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Geek Culture / Where have the days gone when everything you need is in the one box?

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sp3ng
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 13:57 Edited at: 27th Jun 2008 17:14
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I recently got a wireless router and while i was installing it, i find out that, oh you need to go and by a wireless card for your computer that COSTS AS MUCH AS THE ROUTER ITSELF!!!!

that really ticked me off [MOD EDIT, please watch the language]

anyway </rant>

so... what stories do your guys (and or girls) have on this matter


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MSon
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 14:09 Edited at: 27th Jun 2008 14:12
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I know Someone from the other side of my street who uses my wireless, but thats my own fault for not putting a password on it, when i origionally brought a wireless router my stepmom would not let me plug it in in fear of radiation poisoning, took me about a week to convince her that was not going to happen

we origionally got it several years ago so it cost a fortune to link up all 4 of our computers, (about £80 for the Router and £30 per PC Card)

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Benjamin
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 14:38
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Perhaps you can get some kind of wireless USB device rather than a card.

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Alucard94
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 16:10
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Quote: "when i origionally brought a wireless router my stepmom would not let me plug it in in fear of radiation poisoning"

What the hell? Lol, that's just wrong dude.

If someone says plz because it's shorter than please I say no because it's shorter than yes
Quote: "Chuck Norris drank gravy and fertilized his lawn with emo kids so it would cut itself"

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MSon
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 16:30 Edited at: 27th Jun 2008 16:31
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Its called living with a Technaphobe, (or whatever you call them)
Bit of a problem as i admit to being a computer geek

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Agent Dink
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 17:43
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@sp3ng why would you expect them to give you a wireless receiver as well? What if I just wanted to replace my broken router. I'd have extra hardware that I had to pay for lying around collecting dust. Buying a router would also be more expensive if they included the networking card. I dunno. Just seems silly to expect them to give you one. I understand you are bummed that they don't come with a wireless receiver cause you didn't realize they didn't, but its because not everyone needs one and there are various types to fit in various computer slots and stuff like that. Some people have integrated wireless receivers in their computers, especially laptops.

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flashing snall
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 17:51
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Quote: "Someone from the other side of my street who uses my wireless"


Haha, my Dad has taken HUGE measures to make sure no one else can get onto our internet. Everytime a friend comes over, he need to do this hole thing to get him in.

Besides file sharing/stealing/placing is there any thing BAD about sharing a wireless network on the street? Like, doesnt it conserve stuff that im sure is important to some one?


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bitJericho
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 17:54
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Well, they can connect to your network and place stuff on your computer, they can also see everything you're doing on the internet. They can also do illegal activities from your network.

It's always best to encrypt your wifi signal.


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Anonymous User
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 18:04
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Also they steal your bandwidth, if you go over your bandwidth limit then most ISPs charge you extra. In my case up to at least £10 eaxtra

???
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soapyfish
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 18:16 Edited at: 27th Jun 2008 18:33
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Quote: "Besides file sharing/stealing/placing is there any thing BAD"


You don't consider those 3 bad? (by 'placing' I'm assuming you mean placing files on your computer?)

[on topic]
@sp3ng - what gets me is when printers come with ink cartridges that are only good for about 10 prints. Either include a proper ink cartridge or don't bother and don't get me started on the rip-off prices of name brand ink - luckily I've not had any problems with cheaper, 3rd party cartridges.
[/on topic]

If you want to share your network I'd still suggest securing it but giving out the password/enabling the MAC address of anybody who you want to share it with. Leaving it wide open you're just asking for somebody to park up outside in their car and do whatever they want on the internet, all of which could be traced back to your connection.

I used to be of the opinion that if they left it un-protected then it was ok to use it, cracking their password to use it was definetely a no-no. I've changed my tune since then though, if it ain't yours then hands off.

I've always fancied leaving mine open just to see if my neighbors would enter any passwords for email etc while using it but I've never bothered.


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MSon
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 18:29 Edited at: 27th Jun 2008 18:39
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Quote: "Also they steal your bandwidth, if you go over your bandwidth limit then most ISPs charge you extra. In my case up to at least £10 extra "


Internet provided via BT's network usually comes with a Download limit, but Virgin usually dosn't, anyway i can justify high bandwidth usage as we use IPTV lots, the only IPTV Channels we have problems receiving are HDTV ones but thats because you need more than 2mbps BB

Quote: "Besides file sharing/stealing/placing is there any thing BAD"

I have a Hidden Network Drive so i can access things like music, from any computer in the house, or from friends houses near by but you need a password for that, its actually quite useful, I would use somethink like a VPN instead to be able to access my stuff anywhere, but last time i tried it it was slow that way.

