Slashdot Mirror
The Software Router As MiFi Killer
An anonymous reader writes "The MiFi Mobile Router has been getting a lot of positive reviews these days, for combining a cellular modem, WiFi radio and battery pack in a portable device. But playing with a beta release of a software based wireless router for Windows 7 has me wondering if there's any future to these dedicated, multi-radio routers. Is the future that every PC should be a router? Or is that a job best left to a cell phone?" I just drove across the country and back with a MiFi (using Verizon's service, which was not zippy but very reliable); it strikes me that being nicely cross-platform and not requiring a laptop with its own cell-network connection is a serious advantage for the MiFi or any similar device.
Is the future that every PC should be a router?
No. Just no.
The reason we want dedicated routers has nothing to do with computers being incapable of serving the same function. It's because we want to isolate functionality to minimize the risk of getting hacked. It's well known that connecting a Windows computer directly to the internet will result in it getting P0wned in almost no time. And *nix computers, while better, can still be vulnerable. And both platforms can become vulnerable when the wrong software is running (anything that listens on a port can be vulnerable).
Basically, NAT routers are the only thing limiting the hordes of zombie WinXP boxes to a reasonable size. We don't want to give people who don't know better the idea that they don't need them.
I mean if you're travelling, you either have something built in, a plug-in card, bluetooth tethering (I find this very convenient), and usb tethering. I've never been in a situation where I need to share internet access while travelling to multiple devices, and while I can see it being a possible need, it doesn't seem to be much more than a niche thing? Also, it's not TOO difficult to share a mobile internet connection provided you know the ins and outs of such things (though yes, this device would make it dead simple).
Maybe someone can enlighten me.
I like how this is suddenly news because Windows 7 has a GUI for this and touts it as a feature.
Pretty much every modern OS can act as a router, even previous versions of Windows, without additional software. We don't use PCs as routers because it's wasteful and inconvenient. Think about it for 5 seconds: Why do people use dedicated router rather than using this feature that's been in the OS forever? It's because using a PC as a router is annoying and wasteful, even at home. One machine always needs to be on for the others to get a connection. If that one machine breaks, the whole network goes down. Apply this to the road where power and space are more scarce. Even less convenient.
The Intel laptop wireless chipsets have implemented this router "feature" for some time now, haven't they? And wasn't there a brouhaha because the router functionality was enabled by default at first?
I find it funny that I'm starting to read and hear about all these Windows 7 innovations - well, they're apparently new to the Windows community anyway. The latest Network World Twisted Pair podcast discussed a great new feature of Windows 7... it's Leopard's "web clip"! Start your copiers, indeed...
#DeleteChrome
Joiku Hotspot.
Every wifi capable (S60 3rd Ed phone models) mobile phone can be a wireless hotspot.
Deleted
I used to run FreeSCO on an old P-133 box. Then one day I realized I was using about $50/yr in electricity just so I could have a "free" replacement for a $59.99 router.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
Just to have internet access for my DSi or PSP. Mi-Fi gives me world internet access for anything that speaks Wi-Fi and fits very comfortably indeed in any pocket. Battery lasts longer than most laptops, too.
There are actually changes in Windows 7 that help with this. WiFi virtualization was added to the Windows 7 kernel allowing you to run two WiFi connections from the same hardware adapter. So you could put a PC in range of a normal access point and then share the connection by creating an access point on the second virtual adapater. With previous versions of Windows, you would need two hardware adapters, or you would be limited to sharing a LAN connection.
I tether my laptop to my Android phone via wifi. The advantage is that I don't need to carry a cellular modem for my laptop, have a separate data plan, or swap sim cards (on GSM networks). The fact that someone else can use the connection is an additional bonus. I used to have a separate data plan and 3G modem, and I'd even share this connection via iptables/NAT from my Linux laptop. It worked, yes, but it is much better to just let my phone handle this now.
As for a MiFi, this is different in that you're using a special device, losing the advantage of leveraging your phone hardware, and ultimately pay more. The advantage being that you're not breaking your service agreement, have a carrier-supported solution, and you don't need to root your phone. With all of the limitations of the MiFi, it is not significantly better than using a cellular modem.
Personally, I hope that carriers start to loosen up and allow (wifi) tethering, because this really provides the best of all worlds.
Why use a simple device that works with an existing configuration when you can spend your time performing complex hacks on all your computers to find a way to patch them together into a vague approximation of the simple device? Because you want internet access to get work done, not a puzzle to solve to inflate your self-regard.
So basically it's asking this: "Does being able to create a WiFi hot spot FROM your laptop replace a method of getting a WiFi hot spot FOR your laptop?"
Seriously? The MiFi (for those that don't know) is a little credit-card sized WiFi router, offered by Verizon and Sprint, that gets its internet connection from the cellular network. So if you want internet and you're not near a network or hot spot, two options are:
Yes, if your primary concern is "how do I share my mobile internet connection with others," there is overlap between "computer as router" and the MiFi. But if you don't have an internet connection yet, the software router doesn't help much, does it?
"The water jug as faucet killer."
Or even worse.... I bet as this is a M$ program, it doesn't even really have two separate networks, rather just masks that the network traffic is really visible to both.
madwifi had that same capability 3-4 years ago. I think that capability has been migrated to most Linux wireless drivers with the new mac80211-based wireless stack.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?