Why can't people figure out how to disable their wireless?
Now, I don't believe 2.4GHz signals are capable of adversely affecting a plane in flight—at least not at cruise. But I always turn off my Bluetooth and 802.11 as soon as I power on my laptop since that's the rule and they're pretty useless in flight anyways other than to suck power (unless you plan on playing networked games or something.)
I was on the 8:23AM ATL-BOS flight yesterday on a 738. Medallion and business traveler heavy—18 uncleared upgrades for the 16 seat F cabin, and I was in Y on an international J award with an uncleared F waitlist. You'd think this subset of folks would know how to use their laptops. Y was maybe 1/2 - 2/3 full overall. Went to disable my wireless as usual. Under my AirPort menu: 4 ad-hoc networks! More than I'd ever seen on a flight before. Curious, I popped open my passive stumbler to see how many other devices were broadcasting. Grand total: the 4 ad-hoc networks plus 5 additional machines probing for a network. Probably would've seen even more if I'd had more than a 2 minute sample near the end of the flight! |
Most people have no clue how this stuff works or that it can be turned on and off apart from turning off the whole machine.
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Originally Posted by karthik
Now, I don't believe 2.4GHz signals are capable of adversely affecting a plane in flight—at least not at cruise. But I always turn off my Bluetooth and 802.11 as soon as I power on my laptop since that's the rule and they're pretty useless in flight anyways other than to suck power (unless you plan on playing networked games or something.)
I was on the 8:23AM ATL-BOS flight yesterday on a 738. Medallion and business traveler heavy—18 uncleared upgrades for the 16 seat F cabin, and I was in Y on an international J award with an uncleared F waitlist. You'd think this subset of folks would know how to use their laptops. Y was maybe 1/2 - 2/3 full overall. Went to disable my wireless as usual. Under my AirPort menu: 4 ad-hoc networks! More than I'd ever seen on a flight before. Curious, I popped open my passive stumbler to see how many other devices were broadcasting. Grand total: the 4 ad-hoc networks plus 5 additional machines probing for a network. Probably would've seen even more if I'd had more than a 2 minute sample near the end of the flight! |
Does it affect anything if they don't?
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Ah but it sure is fun at the hotel at night when TV stinks. Plenty of fun stuff you can do to wake people up to their lack of security concern. Nothing damaging of course, but a well placed cartoon on their desktop can really get the message across!
Starts here and links to a funny cartoon about wireless security |
Originally Posted by jfe
Does it affect anything if they don't?
Solution is to have more laptops with a button that disables all wireless services. Perhaps even mark it with an airplane icon! @:-) |
Originally Posted by karthik
Nope. I just think it's funny that airlines take so much pain to make sure people aren't using cellphones yet there are all these laptops broadcasting RF. I don't think I've ever heard an announcement telling people to make sure Bluetooth/802.11/internal cellular data cards are disabled.
Solution is to have more laptops with a button that disables all wireless services. Perhaps even mark it with an airplane icon! @:-) |
Originally Posted by jfe
Don't give them ideas, I had trouble explaining a FA that my cell phone could work in airplane mode.
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Originally Posted by Murph
I thought that NONE of the phones with "airplane modes" have ever been approved by the FAA and that until they do, you are not allowed to have them on, even in "airplane mode". When did this change?
Originally Posted by jfe
Don't give them ideas, I had trouble explaining a FA that my cell phone could work in airplane mode.
I had an FA start berating me for having my GPS out a few months back because she thought it was a cellphone. This was after I'd asked the SAME FA earlier if I could use my GPS in-flight and was told that it was fine. :rolleyes: I think this was on REX flying SYD-DBO. |
Originally Posted by Murph
I thought that NONE of the phones with "airplane modes" have ever been approved by the FAA and that until they do, you are not allowed to have them on, even in "airplane mode". When did this change?
I see people with Treos and Blackberries using them on board all the time |
Sorry but I fail to see a huge problem with undisabled wireless on airplanes in and in hotels. These folks can do what they wish. Additionally I dont go around turning the neighbors door knobs to see if they have locked their front and back doors and used their deadbolts.
MisterNice |
Originally Posted by karthik
I had an FA start berating me for having my GPS out a few months back because she thought it was a cellphone. This was after I'd asked the SAME FA earlier if I could use my GPS in-flight and was told that it was fine. :rolleyes: I think this was on REX flying SYD-DBO.
http://gpsinformation.net/airgps/airgps.htm I always disable my wifi when turning on my laptop in flight. I always see a adhoc network or two active. |
Originally Posted by canuck_in_pa
GPS use approval is airline dependent. I don't know how up to date this list is:
http://gpsinformation.net/airgps/airgps.htm
Originally Posted by MisterNice
Sorry but I fail to see a huge problem with undisabled wireless on airplanes in and in hotels. These folks can do what they wish. Additionally I dont go around turning the neighbors door knobs to see if they have locked their front and back doors and used their deadbolts.
And I don't go turning doorknobs either. Passive sniffing without capturing traffic is akin to driving down a street looking at whose doors are open, as well as sitting around looking for other people doing the same. Now, capturing traffic, cracking encrypted networks, etc are things I only do if someone's paying me to legitimately do so on their own network. THAT is going around turning doorknobs (and picking locks on top of it.) Anyways, the real point of my post was just me being amused at the sheer number of active wireless devices on a reasonably unloaded plane, since it was like 3x higher than anything I'd ever seen before (adjusting for number of pax)! |
Originally Posted by MisterNice
Sorry but I fail to see a huge problem with undisabled wireless on airplanes in and in hotels. These folks can do what they wish. Additionally I dont go around turning the neighbors door knobs to see if they have locked their front and back doors and used their deadbolts.
MisterNice |
Originally Posted by karthik
Nope. I just think it's funny that airlines take so much pain to make sure people aren't using cellphones yet there are all these laptops broadcasting RF.
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