Jimiz.net – Jim Becher on the web

I went to a coffee shop today to do some work. Update a few documents and get some random things I have been putting off.    As always I log onto the coffee shop wireless and connect to my VPN.  (read other articles here and here).

After completing the items I had set out to do.  I took some time to do some poking around on the wifi.  Since wireless is basically you sharing a network with others, it is easy to see what people are doing.  I used a simple nmap query to see who my neighbors are.

That scan showed me 5 active people and their IP.   It also let me know that the router had HTTP running.   Since I already knew the PC names and what ports they had open. (some one had a web server running).  I decided to look at the wireless router.  To my surprise it was running DD-WRT, my favorite router firmware.    DDwrt is a very powerful router firmware that can turn a basic wireless router into a great device.

However there are a few settings you need to understand when using DDWRT.  One in particular is to disable the default status page for unauthenticated users.  This page shows a lot of information that you don’t want snooping people like me to see.   Things like:

• Public IP
• Firmware version
• Device Type and name
• Connected users (IP address, mac address, dhcp lease)

Not only was this on but I was able to also see the other computers on the network (with out doing a nmap scan).   So everyone who had connected in the last 2 hours pc was listed on this page.  I decided to push up a pic.  My pc is called TP2.

This is scary to me because someone took the time to use a great opensource Firmware but not the time to properly secure it.    It is also interesting to see the number of android devices that were using the wifi.  I guess the same is true for iPhone devices.

I can’t stress this enough, when on public wifi use a VPN.  If you don’t have one.  Head on over to wifi-vpn.com and subscribe or purchase.

The other item on the list is BT, that is the backtrack vm that I started to do some network sniffing.

I have a few servers that I help maintain or use for VPN access.  I have found on a few machines that when I use VPN to secure my connection at a coffee shop or any other public WiFi that some sites will not load.  I have seen this issue before when using PPTP but had never taken the time to investigate.   Sites like Digg would just not load.   After a lot of investigation I as able to see a few obscure issues with the mtu size.  The default PPP0 interface MTU size was 1396

Output of ifconfig:

ppp0

Link encap:Point-to-Point Protocol          inet addr:192.168.240.1  P-t-P:192.168.240.2  Mask:255.255.255.255          UP POINTOPOINT RUNNING NOARP MULTICAST  MTU:1396  Metric:1          RX packets:9 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0          TX packets:10 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0          collisions:0 txqueuelen:3

After some google searching I was able to see that my eth0 MTU was set to 1500.    To correct the issue  I increased the PPP0 MTU size to 1492.   That change allowed the sites to load.

Manually change the MTU:

sudo ifconfig ppp0 mtu 1492

I was unable to find a clean permanent solution to keep this set.  I tried the /etc/ppp/options and options.pptp.  The work around I created was to modify the MTU size on the first PPP connection.  I used the ip-up.local file to make this change on every PPP connection.  The ip-up file is executed once a PPP (vpn) connection is started.

I added the following line to ip-up.local

• ifconfig ppp0 mtu 1492

After these changes every connection will set the mtu to 1492.   This corrected my issue with browsing some sites.

I can now surf the web and get to any site.

I’m a network abuser. I use my internet connection for everything. VPN access when at any public wifi location (VPN ddwrt). I also use it for Streaming movies on netflix, backup for my data (mozy, dropbox, rsync for business data) and just general browsing. So overall I am using a lot of data. When comcast put their 250GB limit in place I was worried (I’ll post on this later).

What the cap did was make me think about my network usage. I realized that I have created more of my own cloud service locally (internal home backup and syncing) vs using online services. Just doing this has cut down on some of my internet usage. The main thing I can’t see changing is our TV / Movie streaming. From netflix, youtube, and hulu we are always watching something.

Netflix just made news as Netflix’s share of digital movie units, either downloaded or streamed, was put at 61 percent between January and February.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20043475-93.html#ixzz1INT6Z4Jm

That is a huge market share, as well as a lot of bandwidth.  When you watch an HD move it uses more bandwidth than a standard Definition movie.   That said, how much bandwidth are you using.  Are you consuming all your allocated bandwidth on Netflix?   Here is a pretty good breakdown of what that usage looks like:

Netflix Movies (HD): These guys are around 3.8Mbit, which means it’s about 3600MB for a 2 hour HD movie.
Netflix Movies (SD): Each of these movies are around 500-700MB each, depending on the length of the movie.
Netflix TV Shows (HD): A 30-minute TV show will be about 1500MB.
Netflix TV Shows (SD): A 30-minute TV show will be about 400MB.

