Pimpin' my inner Wireless Internet Pirate

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed May 02, 2007 4:06 pm

Ok,

I haven't had an interent connection in my apartment for 6 months. I cut off the Verizon DSL because I simply could not stand dealing with that company any longer.

Shortly after I cut the service, a neighbor had started an open wireless network. Suddenly I could mooch the internet off of them, if I sat in the stairs outside my apartment (like a total bum).

Then my buddy comes over with her wimpy G4 iBook. But, it turns out, the airport card she has on her iBook picks up the neighbor's internet much better than mine. She can get online INSIDE of my place, on the frickin' couch. I have a Powerbook G4 with the built-in airport shit that came with it. It's a drag. It doesn't work as well as the one she had to buy for her iBook.

So my question is, can I buy a differnet wireless card for my Powerbook? If so, what is the most bad ass powerful one I can get?

Thanks-
Steals Dude McBoob

bgc · Post by **bgc** » Wed May 02, 2007 5:25 pm

Maybe you should buy an external wireless gadget with an antenna connector (or integrated antenna) and point that thing out your window. You might be able to pick up lots of stuff. Probably boost that signal inside your apartment quite a bit. You might find something in the PCMCIA or USB 2.0 flavor...

I would imagine that in New York there would be a veritable plethora of unsecured networks to hop on. Yes, a veritable plethora. Dropped it. Down on this post. Hard.

senator adam · Post by **senator adam** » Wed May 02, 2007 5:45 pm

"Dropped it. Down on this post. Hard."

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:04 pm

bgc wrote:Maybe you should buy an external wireless gadget with an antenna connector (or integrated antenna) and point that thing out your window. You might be able to pick up lots of stuff. Probably boost that signal inside your apartment quite a bit. You might find something in the PCMCIA or USB 2.0 flavor...

I would imagine that in New York there would be a veritable plethora of unsecured networks to hop on. Yes, a veritable plethora. Dropped it. Down on this post. Hard.

Veritable plethora, well, no, but the array of networks is more like a nicely fruitted-out peach tree.

Well. Actually. There is only one open network. But it sure beats zero. But it sucks. It's kinda slow. And I have to sit in the staircase. And feel like a bum. I don't want to feel like a bum. I want to feel like a smart cyber pirate. I want to be God's gift to Radio Shack.

I've got to figure something out because if this goes on much longer I'll either fall down the stairs, drop my laptop down the stairs, or be spotted by the dude that lives below me and stared at like I'm a bum.

yourmom · Post by **yourmom** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:27 pm

ibooks have notoriously fantastic reception.

is your powerbook a titanium? those have notoriously HORRIBLE reception. even if it is an aluminum powerbook it won't stand a chance against an ibook.

Syntheme · Post by **Syntheme** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:33 pm

most wireless networks around here are password protected

sparklepuff · Post by **sparklepuff** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:46 pm

With my titanium powerbook I could barely pick up the interent that was in my own apartment. Piece of crap. My MacBook can pick up signals 4 blocks away. I'm on 50th and can use Milford Plaza's internet. Crazy.

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:59 pm

sparklepuff wrote:With my titanium powerbook I could barely pick up the interent that was in my own apartment. Piece of crap. My MacBook can pick up signals 4 blocks away. I'm on 50th and can use Milford Plaza's internet. Crazy.

But wait, I'm look for a solution. So yeah... surely I can buy another wireless card for my 2005 G4 PowerBook. The universe is such a vast and rich place. There must be something...

corygilbert · Post by **corygilbert** » Wed May 02, 2007 8:06 pm

bump on noticing the difference between my powerbook and my old ibook,
hell even between my powerbook and my girls new macbook.
On the bright side though if yr clumsy and drink a lot like me, then when you drop your powerbook on the floor you won't totally mash-up yr screen, cause you know what? that aluminum ain't just pretty, it's pretty strong.

bgc · Post by **bgc** » Wed May 02, 2007 9:05 pm

Check this out:
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html#performance

If you want to get your hands dirty and such, build one of these. Hook it onto an external adapter with an antenna connection. There is probably more than one wireless network in your area. Maybe your powerbook is just having a bad time picking it up...

There has got to be lots and lots of wireless juices out there.

"If you can eat a big can of stew, you can make a high performance antenna."

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed May 02, 2007 10:00 pm

Thanks Big C.

But I think if I welded a can of beans to my PowerBook, Steve Jobs would appear out of the ether and strike me down with a titanium powerblast.

bgc · Post by **bgc** » Wed May 02, 2007 10:29 pm

Get an external adapter and weld the beans to that. Seriously, I think you should try it. Then you don't have to touch the PB. Just some wireless gadget. And Jobs won't have to come down from Valhalla on a many legged horse and billowing robes.

Man, the heat coming off of those robes...

And the many horse legs.

All jesting aside, I'm sure you can get a reality based solution that would spice up your connection a bit. There should be tons out there for not many more bones than a few months worth of Verizon DSL.

Heck, if that guy you are borrowing from has an open network, couldn't you pick up a repeater (access point/bridge) and use that to boost the signal? I'm not too familiar with those things, so I don't know if they have to be configured along with a router, etc. Worth a shot.

forge · Post by **forge** » Thu May 03, 2007 2:55 am

you god damn moocher

Actually, I hate to be the killjoy, but Sod's law clearly states the day you go spending shit on pirating the dude's internet is bound to be the day he cottons on!

paullypaull · Post by **paullypaull** » Thu May 03, 2007 3:22 am

How about paying the 30 buck a a month for your own internet and not slowing your neighbors connection down, so he can watch asian porn without waiting for a 20 minute bufferring time? Ever think of that?

Patch · Post by **Patch** » Thu May 03, 2007 7:41 am

D'you know what? My internet (wireless broadband) has been REEAAL slow lately - maybe some fool is moochin' off me? My Asian porn seems to take ages to buffer!

Anybody know of a way I can tell if some fool is stealing t'interweb from me? My wireless network is security enabled - so how could someone use it if they don't know the password???

(P.S - I mooched off a neighbour for a nearly a year a while back. I guess this is Karma getting back at me...

)