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DUDE 007 · Jan 5, 2004, 02:34 AM

Lets say I am driving around downtown in my car with my laptop on and suddenly get the urge to log onto the net and surf. I have heard it's possible using the airport card but how???
Is there a special software application I need to log on??
If anyone can help with the procedure involved I would appreciate some help. By the way I have a PB 17 1.3 fully loaded with airport.

ibook_steve · Jan 5, 2004, 12:09 PM

I think it's called war driving or something like that. If somebody has a wireless network set up with no security and no MAC address specific permission set up, you can simply use DHCP and select the SSID of a network in the Airport menu. You're basically stealing their network connection and bandwidth, though.

Steve

parsec_kadets · Jan 5, 2004, 12:57 PM

Depends on if you want to play nice and whether you're in an area that has an 802.11 b or g network. In that case you can just check the drop down menu on your AirPort signal indicator to see what you can get. If you see anything, try connecting to it. Yes, there are ways to try to steal passwords and such, but that's too technical for most people. Plus there's that whole thing about being in an area where there's an 802.11 network. This is usually only realistic in a downtown area. If you're lucky you'll find one in a residential area, but don't count on it.

Now, if you want to connect from almost anywhere just forget about AirPort. What I use for that is a Bluetooth connection to my cell phone. To do that you need a phone with Bluetooth and some sort of data plan, which could cost anywhere from free (unlimited from T-Mobile) to $50+ for unlimited, depending on your carrier. This solution will work in just about any city. Getting connectivity in more rural areas is possible as well, but will most likely require that you use some of your wireless minutes (in cities it would subtract from your data plan, not your minutes). If you want more info, try searching the forums here, or Google. Another good resource is www.howardforums.com. A search there will help you set up everything once you have the phone and the data plan.