In the beginning there was dial-up, and it was slow; then came broadband in the form of cable, which redefined how we access the internet, share information, and communicate with each other online. Hacking the Cable Modem goes inside the device that makes Internet via cable possible and, along the way, reveals secrets of many popular cable modems, including products from Motorola, RCA, WebSTAR, D-Link and more.
what uncapping is and how it makes cable modems upload and download faster Written for people at all skill levels, the book features step-by-step tutorials with easy to follow diagrams, source code examples, hardware schematics, links to software (exclusive to this book!), and previously unreleased cable modem hacks.
Hacking the Cable Modem: What Cable Companies Don't Want You to Know Accessories
Wi-Foo: The Secrets of Wireless Hacking
Wireless Hacks: Tips & Tools for Building, Extending, and Securing Your Network (Hacks)
Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition
Linksys WRT54G Ultimate Hacking
PacketCable Implementation (Networking Technology)
Rootkits: Subverting the Windows Kernel (Addison-Wesley Software Security Series)
PGP & GPG: Email for the Practical Paranoid
Wi-Fi Toys: 15 Cool Wireless Projects for Home, Office, and Entertainment
Motorola Surfboard SB5101 Cable Modem
Network Warrior
Hacking the Cable Modem: What Cable Companies Don't Want You to Know Reviews
In other words, just on the legal points he has no case to stop anyone reading this, or buying this book. If you google it you'll find the posts on whirlpool. The most I could get is 10mbit U/L, and 30 mbit if in invested in a BlackCat'ed SB5100 cable modem, when everyone else is buying 100mbit for $30 a month. How much government grants did Optus (now foreign owned by Singtel - SG Govt) take in Government grants to roll out their fibre and support AARNET (Australian Academic Research Network), yet the QoS their customers get are a lot to be desired.
In order words this book will get the ball rolling, educate you and make you ready to carefully make any changes you need TO YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT ;) Merely gaining access to your own equipment is not a crime, however if you configure it to provide you a higher class BE CAREFUL. The customers in Australia for example under Optus get every form of capping there is (snmp metering, rate limiting, filters, strobes for services, etc) and then traffic shaping and off-site network accounting as a backup - because this book was too effective. Don't worry, I'll try and recruit American's to teach them too. It also varies on your ISP.
So my prior comments on their other products and services have weight backed up by determination by a government regulator. Right now America and my home country (Australia) lag behind the rest of the world because inferior network infrastructure is being overcharged by telco's raking in huge profits for the better off stock owners. Get used to freedom of speech ;) It's not outlawed last time I checked. Some ISP's (as detailed in the book) has deployed various forms of countermeasures. Next there are the avenues that can be employed to get more from your cable modem, and of course the risks involved.
I've worked in IT 12 years. This is no different. Do you really think with so much bandwidth on Korea's network they will mind if an artful network Engineer helps get a P2P video conferencing network platform of the ground in his home lab with his 10mbit uplink using a Motorola SB4100 someone threw in the trash it was so old. Maybe he is akin the same guy that wanted to put Phill Zimmerman in jail for allowing everyone to have secure private communications with the advent of PGP. Korea's has had it for as long as I can remember.
Only disappointment, not enough emphasis on alternatives for the Unix users, but hey they usually know what to do anyway ;) It's less of a walk through book as you would expect, and focuses a bit on the theory and his history of experimentation. Is it a crime to be curious. Then again the poster above thinks your stealing. Then more Asian's can take US customer service roles with impeccable English. That's a good payback for their investment. I thought in America book burning and witch hunting finished a long time ago, and since then there has been a few constitutional amendments and a bill of rights. After buying this book I'm confident I can get a speed increase I need.
education. P.S. But unfortunately American's will have to pay about 5 times what the Korean's do to get the same bandwidth, and that fibre connection is limited to only a few zip codes. No wonder Korea is already submitting more patents to the US Patent office than Americans. It was declared a lawful act of publishing by the courts. Right now I'm in Korea where FTTH (Fibre to the Home) costs only $30 USD a month on a contract (100mbit each way). First of all I want to object to the comment titled "How to be a Theif".
I'm have a very analytical mind and I love to understand how things work. This Earlier comment suggests the book should be banned, and it will get you arrested if you follow it's instructions. And PGP was classified as export restricted military technology at the time. Damn right. But in the end I got the data to prove my case 100%, and won in the tribunal. That's right Optus had to role out more expensive switching hardware to regain control because people didn't like having equipment they own being rate limited, and remotely configured.
Oh that was published in a book too. I just got a customer a $1500 refund from the TIO (Telco Ombudsman) on their Voice over DSL offering. They paid for the network and they have so much capacity in reserve it's not funny. I read the great book. I'd say the thief's are the cable companies back in the US and Australia. So how unethical is someone uncapping in my case going to be.
The latter of which not even other democracy's like Australia has. Remember they have to unplug ever different node in the street to find where you are ;). Where I am staying because I'm a foreigner I'm not entitled through conventional means to get fastest internet, unless someone gets it in their name for me. My project will in turn allow other users to leverage the nations' network infrastructure for on-line personal development, i.e. Back then there was was a bunch of Telcho phoney's challenging me. The truth is in most cases, there is little cost benefit to go after everyone that bends the rules as long as they are not causing a service disruption or running up too much in tarrifs (which don't exist too much these days) Of course in come cases in America and Australia a few people will get sued as a token gesture to scare the masses into submission]. But on HFC networks you can almost get away with murder if you do Mac Cloning.
In Australia they are still mulling over getting FTTN (node street - then VDSL or Docsis 3.0 or slower broadband variants) in the many years to come.
This is a clear instruction manual on different kinds of modems. So if you buy it - you may have a lot of people borrowing. My friends all get really excited to borrow the book though. It is really good- and really clear - easy to follow, but doesn't go to much into any in depth topics.
It hardly seems worth it to me. This has been in the news a lot lately, with stories of people getting caught doing this. The companies that provide cable modem service can trace unchecked bandwidth, and they'll ban you for life from their service. Uncapping will backfire on you.
3) Doesn't cover all modems, esp the newer ones (that's to be expected), so be cautious since the hacking methods may not transfer to a newer model (like mine). I think it's well written, informative, and a great resource if you want to hack into your modem. For most of us, we wanted to get faster speed, but since that's going to get your busted really quick, why waste your time. 1) You will get caught if you uncap your modem.
2) There is really no other reason (besides uncapping it) to hack your modem unless you just like tinkering with electronics. If that's what you're after, get the book. But.
This is a how-to book whose sole purpose is to teach you how to commit a crime. Cable is also a shared bandwidth technology. I find it really disgusting that books like this are out there under the guise of "free speech". In most states, a felony.
I used to work for a cable Internet provider in their security department, and I can tell you that I have personally watched people hauled away in handcuffs for following the directions given to them by this author on his website (did he mention that hacked modems are NOT undetectable). All of a sudden, the broadband connection they ARE paying for slows to a crawl. It's called Theft of Services, and carries some rather stiff penalties. The more bandwidth they need to provide, the more the cost to them, so they have to charge for more bandwidth. If you are stealing bandwidth, this is bandwidth the company is not allotting for - who do you think loses then.
Bottom line - regardless of the respective legalities, it's stealing. All that matters is whether or not something benefits them. It costs the cable companies money to provide bandwidth. This book is another example of a really sad state of affairs today - the fact that more people every day join the morally bankrupt who believe that right and wrong do not matter. That's right - hacking your cable modem is a crime.
Your neighbors.
In fact I have that copy of LinuxJournal here, and that's why I bought my copy. I have found it to be perfect. It explains everything in an easy to uderstand fashion.