Even though that is a lot of bandwidth you would need to watch a lot of HD movies to hit the cap.  Around 70 HD movies in a month depending on the quality.   That is a lot of movie watching.  However, if you have a large family (as I do) and some are using their computer, others on the TV, and ipad; you would build up some usage (I’m not sure that the netflix account would even allow this).

That is a lot of bandwidth.  Netflix is using our internet bandwidth (that I purchase from comcast) to deliver their service.   Until recently this did not matter, because comcast did not have a cap.  Now that the average consumer is using more, the providers have to find a way to either cap (conserve) their bandwidth or charge more.   I’m not against this model at all, I just want to have bandwidth available.   A few years ago, a person would purchase high speed internet and only use a fraction of it.   Now, with out knowing they are using more and more bandwidth.  Their media devices; wii, ps2, and xbox are online.   The new TV and DVD players are hooked to pandora and netflix.   They are getting more content from youtube and netflix on their Computer.    I’m ok with paying, what I don’t want is my neighbor’s youtube addition to cause my backups to go slow (I don’t want others to hinder my internet usage).

It was recently posted that netflix has 20% of peak US bandwidth usage. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/10/netflix-instant-accounts-for-20-percent-of-peak-u-s-bandwith-use/ That is amazing.

There is a lot more going on behind the scenes on who controls the bandwidth and who pays for the internet bandwidth.  For now, just realize that if you are streaming movies you are using your bandwidth that you pay for.   It is amazing how quickly the internet has changed our TV / Media viewing.   People now at least understand what streaming video is.

I love the press and the new release that Apple is getting with the iPad2. I recently read an article regarding the Xoom vs the iPad http://blogs.computerworld.com/17907/motorola_xoom_versus_the_ipad_2_the_xoom_is_a_clear_winner

The base argument is around the horsepower and processor in the device, the multi tasking features, flash support (soon), gyroscope, and tabs on the browser. As I look at how the iPad is used at our house and how I use it. I don’t think I need any of those things. They are nice, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not what I use.

An interesting counter argument is brought up by Robert Scoble (http://scobleizer.com/2011/03/02/no-apps-no-sale-ipad-2-vs-motorola-xoom-vs-rim-playbook-vs-hp-touchpad/) I agree with his view.

1. Apple iPad 2. Has apps. 65,000 of them.
2. Motorola Xoom. Has no apps. Oh, sorry. 16. At least no apps designed for the large format. Designing an app that works on a smart phone isn’t the same as designing one that works on a large screen. Most of the apps I’ve “stretched” really suck compared to their iPad equivalents.
3. HP TouchPad. Has no apps. Heck, it isn’t even shipping yet.
4. RIM PlayBook. Has no apps. Heck, it isn’t even shipping yet.

Overall the new tablets that are coming out may have better hardware than the Original iPad but are very close with the iPad. If you are a hardware junkie then you may care. If you surf the web, remote into computers, use an ssh terminal, play games, watch movies, or check email. You probably don’t care. You just want an easy to use robust device, like the iPad. The item I am amazed that people forget it the battery life… I think Apple wins on that item.

You also want apps. What a simple word “app”. Apple has them, the others don’t. Yes, the apple store may be the only place, and it’s not open to everything, but it is solid. I’m a linux user at home and a passionate opensource advocate, but the iPad is such a solid device.

What are your thoughts?

If you are like I am and continue to use your iPhone / iPad for more then they are used for. Jailbreaking or just tinkering, you will love this great little app called iphone explorer

It is installed on either a PC or Mac and allows you to browse files on the ios device.
http://www.macroplant.com/iphoneexplorer/ I recently used it to update my customized iphone lock screen.

It allows you to both see files in the root directory and also the applications you have installed.

What a great simple tool to copy files to and from your iPhone and iPad.

I have a lot of apps loaded on the iPad. Many of these apps are games, productivity, social media, and just entertainment. However, there are a few that are really tech and work related. Since I am in the IT field I found a few apps that I would recommend.

Remote Desktop
1. winadmin – $8.99 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/winadmin-ipad-edition/id364898965?mt=8
This is the most simple tool to use for remote desktop, it is easy to use and just works. It is a great tool for the price
2. desktop connect – $14.99 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/desktop-connect/id364907570?mt=8
This app does both VNC and RDP. It has a lot of potential.
3. iTeleport – $24.99 install soft on the PC – http://www.iteleportmobile.com/
4. iTap – $11.99 – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itap-rdp-remote-desktop-for/id317062064?mt=8
LogMeIn #29.99 – https://secure.logmein.com/products/ignition/iphone/
Well done app. This app allows you to remotely use LogMeIn and access to PC. This cost is worth it if you use LogMeIn.
jump – $19.99 – www.jumpdesktop.com
This app does both VNC and RDP.

