6 ms·

Pretty obvious, and pretty trivially circumvented by not sending traffic over the in-store Wi-Fi network. (Do such things really exit?? Never seen one here in I

by qubex 9y ago

Pretty obvious, and pretty trivially circumvented by not sending traffic over the in-store Wi-Fi network. (Do such things really exit?? Never seen one here in Italy)

stephenc_c_ 9y ago
In-store Wi-Fi is very common here (UK), and sometimes the only way to get a data connection because mobile signals can't penetrate the building. Only way around it at that point is a to use a VPN over their Wi-Fi if you can.
- nothrabannosir 9y ago
  Big If :/ it's quite common for vpn to be blocked. Sainsbury's definitely blocks OpenVPN.
  - problems 9y ago
    Use stunnel on port 443 - makes it look just like HTTPS traffic.
saagarjha 9y ago
Yep, a lot of places in the US have their own Wi-Fi, especially in malls.
xori 9y ago
I never see it in Canada, we only have it commonly in restaurants & malls. But not box or grocery stores.
- xemoka 9y ago
  Strange, as a Canadian Save-On-Foods (primarily BC) shopper, I regularly use their in-store WiFi.
- Pxtl 9y ago
  It's starting to appear. WalMart has instore wifi that I can never get to actually work. Fortinos and other PC grocery stores have in-store wifi now. Actually seems more consistent than the mall.
- strig 9y ago
  Every Metro I've been to seems to have it.
mamon 9y ago
Exactly: in some countries LTE coverage is so good that I for instance find the Wi-Fi function in my iPhone unnecessary and annoying and keep it turned off most of the time (to avoid my iPhone asking me stupid questions like which Wi-Fi I want to connect to - the answer is usually "none")
- kalleboo 9y ago
  You know you can turn off the "ask about connecting to open wifi network" thing right? I still turn off WiFi when I'm not at home though. Never need it unless it's one of those things iOS is unreasonable about (downloading large apps, syncing photos)
sixdimensional 9y ago
Well, even though most stores don't acknowledge it, how much do you want to bet there are stores that install 3G/4G cell jammers to prevent you from using your mobile to look up anything while in-store? I know a few places I shop where my cell coverage "mysteriously" drops to nil inside the store and I have long suspected it's not just the concrete walls.
- Ajedi32 9y ago
  That'd be illegal, so I kinda doubt it. Not to mention that jammers are pretty easy to detect with the right equipment so it'd be fairly easy to prove if they were doing something like that.
- callalex 9y ago
  The FCC comes down HARD on anybody doing that. https://www.fcc.gov/document/marriott-pay-600k-resolve-wifi-blocking-investigation https://www.fcc.gov/document/marriott-pay-600k-resolve-wifi-...
- RIMR 9y ago
  If you suspect cell jamming, and you're in the USA, contact the FCC and report the business. The mere fact that it interferes with 911 is enough to send a store manager to prison. If they can prove that an emergency vehicle every got close enough to the business to be potentially affected, the business could see hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. The FCC could just park a van in front of the store for 3 minutes and their tools would verify that a jammer was in use. Here's the details on anti-jamming laws, and a list of people who have had their ass handed to them by the FCC for doing it: https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement
  - sixdimensional 9y ago
    Good to know this. I don't think it's outright cell jamming but something where voice service is still passable but data service basically cannot function due to packet loss, etc. Would be interesting to try to detect if such interference is present on the right frequencies, or if it is just a natural effect and truly not intentional. Thanks for sharing the info.
fantispug 9y ago
It's not necessarily obvious if they're just tracking your behaviour on WiFi and making external actions based on that (approaching you in store, or sending certain promotions). I think a lot of people don't appreciate that you really need to trust to a WiFi network you connect to.

by qubex 9y ago

Pretty obvious, and pretty trivially circumvented by not sending traffic over the in-store Wi-Fi network. (Do such things really exit?? Never seen one here in Italy)

stephenc_c_ 9y ago

In-store Wi-Fi is very common here (UK), and sometimes the only way to get a data connection because mobile signals can't penetrate the building. Only way around it at that point is a to use a VPN over their Wi-Fi if you can.

nothrabannosir 9y ago
Big If :/ it's quite common for vpn to be blocked. Sainsbury's definitely blocks OpenVPN.
- problems 9y ago
  Use stunnel on port 443 - makes it look just like HTTPS traffic.

saagarjha 9y ago

Yep, a lot of places in the US have their own Wi-Fi, especially in malls.

xori 9y ago

I never see it in Canada, we only have it commonly in restaurants & malls. But not box or grocery stores.

xemoka 9y ago
Strange, as a Canadian Save-On-Foods (primarily BC) shopper, I regularly use their in-store WiFi.
Pxtl 9y ago
It's starting to appear. WalMart has instore wifi that I can never get to actually work. Fortinos and other PC grocery stores have in-store wifi now. Actually seems more consistent than the mall.
strig 9y ago
Every Metro I've been to seems to have it.

mamon 9y ago

Exactly: in some countries LTE coverage is so good that I for instance find the Wi-Fi function in my iPhone unnecessary and annoying and keep it turned off most of the time (to avoid my iPhone asking me stupid questions like which Wi-Fi I want to connect to - the answer is usually "none")

kalleboo 9y ago
You know you can turn off the "ask about connecting to open wifi network" thing right? I still turn off WiFi when I'm not at home though. Never need it unless it's one of those things iOS is unreasonable about (downloading large apps, syncing photos)

sixdimensional 9y ago

Well, even though most stores don't acknowledge it, how much do you want to bet there are stores that install 3G/4G cell jammers to prevent you from using your mobile to look up anything while in-store? I know a few places I shop where my cell coverage "mysteriously" drops to nil inside the store and I have long suspected it's not just the concrete walls.

Ajedi32 9y ago
That'd be illegal, so I kinda doubt it. Not to mention that jammers are pretty easy to detect with the right equipment so it'd be fairly easy to prove if they were doing something like that.
callalex 9y ago
The FCC comes down HARD on anybody doing that. https://www.fcc.gov/document/marriott-pay-600k-resolve-wifi-blocking-investigation https://www.fcc.gov/document/marriott-pay-600k-resolve-wifi-...
RIMR 9y ago
If you suspect cell jamming, and you're in the USA, contact the FCC and report the business. The mere fact that it interferes with 911 is enough to send a store manager to prison. If they can prove that an emergency vehicle every got close enough to the business to be potentially affected, the business could see hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. The FCC could just park a van in front of the store for 3 minutes and their tools would verify that a jammer was in use. Here's the details on anti-jamming laws, and a list of people who have had their ass handed to them by the FCC for doing it: https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement
- sixdimensional 9y ago
  Good to know this. I don't think it's outright cell jamming but something where voice service is still passable but data service basically cannot function due to packet loss, etc. Would be interesting to try to detect if such interference is present on the right frequencies, or if it is just a natural effect and truly not intentional. Thanks for sharing the info.

fantispug 9y ago

It's not necessarily obvious if they're just tracking your behaviour on WiFi and making external actions based on that (approaching you in store, or sending certain promotions). I think a lot of people don't appreciate that you really need to trust to a WiFi network you connect to.