About The Book
Wireless Hacks: Tips & Tricks For Building, Extending, and Securing Your Network - 2nd Edition provides 35 brand new hacks that were not in the first edition, another 35 hacks that have been completely re-written and another 30 that have been updated and edited since the first edition.The book contains a total of 100 hacks to help you get the most out of your wireless network. They are divided into the following sections:
- Bluetooth, Mobile Phones, and GPS
- 22 Hacks
- Network Discovery and Monitoring
- 17 Hacks
- Wireless Security
- 12 Hacks
- Hardware Hacks
- 11 Hacks
- Software Hacks
- 20 Hacks
- Do-It-Yourself Antennas
- 11 Hacks
- Wireless Network Design
- 7 Hacks
It ends with Appendix A: Wireless Standards and Appendix B: Wireless Hardware Guide, and provides over 400 pages in total of tips and hints.
My Review
In the interest of full disclosure, I am in no way related to or compensated by O'Reilly, but I am a huge fan of the entire Hacks series of books. Each book provides 100 tips and tricks, in short, how-to format, that help you get the most out of some product or service. The concept is as functional as it is brilliant.That said, Wireless Hacks - 2nd Edition is no exception to the rule. This edition provides a total of 12 hacks in the section titled Wireless Security, but a number of other hacks throughout the book can be used to identify security concerns or provide a higher level of protection for your wireless network.
Tip #40 (Stop Moochers From Stealing Your Wi-Fi Bandwidth) explains how to use AirSnare, a free program for Windows XP, which monitors for rogue users and reports their activity to you as well as allowing you to send the alerts demanding that they stop their illegal activity. Tip #51 (Track Wireless Users) shows you how to use arpwatch (not a Windows program), to log which MAC addresses are using which IP addresses and alert you of suspicious activity.
Those are just a couple examples. The book provides a wide variety of tips, and anybody who uses wireless networking is bound to find a few that will help them.