Remote control – VNC
VNC is a great remote control software. It is free and open source, supports windows, linux and Mac.

screens – $19.99 http://edovia.com/screens
Screens is probably the best VNC iPad app. The cost is not cheap but it always works. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/screens/id400012962?mt=8

realvnc – $9.99 – ok http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vnc-viewer/id352019548?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D6
Is the 2nd best I can recommend. The cost is attractive.
Mocha VNC Lite – free – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mocha-vnc-lite/id284984448?mt=8 just that unattractive / good for ocasional users. I used this prior to getting screen.

Here is another link discussing VNC

http://lifehacker.com/5713455/the-best-vnc-apps-for-your-ipad

SSH
iSSH – $9.99 – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/issh-ssh-vnc-console/id287765826?mt=8
I love iSSH. It is simple and always seems to amaze me. From the quick control key send to the Xviewer that has a keyboard overlay.
SSH Terminal – $.99 – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ssh-terminal/id369875227?mt=8
A basic SSH client. Not many features, but it works.

Network tools
IT Tools – $4.99 – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/it-tools/id324054954?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
What a great tool. This allows you to ping, traceroute, DNS and arp tables.

iNetwork-utility -$2.99 – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/inetwork-utility/id378676317?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
The price of this app is fantastic. Ping, portscan, dns, whois, and Alexia info

zScan – $2.99 – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zscan/id381019397?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
A great network scanner. It will scan ports, udp, tcp, look for sql, banners. Overall a great tool to have.

Prior to having an iPhone I had a windows mobile device. That was a long time ago, and I don’t miss it at all. There is one aspect that I do miss. That is the ability to customize the home page / lock page.

Over the weekend I set out to customize my iPhone / iPad lock screen. If you have a jailbroke device you have the ability to do this. Here is my first run at customization.

Customized iPhone Lock Screen

There are many options if your device is jailbroken.

APPS:
Multibarlockscreen: http://www.hackthatphone.com/2x/themes_with_winterboard_section26.html
Homescreen 2.0: http://www.jailbreakitouch.com/index.php/articles/23-articles/144-homescreen-20-weather-widget-for-iphoneipod-touch.html
Intelliscreen: ($9.99)http://intelliborn.com/intelliscreen.html
LockInfo: http://lockinfo.ashman.com/

Each item has it’s advantage. Intelliscreen is the leader of the pack. I ended up going with Winterboard and a customized theme. I followed this tutorial.
http://lifehacker.com/#!5763876/how-to-customize-your-jailbroken-ios-lockscreen

I just updated my online accounts thanks to Gawker’s recent news regarding their user database being compromised.  I did have a gawker account, I’m a reader and subscriber to lifehacker.com.

You can check to see if you need to change passwords by looking if your account was compromised here (http://www.slate.com/id/2277768) the widget looks up your email or username.

At the time I created my lifehacker account (that is compromised) I was using my primary email address and a common password that I used everywhere.  I have since created a better method for using online sites and also passwords.  My method is based off the common password variation method.   I use a similar password phrase to create the password.

Example:   J1MB3cH3r – this uses numbers and capitols to re-create my common used phrase (no I don’t actually use that as my common password) .  Then depending on the site I append some type of element to merry the username and password together.

facebook.com – J1MB3cH3r@fb (notice I added the ‘@’ sign)  I use this to separate my common password with the site specific attribute ’fb’.

So make sure that you change your password info and keep strong passwords.

I’ve posted before regarding browsing the web on a public wifi network like your local coffee shop or restaurant. I will repeat my message, this type of browsing is not secure, you don’t know who else is on the same network you are using. It is not hard for someone to view your sessions or info. (take for example firesheep) It allows anyone that uses firefox the ability to download a plug-in and see other wifi users facebook sessions.

So what are you suppose to do? To begin with, you should secure your connection to the internet. Securing your connection can be done a few ways. Some of the more practical methods are SSH tunneling or a VPN connection. These allow you to use an unsecured wifi network and send your traffic to a known secure network somewhere else.

If you are unsure what a SSH tunnel or a VPN is, you may have more trouble securing your connection. For the novice I suggest using a Free or Paid VPN service if your work does not offer one.

Here are two free VPN connections that I am aware of:
1. OPENVPN.net – http://www.openvpn.net/ SSL/TLS based VPN that you need to install software to use (windows or linux)
2. MacroVPN – http://www.macrovpn.com/
3. USA IP – http://www.usaip.eu/en/free_vpn.php
4. Projectloki – http://www.projectloki.com/

Paid VPN connections
1. AlwaysVPN – http://alwaysvpn.com/
2. Wifi-vpn – http://www.wifi-vpn.com/
3. AccessVPN – http://www.accessvpn.com/
4. http://worldvpn.net/

I have not used any of these services but have seen them on a few top 5 lists. I use both SSH and VPN connections back to my home or my office to secure my connections.

