Enemy at the Door

[Dave Emery]

On Wed, Nov 07, 2001 at 11:01:10PM -0600, Jim Choate wrote:
> On Wed, 7 Nov 2001, Harmon Seaver wrote:
> 
> > Duh!  Read it again. "802.11'd to DSL to a very remote web site?"  That
> > DSL line could be clear across town.
> 
> Not with 802.11 anything will it be 'clear across town'. A few hundred
> yards w/ 802.11b and maybe a mile with 802.11a. Now if you're talking
> directional then it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to ask "Where does
> that nifty parabolic point? Why, at that other nifty parabolic. Well,
> gentlemen, how's 'bout we take 'em both down?"
> 
> If you want distance you'll either have to add an illegal final or else
> use packet or some other mechanism (probably illegaly as well).
> 

	I have read reports of people running WiFi links of up to 20
miles.   Given a clear path (clear line of sight) and relatively modest
sized directional antennas (not huge suspicious looking dishes) which
can be concealed under rf transparent radomes (hidden in an attic for
example with appropriate (fiberglass) roofing or siding, or behind a
glass picture window with curtains drawn) getting 10 to 20 mile ranges
is pretty easy with gain antennas on either end... not rocket science
either... and quite hard to spot visually (though of course a spectrum
analyzer with good preamps and antennas will find and locate any hidden
802.11 link in no time flat - one cannot radiate rf from a fixed
location and not be easily found using common TSCM tools).



-- 
	Dave Emery N1PRE,  die at die.com  DIE Consulting, Weston, Mass. 
PGP fingerprint = 2047/4D7B08D1 DE 6E E1 CC 1F 1D 96 E2  5D 27 BD B0 24 88 C3 18