Cell Phone Towers VS Wireless Internet

Cell Phone Towers Vs. Wireless Internet:

I have a client that I was wanting to make wireless. His mom lives next door (50 feet away) and she has High Speed DSL. He has Dial-Up Internet at his house which is technically the same as his moms house. He had them built side by side and wired as one complete house when it was originally built. She has half of it with her own kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and bedrooms, and he has the other half with all the same ammenities.

When first approched with this scenario, I thought it would be a piece of cake. His moms modem was located directly by a window which pointed to his house.... 50 feet away. No concrete walls, or even flourescent lighting to make any Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). This should be no problem!

I gathered up the information I needed for the quote. Purchased a Linksys Wireless N Router, and a DLink Wireless N Desktop PCI card. Scheduled a time to go out and hook it all up. When I arrived it was an easy configuration to get the wireless router working. The installation of the PCI Desktop card hung up a little while trying to install the total software package, so I stopped it and restored back to before I tried installing it... then only installed the driver and let the Windows Wireless Configuration utility take control from there. .... No Signal Detected!

Sadly I had forgotten to grab my laptop, so I unhooked his desktop system and took it to the laundry room which was the closest point to her router from within his house... only got 1 Bar! After a little bit of research I found that he had a huge Cell Phone tower only about 300 foot away from his house. I could almost throw a stone and hit it!

Well, I know that most cordless phones work on the 2.4Ghz frequency, and it just so happens that almost every router also works on that frequency. So I went to Staples and bought a Dual Band Wireless N Router from Netgear. This router allowed me to choose the frequency that it broadcasted on from a 2.4Ghz range up to the 5GHz range. So I configured it correctly.. set it up on the 5.1Ghz range, and then tried it again... only 2 bars now! Slight improvement, but still not enough. I was getting 2 bars from the laundry room... but still no signal back in his office!

I went back to staples and saw another device called the Netgear Powerline. This plugs up to an electric outlet by your router, and then run a cable from the router to this little PowerLine box, and then you go to an outlet by the other computer and connect another Powerline box to the desktop computer. This transfers the ethernet power over the electric lines and is supposed to work up to a 5000 sq ft home as long as the electric is all on one meter. I called the client, and luckily he had wired his house and his moms house together when he built it. I grabbed this and a Linksys Wireless G Range Extender. They did not have a Wireless N Range Extender yet, so this would cause me to go back down to a 2.4ghz range and a Wireless G speed. This was a last resort. I hoped that the powerline would work instead.

Drove back to the clients house (30 minute trip from staples) and tried the power line first. It worked great ... in the living room.. but not in his office. Both homes are only about 4,000 sq ft total... it should have worked!

I had to resort to putting the first router back in (Wireless N but a 2.4Ghz frequency) and the Wireless G Range Extender, to make it extend to his office. He still only got 3 bars with the extender, but it kept a constant connection to google at 25ms response time. We shut every door in his house and it still kept a good connection. At least the problem was solved, but it took several hours, and about $300 of experimenting with parts before we found the right solution.

This was a learning experience to say the least. I now know to check the surrounding areas for a cell phone tower when working with Wireless networks. I also learned about the cool device called the Netgear Powerline. Hope this helps someone!

Fake Antivirus Programs

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FAKE ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMS:

We have had at least 2 of these a week come in to the shop. Fake Antivirus Programs such as Personal Antivirus, Antivirus PRO 2009, Antispyware 2009, + Many More. They are all about the same in the fact that they give you alot of popups saying that you have tons of virus infections and then BUY NOW to remove them! This is a scam! Do Not Buy These Programs~! These programs are the "Actual Virus". You do not have as many infected files as it says.

Yes it is important to have your system looked at by a professional. Do Not leave these programs on your computer in hopes that they will just go away, or hoping that you can just wait a little longer before getting it fixed.... These fake antivirus programs are wanting to steal your Credit/Debit card information and possibly hit you with Identity Theft!

They are not real antivirus programs. You are not really infected with 50 trojans, and DO NOT CLICK ON ANYTHING or GIVE IT ANY CREDIT CARD OR PERSONAL INFORMATION. Do Not Buy the program to remove the viruses that it tells you that you have! In fact do not even click the “OK” button, or the “CLOSE” button. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE and End the IExplorer process or application directly, and then contact us.

Most of these Fake Antivirus "Viruses" seem to be coming from Myspace, and other social websites such as MyYearbook, and Facebook. The most common reason is due to the "code" of these social websites. Many of you may have unintentially embedded virus code in to your Myspace layout by simply "copy" and "pasting" other Myspace code which allows you to change your Myspace backgrounds, add special effects such as hearts falling from the top of the page, or other "cool" themes. When other Myspace users visit your webpage they can become infected with these fake antivirus programs, or other malware; simply by viewing your page!

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A FAKE ANTIVIRUS?

* Fake anti-virus/spyware programs often generate more "alerts" than the software made by reputable companies.

* You may be swarmed with pop-ups, even when you're not online!

* These programs are very persisitent in making you BUY IT NOW!

* Normally your computer will dramatically slow down.

* Other signs of infection include:
new desktop icons; new wallpaper, or having your homepage redirected to another site.

Fake Anti Virus Prevention Tips

1. Use Firefox as your browser rather than Internet Explorer.

2. Keep your computer updated with the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and be sure to use a good firewall. We recommend Norton 2009 as a Paid Antivirus, or AVG Free as a Free Antivirus. Also use SuperAntiSpyware or Malwarebytes for Free.

3. Never open an email attachment unless you are POSITIVE about the source. Actually call your friends and ask if they really sent that message about "The Party they saw you at"... rather than just opening it to see.

4. Do NOT click on any pop-up that advertises anti-virus or anti-spyware software, especially a program promising to provide every feature known to mankind. (Also remember: the fakes often mimic well-known brands such as Grisoft AVG, Norton)

5. If a virus alert appears on your screen, do NOT touch it. Don't use your mouse to eliminate or scan for viruses, and DON'T use your mouse to close the window. Instead, hit control + alt + delete to view a list of programs currently running. Delete the "rogue" from the list of running programs, and call your local computer repair center such as CGrafiks 931-335-0398!

6. Do not download freeware or shareware unless you know it's from a reputable source. Unfortunately, freeware and shareware programs often come bundled with spyware, adware or fake anti-virus programs.

7. Avoid questionable websites. Some sites may automatically download malicious software onto your computer.

8. Reset your current security settings to a higher level.

9. Although fake software may closely resemble the real thing, it's rarely an exact match. Look for suspicious discrepancies.

10. Check out this list of rogue/fake anti-virus and anti-spyware products.
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

If your computer is infected by a fake antivirus, immediately stop work, shut down, and unplug your ethernet connection from the computer. Then contact your computer manufacturer's tech-support hotline or CGrafiks Computer Service Center. Don't keep using the computer. This may further damage your machine and provide identity thieves with more information about you.
Use of fake anti-virus, anti-spyware software is a fast-growing scam, especially as more people become aware of the dangers of spyware, adware and malware. By following the tips above, however, you'll better protect yourself from becoming the next victim of scammers, identity thieves and hackers.

REFERENCED FROM: http://www.scambusters.org/fakeantivirus.html