What To Do With Old 802.11b Equipment?

CyberSlugGump writes "I am trying to declutter, and I have come across my cheap, off-brand, consumer-grade 802.11b wireless routers, PCMCIA cards, and USB adapters. The routers would still be good as 4-port 100Mb switches, and the other devices have at least 32-bit Windows XP drivers available. However, lack of security beyond WEP and the age of the equipment makes me wonder if it is worth any time putting it to use."

Comments

Dump it in the garden

[ZackSchil]

Throw it away and don't feel bad about it. New Jersey isn't even at 10% capacity yet.

Re:Dump it in the garden

[wonkavader]

I know this guy. He says NJ is 9.46% full. He's a guy who knows these things.

He suggests you place the cards in the trunk of a older domestic vehicle, then have the car crushed into a cube. That cube will be melted down and recycled. This is, he says, a way to keep our beautiful state from becoming too full of... "network cards". And since the "network cards" get recycled, it is also good for the environment.

If you're squeamish, he could do it for you, for the right price.

mischeif

[SethJohnson]

Set the WIFI broadcast name of the router to something like, "George Hamilton cheated on his SATs!" where "George Hamilton" = your boss's name. Take it to work, plug it in, and hide it under your desk or someone else's. Can be used for all kinds of passive-aggressive complaining at work.

Re:mischeif

[farnsworth]

See also: "We can hear you..."

Still Could Be Pretty Useful, I Say.

[flippy10]

Don't throw it out. Make a secondary network for music streaming. Compatibility permitting, put OpenWRT onto the router(s). Make a WAP for your car. Portable WAP via a small power supply. Practice cracking WEP keys. Annoy people by leaving it unsecured, but not connected to the Internet. Give it to someone who needs it. Turn off the wireless and create a protected subnet on your network. Make it make you toast. Set it up and yell at it when you get angry. Routers are tough, they can take it.

Re:Trash them or donate them!

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree. Trash them, same as you trashed your {2|3|4}86 boxes and your {MSDOS|WIN31} floppy disks.

I still have all of those, you insensitive clod!

Blend it

[El_Muerte_TDS]

n/t

Re:Donate it to the third world !

[damnfuct]

...where they return to our lives through 419 scams!

Re:Maybe not

[IndustrialComplex]

If you do that at my workplace, a couple of very serious men with badges, guns, and a laptop running Red Hat will momentarily be walking around your work area. They'll find it in short order. I'd rather not throw away my career, thank you.

So hide it under somebody else's desk.

Re:I think it's a good question.

[PsychoElf]

I just wear it everyday, plus the smell of unwashed laundry keeps people at bay...

Re:Maybe not

[isj]

Obviously your boss' desk.

Re:Trash them or donate them!

[cHiphead]

Just get married, your wife will make the decision for you. Or move across country with a house full of furniture. Or both. ;)

(I once had a garage full of old equipment, marriage corrected that down to 2 laptops and a media server on the tv)