On Topic
Last time i looked on Amazon they had a few Wireless USB, PCI and PCIe cards, and they where pritty cheap.

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flashing snall
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 18:47
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Quote: "You don't consider those 3 bad? (by 'placing' I'm assuming you mean placing files on your computer?)"


No no no. I think there very bad, but I was wondering if you and your friendly neighbors could peacefully share a network and save some cash.

@Mson
My friend has a mac, and he can do some crazy VCN (i think) screen sharing stuff, its funny. We'll be sitting in the basement with laptops, and all the sudden, everything will go nuts on my screen

And those wireless USB cards, at least from newegg, are not really cheap... i think it was like, $50.00 a pop


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Haven Studios
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Posted: 27th Jun 2008 21:33
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I bought a capture card and didn't realize I needed to share everything from my tv to my computer so I ended up needing to buy the capture card 2 cable splitters 2 6ft long cables and a 12 ft cable cable 1 splitter and another splitter for the splitter

Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 01:01 Edited at: 28th Jun 2008 01:07
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Printers don't even come with printer cables anymore...


At least mine came with full inks, though they're stil expensive, but Tesco are good for Epson rip offs.

Computers don't even come with restore disks, I found it cheey when every time I started up Vista it was saying "Please backup your default system settings to disk", yeah like I had 2 DVDRs or 12 CDRs to back-up Windows Vista handy? (Though I did have to go out and buy some) At least I got a power cable, a battery and a lot of junkware. (Not that I'm complaining)

"Experience never provides its judgments with true or strict universality; but only (through induction) with assumed and comparative universality." - Immanuel Kant
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soapyfish
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 03:56
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Quote: "I was wondering if you and your friendly neighbors could peacefully share a network and save some cash."


Without a doubt, I think it's a great way to share the cost if you're a bit low on cash. I'd still rather not leave it wide open though, instead securing it and giving the password to anybody I wanted to share it with.

I believe there is a service out there that encourages people to share their network. You buy a certain router, sign up for the service and leave the router un-protected. Anybody with the same router does the same, the idea is you can go around the country and all these routers will be open to you because you signed up for the service and you in turn will be leaving yours open to anyone else who has signed up. In reality I doubt there are that many people that use the service for it to be of any real use but it's still good for dorm rooms and what not where everybody wants to chip in for wifi.


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Jeff Miller
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 04:32
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I suffered this syndrome when I bought my girlfriend a fairly expensive digital camera. The memory card that came in it held very few pictures. As a practical matter, you have to buy an adequate card separately to replace the card that comes with it.
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soapyfish
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 04:47
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I remember my disappointment on Christmas day, opening my copy of Half Life 2 and finding they hadn't bothered to supply it with either a broadband internet connection or a decent graphics cards. Shame on them.


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Agent Dink
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 06:06
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Quote: "I remember my disappointment on Christmas day, opening my copy of Half Life 2 and finding they hadn't bothered to supply it with either a broadband internet connection or a decent graphics cards. Shame on them.
"


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Anonymous User
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 11:00
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Quote: "oh you need to go and by a wireless card"


My router was only £20 and they still gave me a USB stick for connecting to the network. Router's still working aswell, which surprised me for the price.

???
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sp3ng
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 11:38
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yeah for me the router was AUD $135 and the USB wireless thing is AUD $150


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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 12:03
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Tell me about it, I was so annoyed when I bought an XBox 360 Elite that came with free 1 month's XBox LIve, the Headset, Spare Controllers, in fact, everything you neeed to have fun online, except the stupid Dongol!

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tha_rami
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 14:32
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To all of you: Read the little part that says "Contents:" on the box. I work at an electronics store and honestly, on all the items listed is a list of stuff that's included and thats not. Probably there was a box next to the router you bought that said INCLUDING USB-RECEIVER! and you just thought "Oh, crap, that's twenty dollars more.


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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 28th Jun 2008 14:38 Edited at: 28th Jun 2008 14:39
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Well, of course you need a wireless receiver! They are rarely more than £8 if you aren't stupid enough to go for something with a brand name on. People like this, like the idiots who meant to go to Prague but ended up on the Barcelona plane, resulting in me sitting on an immobile plane for two hours three days ago should not be allowed out alone. Really.


I fail at life. No, really.
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