.:Computer Defense:.

Sitting here at my desk, I'm currently surrounded by 7 functional networked devices. These devices are all connected to a D-Link hub (yes... I said hub). A cable runs the length of my apartment from this hub to the bedroom, where the cable modem and router are situated. Sitting on top of the router is a Linksys wireless router. The wireless router is currently unplugged and sitting dormant. I don't see a need for it. My apartment is small and I have my cell phone if I need internet access while I'm away from a "computerized" portion of the apartment.

Anyways, on to the point of this post... I finally got a new battery for my phone, previously it was good for 8 hours of stand-by and 10-15 minutes of talk time (or wireless). Now it'll last for ~4-5 days of stand-by, so I decided to see how long the wireless would last. I turned it on and immediately connected to an open access point. After disconnecting, I opened up WiFiFoFum. I walked around my apartment, making sure I hit the four corners. The result: 37 Access Points. 9 of these APs had standard/default SSIDs and 6 of them have no encryption.  The sheer number of available APs, given that I'm on the 6th floor of my building and I face the street (with commercial buildings across from me) was rather surprising.  I also had to wonder how many of these people experience interference... over 75% of the APs were set to channel 6, and if I can see all of them, there's a good chance that they overlap as well.

The purpose of this post? To express my amazement at the sheer number of APs available. In the near future I hope to pick up a bluetooth GPS for my phone (donations are welcome ) and I plan to plot the APs between my apartment and my office.