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Want an application for scanning and maximising WiFi signals
by Chris Green 30 Aug '15

30 Aug '15

I'm currently playing with an Alpha Networks external/outdoor USB WiFi device. It's essentially just a WiFi dongle with an aerial in a waterproof box on the end of a long USB cable. Thus you can position it in a window or up a pole outside to get a connection to a fairly distant WiFi source. I need a way to find and then maximise WiFi signals, you can't really just use Network Manager as there no easy way to monitor a signal while waving the aerial around. I have found wpa_gui which isn't very good, I can't get it to scan repeatedly at any reasonable rate. I have also tried iwScanner which is better but is no longer maintained and crashes at intervals, it would be nice if it could scan faster too. Can anyone recommend a good tool for this job, just needs to allow one to select a WiFi signal and then show its signal strength as a bar which is refreshed reasonably frequently. -- Chris Green

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Sort of OT (off Linux) but still - outdoor router that supports EAP-SIM authentication
by Chris Green 16 Aug '15

16 Aug '15

It's not really specifically Linux but it's computery. Does anyone know of an outdoor WiFi client box (i.e. something similar to the TP-Link TL-WA7210) that supports EAP-SIM authentication? EAP-SIM is authentication using data from a SIM but authenticates a WiFi connection. There are descriptions of how to do EAP-SIM authentication via wpa_supplicant in a Linux box but that requires the WiFi hardware to be in (or directly connected to) the Linux box. I'm after a way of doing it in a remote outdoor router connected by ethernet to my Linux box. I'm already investigating the alternative way of doing this with an outdoor USB WiFi adapter plugged into the Linux box. This is possibly the way to go but it's not all that straightforward getting USB WiFi adapters to work with Linux so the above external router method might be easier. -- Chris Green

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Exploit
by Anthony Anson 13 Aug '15

13 Aug '15

Can't remember where I saw this, but in case it's news to anybody: https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2015/08/06/firefox-exploit-found-in-the-w… -- Tony http://www.girolle.co.uk/

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[ALUG Announce] ALUG Norwich Pub Meet Thursday 13th August
by Viperfang 12 Aug '15

12 Aug '15

ALUG Announce Please send announcements to Announce(a)lists.alug.org.uk Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce ----- Hello Norwich Aluggers, Our monthly ALUG Norwich social meeting will be held this Thursday, 13th August at The Coach and Horses (82 Thorpe Road, Norwich, NR1 1BA). The meeting officially starts at 8pm, although some people may arrive earlier. More information on those people can be found on the list and the IRC channel. If you are unsure if you will recognise us then make yourself and your intent to attend known by either posting on list or visiting us on IRC so we can look out for you rather than hiding in the corner. Optionally you could ask at the bar if they know where the geeky computer weirdos are and they'll point you in the right direction (seriously!). Another possibility is look for heaps of electronics on a table that may possibly look like movie props that would used for detonating explosives. Feel free to bring electronics/laptops/gadgets to the meet, you will by no means be alone. Ben Bewick aka Viperfang NB: This mail is automated, please refer to the usual sources for more information. ALUG Contact Details: Website : http://www.alug.org.uk/ IRC : #alug on irc.alug.org.uk List : http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo Twitter : http://twitter.com/anglianlug Identica: TBA Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2381613902 ----- Send discussion replies to main(a)lists.alug.org.uk (Reply-To set) Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce

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Huge file transfers?
by John Cohen 07 Aug '15

07 Aug '15

Apart from dropbox and other proprietary syncing software, how do you share large files (Say, 30 or 50GB) easily and securely with another person/client? I could buy wetransfer plus etc but I'd rather keep the files under my roof, saving time (not having to upload them somewhere else before sharing them) and not worrying about privacy issues. I have an FTP server which works fine, but when it comes to customers and other teamworkers who aren't that tech savvy, they just prefer using wetransfer or similar services, where files are dropped and uploaded on a browser and users notified by mail with a download link. (plus FTP isn't secure, and SFTP is complex if using keys when sharing with customers) I've tried the the following F*EX Pros: 1) pretty good because it's not PHP based and therefore hasn't got php / apache upload limitations. 2) The system feels pretty robust after trying it out and uses minimal resources. Cons: 1) Pretty ugly, and customization is basic unless you're a guru (which I'm not) 2) Relies on a mail server. I have postfix installed but I'd rather not have to rely on it as it's another layer of complication (namely emails arriving in clients spam folders, etc) Zendto Pros: 1) looks much more sophisticated in terms of functionality 2) looks very slick. Cons: 1) Php based. upload limits are 2gb unless tweaked, but even then not a great way to serve VERY large files (customers download interruptions etc) 2) Still relies on installing a mail server for notifications Owncloud Pros 1) Has a sync client for huge files, good for file sharing between work colleagues 2) easy to use for everyone 3) can send notifications with external mail server Cons: 1) Bit of a resource hog as it's designed for file syncing, not sending a large file from A to B 2) When sharing with others outside the team (via links), apache and browser limitations still exist. I can't guarantee clients have an up-to-date browser, and I wouldn't rely on sharing a file that large via php. Is there any other open source solution that you've tried which is both robust for huge file sharing and easy for the average folk to use? Any personal experiences? John

