly, WEP had been criticized for flaws in the basic algorithm structure but cracking into the system took several minutes. Now, with the help of a 1.7 GHz Pentium M processor, WEP is rendered useless in a few seconds. Switching to WPA encryption can take up to a few hours but the switch could protect your private and sensitive data.
Via [computerworld.com]
The VoIP sector in Bangladesh is under threat. The technology, though used widely in many countries around the world, is illegal in Bangladesh and will likely remain so as the government hopes to shield the state-owned telephone company, the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board, from any competition. And its future becomes bleaker now that the country is under a state of emergency. The government is cracking down on illegally set up shops, including VoIP service providers. As such, Bangladeshis overseas find it hard to call home. “It used to cost one or two pence a minute to call home. Now we call but we cannot get through, we try again and again, but we just can’t get through,” said Hossein, a Bangladeshi working in London. Lt. Col Zia Safdar, who is spearheading the raids, said authorities were quite surprised at the enormous size of industry. Revenues from the VoIP calls were not taxed and the government is making every effort to address the problem.
Via [news.bbc.co.uk]
Researchers at the Technische Universitat Darmstadt have found a way to crack 104-bit WEP, a typical security tool for 802.11b/g/n networks. The team used a 1.7GHz Pentium-M machine to compute the success rate of grabbing the key. The attack needs sufficient traffic, so the researchers made the protected network generate packets. At 40,000 packets, the probability of extracting the key is at 50 percent. This could go up to 80 percent with an additional 20,000 packets, and rise to 95 percent when traffic involves 95,000 packets. Hitting 95 percent, based on the experiment, would only take 1 minute and 51 seconds.
Because of WEP’s vulnerabilities, it is recommended that wireless network owners opt for WPA2, which is yet to be cracked by any known cryptographic attacks. The mechanism also provides support for infrastructure and ad-hoc networks, and includes pre-authentication and CCMP encryption features.
Via [arstechnica.com]
Following approval by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration, AirCell announced it will bring in-flight Internet service in airlines, which passengers can avail of starting early next year. In 2006, the airplane cabin communications company shelled out $31.3 million to own spectrum formerly used for pricey air-phone service, which it will now devote to Internet and cellphone service.
Under the plan, AirCell promises to finish installing equipment, which weighs less than 100 pounds, on the cabin overnight. The gear will serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot and enables laptop computers and devices such as a Wi-Fi-enabled Blackberry to access the Internet. Blumenstein said passengers will pay no more than $10 per day for the service and sees partnerships with T-Mobile, iPass and Boingo. He expects speeds of the in-flight service to be similar to that on the ground. The service, however, will not allow VoIP calls except when pilots, flight attendants and air marshals need to speak with people on the ground concerning scheduling, safety and security issues.
Via [online.wsj.com]
Some security experts doubt that Skype is the best way to go for businesses. According to Gartner research director Lawrence Orans, Skype’s reliance on a proprietary signaling protocol makes it vulnerable, as standard firewall products cannot be used to secure it. The code, he said, has problems and Skype “has not shown enterprise-level capabilities in timely development and distribution of patches, workarounds and guidance.” A 2005 independent study by cryptographer and security expert Tom Berson would dispute Oran’s opinion: the analysis showed Skype’s protocol is difficult to crack.
Mark Osborne, chief information security officer at carrier Interoute, said Skype can be used to spread viruses and be exploited by keyword loggers in malware. Antivirus company F-Secure warned Skype users to be careful of chat messages telling them to click a link, which would cause downloading of the Warezov worm.
Vishing is another risk. The March 2007 Symantec Internet Security Report showed a survey of information stolen through identity theft, including Skype passwords available from “underground economy” servers. Passwords go for $12 each, while the price of stolen credit card details with card verification values ranges from $1 to $6. A full identity information including US bank account, credit card, date of birth and government issued identification number is sold for $14 to $18.