I recommend using a PPTP client on your home router as a simple method to secure your connections. Read my article on how to setup a VPN on DDWRT.

I use DDWRT as my home router / firewall. It has some of the best features that can be found on a router. Visit DDWRT for more information.

I use the VPN when I am not in a trusted location. I have setup my iPhone, iPad, and computers to use this as my connection to the internet any time I am not at home. By having a secure connection I am comfortable using the web where ever I am. Connections from a non trusted connection, say a coffee shop wireless. Traffic from your computer is sent encrypted from the PC over the VPN to your home router, then out to the internet.

To setup the VPN on DDWRT you need to log into the admin section. Select SERVICES | VPN. You need to enable PPTP, Broadcast support, and Force MPPE Encryption.

The Server IP is the internal IP of your router (192.168.2.1 is what I use)
The Client IP(s) are the dynamic IP’s you want the connecting devices to use. I have set 192.168.2.200-220, this allows for 20 devices to connect and get IP’s.
CHAP-Secrets: the username / passwords for each user. Note the “*” after both the username and password.
Unless you have a Radius server keep that set to Disabled.

With DDWRT you can have a simple and easy VPN server setup at your home that allows you to connect securely back to your home or office. I often use my vpn to also remote take over machines at my house. I have my iPad configured to use this setting when ever I am on a non trusted connection.

Here is a great application to help quickly convert any video to another format ipad / iphone.

http://videoconverter.hamstersoft.com/

This simple application makes converting video easy enough my mother could do it. You drag a video into the main window and then start the video transformation process.

I love that you visually select the type of destination for you video.

So head on over and start the download.

The team over at Universal Mind has created a great brainstorming capture and sharing application called ibrainstorm. You can download this app over at itunes. This app works for both the iPhone and the iPad. What a great working app to create and share ideas.

iPad
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibrainstorm/id382252825?mt=8

iPhone
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibrainstorm/id382252825?mt=8

The Universal mind team had a great celebration party out at the HopCat in Grand Rapids. Congrats to the team for a well done application.

I have read a lot of great posts on tips and tricks on the iPad. Here are a few that I use the most.

1. I love the feature of a soft reset (I use this on my iPhone a lot) You hold down Top button and the Home button (the only two real physical buttons) for a few seconds and it will cause a reset.

2. Screen Shots – I got a lot of emails from people asking how I was able to get screen grabs from the iPad for the VPN post (iPad VPN setup). I used the screen capture trick on the iPad (this also works on the iPhone) : You hold down the power button (top) and the home button (bottom) for about a half-second and it will do a screen capture that is saved into your pictures area.

3. Web page scrolling. How many times have you been on a page that scrolls down forever on the iPad. Then you realize that you want to get back to the top to get to the navigation. Well all you need to do is hit the title bar and it will take you back to the top. I wish I would have known this one earlier.

4. Quick Mute : just hold down the down volume button. I use this one when the Strawberry shortcake video is too loud…. (kids)

5. Remove “Sent from my iPad” in your email: This is a not really a tip but a suggestion. I don’t like to promote the fact that I’m using an iPad or iPhone. : go to Settings | Mail, Contact, Calendar | Signature. You can remove it completely or replace it.

6. Add Web link to Home Screen: I often visit some sites more than others. You can save that link directly to your iPad home screen. I have lifehacker there. When in Safari on the ipad select the favorites button (the Plus “+”) sign, then select “Add to Home Screen”

7. Try to stay out of direct sunlight : Just like MACbooks the screen does not do well in areas with lots of sunlight. You can push the brightness as high as it can go, but it is still hard to read.

The folks over at fastmac.com are working to create the u-socket. It is a power outlet with two USB jacks in the plate. This is a great little product. So far it has had some delays. Head on over and check out the specs – http://fastmac.com/usocket.

This little gem is available for order for $20.00. Sounds like it is not available yet. I plan on ordering this today. From other forums it sounds like it will power an iPad 10W power. We will have to see. Not only does this allow for a central charging station, it will make for a clean layout.

What a great idea, use the best tool in your tool box to make a device better. I keep velcro in my toolbox. I have a roll of it, sticky back velcro, and some that you would use as wall mounting.

This video just shows how to use the tools you have (velcro) to make some thing better. It makes me ask the question, why did I not think of that.

http://lifehacker.com/5549039/reinvent-your-ipad-or-other-tablet-with-velcro