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How to prevent Google redirects to www.googleadservices.com?
by Chris Green 06 Aug '15

06 Aug '15

I use Google Shopping quite a lot but I'd like to prevent the redirects that record one's clicks through to sellers' web sites. These redirects also occur on the advertising links returned when you do a normal Google search. E.g. if you search for 'Sandals' in Google you will see a number of adverts (for places selling sandals amazingly) down the right hand side with a little yellow "Ads" at the top. I want to be able to click on these adverts and *not* get redirected via www.googleadservices.com. This is the default means by which advertisers see that you have clicked through from a Google search. Some advertisers don't go via www.googleadservices.com (e.g. eBay and Amazon), presumably they do their own thing somehow. Anyway I just want to go direct to the advertiser's/seller's site when I click the link, both for provacy and for speed. Surely there's a Firefox add-on that does this for me, all it needs to do is extract //www.toolandfix.com/carters-862e28-replacement-spade-and-fork-bent-taper-t-shovel-handle-28.html%3Futm_source%3Dgoogle_shopping from http://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=CPuTM3g-5VdO6NKLk7gb16a… -- Chris Green

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2600 meeting at 18:00 on Friday the 7th August.
by Viperfang 04 Aug '15

04 Aug '15

Quick heads up about this months Norwich 2600 meeting, more info at http://www.norwich2600.co.uk

1 0

What Ad blockers do you use?
by Chris Green 28 Jul '15

28 Jul '15

What Ad blocking plugins do people use here (Firefox on Xubuntu mostly)? -- Chris Green

5 8

Huge file transfers?
by John Cohen 24 Jul '15

24 Jul '15

Apart from dropbox and other proprietary syncing software, how do you share large files (Say, 30 or 50GB) easily and securely with another person/client? I could buy the service of wetransfer plus etc but I'd rather keep the files under my roof, saving time (not having to upload them somewhere else before sharing them) and not worrying about privacy issues. I have an FTP server which works fine, but when it comes to customers and other teamworkers who aren't that tech savvy, they just prefer using wetransfer or similar services, where files are dropped and uploaded on a browser and users notified by mail with a download link. I've tried the the following F*EX Pros: 1) pretty good because it's not PHP based and therefore hasn't got php / apache upload limitations. 2) The system feels pretty robust after trying it out and uses minimal resources. Cons: 1) Pretty ugly, and customization is basic unless you're a guru (which I'm not) 2) Relies on a mail server. I have postfix installed but I'd rather not have to rely on it as it's another layer of complication (namely emails arriving in clients spam folders, etc) Zendto Pros: 1) looks much more sophisticated in terms of functionality 2) looks very slick. Cons: 1) Php based. upload limits are 2gb unless tweaked, but even then not a great way to serve VERY large files (customers download interruptions etc) 2) Still relies on installing a mail server for notifications Owncloud Pros 1) Has a sync client for huge files, good for file sharing between work colleagues 2) easy to use for everyone 3) can send notifications with external mail server Cons: 1) Bit of a resource hog as it's designed for file syncing, not sending a large file from A to B 2) When sharing with others outside the team (via links), apache and browser limitations still exist. I can't garantee clients have an up-to-date browser, and I wouldn't rely on sharing a file that large via php. Is there any other open source solution that you've tried which is both robust for huge file sharing and easy for the average folk to use? Any personal experiences? Cheers, John

1 0

IFTTT and FOSS alternatives
by Mark Rogers 21 Jul '15

21 Jul '15

Background: A couple of times I've had my garage freezer defrost. I'm pretty sure it's not failed, just that the door isn't properly shut, so I want to find a simple way to monitor it. I already have some basic wireless energy monitors and I figure a reduction in average usage (eg it failed) or an increase (door open) would be a good place to start. I've not done anything like this before and I'm thinking about building it around a Pi. But for the "if the energy drops below X or goes above Y for a period of Z then send me an email/text message/other alert" bit I figure I should use something standard. IFTTT came to mind (never used it, been aware of it for years). Or, if I care about my data, a FOSS alternative (Huginn and Bip.io came up from a Google search). Anyone here had any experience of anything like this to make a recommendation? This is intended to be the start of an adventure where I start playing with all sorts of potential triggers and actions so to be honest I'm not so fussed about a specific solution as I am in finding a gateway into something to play with. IoT is something I'd like to experiment with in general, but due to lack of time I really need to be able to get something useful up and running pretty easily that I can then extend when time permits. Mark -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) 21 Drakes Mews, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ER

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