Via [silicon.com]
Boston-based Skyhook Wireless is integrating GPS from SiRF Technology with its WiFi Positioning System. The original WiFi Positioning System constitutes a database of public and private access points, which currently number 16.5 million, in 2,500 cities in the U.S. Skyhook plans to offer the new combined service to major wireless providers this year. With this product, companies can find Wi-Fi enabled gadgets with the use of the right software– the GPS can locate these devices if the WiFi system is not available like in remote areas while the Wi-Fi Positioning System can do the same if the GPS cannot spot them such as when they are indoors or between skyscrapers. One device that can use this new service is iRiver W10, a product of the collaboration between Skyhook and digital maps firm Navteq.
Via [boston.com]
A French regulation could impede the adoption of 802.11 Draft N standard in Europe. France was the first country to demand compliance with the latest version of the dynamic frequency selection – a mechanism enabling a WiFi system to move away from a channel once radar is detected – that European regulator ETSI released in October 2006. The European Commission ruling 2005/513/EC requires Europe to have unified regulations for 5 GHz spectrum and equipment makers to comply with EN 301 893 version 1.3.1 by March 2008. As such, selling of devices supporting the 1.2.3 of the DFS specification – basically all existing 5GHz WiFi equipment – is prohibited in France.
At present, industry groups like the EICTA, are working hard to change France’s stance. Tony Graziano, EICTA’s director of technical and regulatory affairs, said his group “is of the view that the position from France is in conflict with Community law.” He called on France to stick to the earlier version of EN 301 893 and throw away its demand on the newer variant.
Via [techworld.com]
Skype renders a virtual classroom for people wanting to learn a new language. London-based stand-up comic Tommy Campbell sits down for Mandarin lessons, three hours every week, with Lily Huang, a mother of one and a qualified English teacher who resides in the Chinese province of Hainan.
Huang charges $20 per hour of lesson, which her students pay via Paypal. Her lessons are customized — Huang asks her students what they want to learn next and she sends them her lesson plan a day ahead of the tutorial session. Skype also allows her to examine the spelling of words and draw characters through a digital whiteboard. Following a lesson, Huang “Skypes” an MP3 recording of the material covered during the class.
Because her work relies greatly on technology, Huang said her teaching business was paralyzed following a powerful earthquake in Taiwan last December. That disaster immobilized undersea Internet cables, thus disabling services in Southeast Asia.
Eric Atherton of England’s Oxfordshire county, one of Huang students, cited the difficulty of finding a local private Mandarin tutor and the technology for taking up Chinese lessons online. “Although you don’t have someone in the room with you, face to face, you are actually talking to someone in China right now, that is the compensation.”
Via [taipeitimes.com]
For 11 weeks through June 15, Motorola is running a program that will enable early-adopter cities to receive credits for exchanging their wireless gear for Motorola’s “HotZone Duo” products. Under the Superior Wireless Access Program, Motorola will pay $500 for each old unit exchanged with a single-radio HotZone Duo node and $750 for those wanting dual-radio HotZone Duo as a replacement for their gadgets. Customers can swap as many as 10 units.
Motorola launched the initiative following an Uptown Services study showing that actual performance by mesh networks in three Californian municipalities — Lompoc, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale — failed to reach the industry benchmark of 90 percent outdoor coverage. According to Paul Mueller, Motorola’s VP for wireless broadband distribution, “many of the early customers in the mesh network space have run pilots with older, first-generation mesh solutions that simply cannot perform or scale to meet the expanding needs of a metro-wide network.”
Via [informationweek.com]
Verizon is planning to head down the 4G road but which path they’ll take is still uncertain. Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) is the logical path but not the only option. In fact, at the CTIA Wireless 2007 Conference, Kyle Malady, Vice President of Network Technology Development at Verizon Wireless, stressed that the company feels they have a host of opportunities and they’re taking a careful look at all of them. Currently, Verizon is trying three 4G technologies to see which best suits its needs and which one could offer them a quick to market advantage. But the company stresses that it will not be making any hasty decisions and in the meantime will continue with CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev A.
Via [pcworld.com]