3 ms·

It is easy to see a speeding car, snag the license plate, and inform the police of flagrant violators. Detecting and tracing wireless interference is much more

It is easy to see a speeding car, snag the license plate, and inform the police of flagrant violators. Detecting and tracing wireless interference is much more difficult, requiring specialized equipment and a lot of FCC filings. All of the major carriers tend to bump shoulders in one market or another and the issue is often difficult to resolve due to the need for a lot of evidence. So in short, it's harder to identify and confront violators. Like figuring out who peed in a crowded pool.

davb 10y ago
True, but is misuse facilitated by modern firmware really that prevalent? Or is it just as likely that an enthusiast would violate the regulations by building non-compliant radio equipment from components? The only way to really prevent misuse would be to regulate the supply of any electronic components that could be used to build non-compliant equipment. A better solution would be to include warnings with all certified equipment that it must be operated in accordance with regulations, as we do now. I think the threat is being overstated and the proposed solution too bluntly applied.
wtallis 10y ago
These regulations are intended to protect airport radars of a type that have a very narrow beam width, which ought to provide a reasonably accurate bearing along which to search for the offender. Offending transmissions can be further tracked using dirt cheap off the shelf WiFi equipment, especially the stuff that has a spectral scan mode: https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/ath9k/spectral_scan https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/ath9k/spec... If the offending transmissions are not intermittent (ie. an access point is operating normally, but with DFS off and a high transmit power for broadcasts), then it's probably feasible to pinpoint at least the correct building by searching on foot for a few hours.

davb 10y ago

True, but is misuse facilitated by modern firmware really that prevalent? Or is it just as likely that an enthusiast would violate the regulations by building non-compliant radio equipment from components? The only way to really prevent misuse would be to regulate the supply of any electronic components that could be used to build non-compliant equipment. A better solution would be to include warnings with all certified equipment that it must be operated in accordance with regulations, as we do now. I think the threat is being overstated and the proposed solution too bluntly applied.

wtallis 10y ago

These regulations are intended to protect airport radars of a type that have a very narrow beam width, which ought to provide a reasonably accurate bearing along which to search for the offender. Offending transmissions can be further tracked using dirt cheap off the shelf WiFi equipment, especially the stuff that has a spectral scan mode: https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/ath9k/spectral_scan https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/ath9k/spec... If the offending transmissions are not intermittent (ie. an access point is operating normally, but with DFS off and a high transmit power for broadcasts), then it's probably feasible to pinpoint at least the correct building by searching on foot for a few hours.