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Wireless Spectrum Analyzer on the Cheap
PennyManDeux writes "There's an article over at TheTechLounge looking at the Wi-Spy wireless spectrum analyzer. Here's a quote: 'Although most wireless boxes are able to push through the lower amounts of interference, some people, such as those living in apartments or otherwise deluged with many wireless signals may have problems. It is with this dilemma in mind that the people at MetaGeek created the Wi-Spy spectrum analyzer.' Cool thing is, it's only $100..."
Wires: the new wireless!
You can analyze spectrums all day long, meanwhile me and my Cat 6 are enjoying gigabit speeds! Thats some fast, fast porn baby!
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
I say apparently not because none of this functionality, commonly found in other spectrum analyzers of this type, is even mentioned.
How many high end frequency analyzers count as "of this type?" It's a $100 USB accessory. You wouldn't expect the same performance you'd get from a professional grade unit, would you? You mention some exceptionally useful functions, but you wouldn't expect them in a $100 box. Hell, the companion software for some of the nicer analyzers costs way more than $100. As for "others" in the type, what others are there?
Your Porsche to Bicycle compareson's not entirely bad, actually. But they're useful in different contexts. A Porsche may be awesome for canyon crawling or long distance driving, but I'd take a bike over one any day for short haul urban commuting.
Here, it doesn't take a $5000 professional grade spectrum analyzer to determine whether your microwave oven or portable phone is interfering with your $50 AP.
Different needs. Different tools.
How about a USB extension lead and mount the whole device in the can?
>you didn't need a spectrum analyzer to get you to buy the higher frequency phones. You would have done that anyway.
to find the biggest offender, radios do go bad.
I got a SpreadSpectrum 2.4Ghz phone, 2*2.4Ghz access point, and a 5Ghz wireless video link, and 3*2.4Ghz devices accesing the access points, and a Microwave. It all works no problem together (except the microwave kills the video link when in use.)
My brother has a cordless phone, and 1 AP, and 1 Laptop. His phone knocks his laptop off the network everytime. whats the difference? could be his A.P. isn't switching frequencies when he tried to force it. Could be any other device in his house (or unshielded cable TV) is tieing up all but one frequeny in the AP's range, or it could be a really bad phone. It is cheap to replace the phone, since the problem is obviously tied to it's use, but if it is the A.P. he will likely be fighting the same issue in the future. If a neighbors device steps into the now open frequency at next power outage/etc.
with this we could look at what the phone, PC, TV, Sat, Laptop, etc each contribute to that spectrum (and walk around the house to find the strongest area to locate.) not just which device pushed us over the edge, and is easiest to power off for a long period. IE maybe he just needs to replace a $2 coax cable, but what a pain to cut the feed for hours while he tests every other scenariao.
-- that's exactly the point. at $100 it has potential use to a non-professional. At 20k, its effecively out of reach as a part of the toolkit you can think of using to try to improve your connection.
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln
Ok, I know you were making fun of those people, but that's a bit of a pet peeve of mine: people who call others "noob" for using the most effective weapon in the game, or choosing their battles carefully. People, realize that if a less experienced player than you is killing you more than you're killing them, they are using superior tactics. Adapt. (ok it's possible they're outright cheating, but that's outside the scope of this rant.)
Rising to their challenge is exactly what makes the game fun, not racking up an enormous number of kills using some byzantine code of warfare that only the "elite" are privy to. Now granted, due to imperfect game design, there are some superior tactical positions and weapons that make the game rather boring (i.e. camping & the BFG du jour), but those are problems that can be solved with insightful level design, patches, and administrator options disallowing certain weapons/behaviors. If it is allowed, it is fair game.
I used to love campers and BFGers. The former are easy targets once you understand the level, and the latter are so confident in their superior weapon that they rarely catch you sneaking up behind them with the knife. Easy money. Until they learn not to do that, that is, but then becomes more challenging and fun. There is a lot more to a fun combat game than everyone running into an open field, jumping around like drug-crazed hyenas, and spraying bullets around haphazardly in a winner-takes-all twitch fest of epilepsy.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!