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Limiting Bandwidth Hogs on Public Wireless Nets?
arglesnaf asks: "I'm a consultant and spend a lot of time on public wireless networks at client sites (mostly hospitals / universities), coffee shops, and hotels. Quite often, the problem is that some person is running BitTorrent and eating 100% of the bandwidth. The result is that I can't get email during the day or play World of Warcraft in the hotel. I have considered sniffing and spoofing TCP resets to free up some bandwidth but need an automated way to handle new BitTorrent connections. Does anybody have any ideas on how to automate the sniff and reset strategy, or other ways to carve out a little bandwidth from hogs on public wireless?"
The guy who sent in the question may not appreciate EVDO or HSDPA, because, IIRC, latencies are much higher. While this isn't a big deal for web or email usage, it's going to be painful on WoW.
Then again, if the business is paying for it, that's quite acceptable.
Plausible conjecture should not be misrepresented as proof positive.
What you find many times if you talk to a Hotel Manager or Coffee shop owner they realize it is a problem and have no way to deal with it. They will tell you they wish they had an easy way to throttle these people, without investing in things like inline IPS / bandwidth management.
Most of my clientel is small city midwest, and EVDO is not an option.
At the hospital I am at today the IT security people think it is a great idea. Since they outsource their wireless management and the provider refuses to deal with it, they think using a wireless IPS like solution to limit hogs is their only way to fix it.
I came up with the idea to ask slashdot after talking to my Hospital client and the manager of the hotel I normally stay at. Abusing the network by eating all the bandwidth is not someones right, and not all wireless providers are capeable of ensuring equitable wireless access.
Step 1: Find a solution you could impliment cheaply if only you had permission. :( : Pay self-employment taxes on value of bartered goods.
:)
Step 2: Buy the coffee shop or hotel manager lunch. Explain that they have a problem and that you are willing to fix it in exchange for goods and services. Explain how this will make life better for all their customers.
Step 3: After getting permission, fix the problem.
Step 4: Enjoy the coffee or free room-nights.
Step 5, required in some countries
Step 6: Use reference to get a better job than the one you have
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
...ya bitch about The Next Guy hogging your bandwidth, and yet most of you clamour for "Net Neutrality."
Irony.... glooooorious irony.
Ed R.Zahurak
You know, oblivion keeps looking better every day.