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Today's Topics:
1. Re: The Perfect WiFi setup? (Allen Coates)
2. Re: squashfs help! (Chris)
3. Re: The Perfect WiFi setup? (Chris)
4. Re: The Perfect WiFi setup? (Steve Netting)
5. Re: The Perfect WiFi setup? (Peter Hemmings)
6. Re: OT Online Photo Printing!? (Peter Hemmings)
7. Re: The Perfect WiFi setup? (Colin M. Strickland)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2015 01:27:13 +0100
From: Allen Coates <lug-7@cidercounty.org.uk>
To: Bristol and Bath Linux User Group <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] The Perfect WiFi setup?
Message-ID: <5580BEE1.2060606@cidercounty.org.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
1 No
1a RV220W with dish aerial to illuminate the house and not outside
2 Standard firmware, nondescript SSID, WPA2 with *LONG* key, MAC
address filtering, WPS disabled.
In my case I typically see 6-8 networks from my armchair, and 35-40 from
the front gate. I am lucky if I get more than a 40 meg connection.
My dish aerial is in the stairwell, pointing (almost) vertically
downwards. "My" signal is about 20dB better than the others...
Allen C
On 16/06/15 18:41, David Fear wrote:
> Hi folks
>
> Just looking for some quick advice.
>
> 1) Do people on this list use the wireless router supplied by their ISP?
>
> 1a) If no, what do you use and why?
>
> 2) If you use a non-ISP supplied wireless router, do you use an
> alternate firmware? and what did you choose and why?
>
> 3) Any suggestions on software to test wireless network setup and
> performance?
>
> 4) For those of you on the list who live in older (i.e.
> Victorian/Edwardian) properties; do you use more than 1 access point /
> router provide coverage throughout your house.
>
> 4a) if yes, do you use powerline adapters with built in wireless point
> to extend coverage?
>
> 4b) if no, where do you place your router? and did you change the
> antennas or alter settings to improve speed and/or coverage?
>
>
> Thanks for the info.
>
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2015 07:36:18 +0100
From: Chris <cshorler@googlemail.com>
To: Bristol and Bath Linux User Group <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>,
David Fear <david@dfear.co.uk>, Bristol & Bath lug
<bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] squashfs help!
Message-ID: <ACFC21D0-77AC-4336-AC76-C7CAB5E3EBA5@googlemail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
On 16 June 2015 20:49:39 BST, David Fear <david@dfear.co.uk> wrote:
>Hi
>
><Backstory> As some of you may remember, I was one of the organisers of
>
>the LinuxLive event last year and was responsible for remastering two
>of
>the distros we gave away at the the event.
>
>I used UCK (Ubuntu Customisation Kit) to remaster both Ubuntu and
>Linuxmint. I wrote a script as a wrapper around the uck-remaster
>command. </Backstory>
>
>Recently I wanted to create a custom version of UbuntuGnome, so I made
>a
>copy of the build script and UCK remaster profile and altered them to
>suit the current build requirements (i.e. iso used, iso name, packages
>to install/remove, etc).
>
>When I was remastering Ubuntu/Mint for the event, a build would take
>45mins to 1 hour (approx.)
>
>This lead to my current predicament....
>
>When I try and do a build now, it is still not finished after 12 hours.
>
>I left the script going for approx 12 hours and mksquashfs was only 67%
>
>complete when I decided to kill the script. I calculated that the
>script
>would need approx. 18 hours to do a full run.
>
>For the event I was remastering Ubuntu 13.10 32-bit on Ubuntu 13.10
>32-bit. Now I am remastering UbuntuGnome 15.04 64-bit on Ubuntu 14.04
>64-bit.
>
>I have the same RAM, CPU and hard drive as when I was remastering for
>the event.
>
>Also I have checked the the compression used by mksquashfs. Both then
>and now, mksquashfs is using XZ compression.
>
>In order to benchmark the speed of mksquashfs using different
>compression methods, I download the test script from:
>https://jonathancarter.org/2015/04/06/squashfs-performance-testing/
>
>My results are attached.
>
>I've linked 1 file to this email:
>* results.pdf (34.4 kB) hosted on hubiC by OVH: http://ovh.to/AHaRRhM
>
>I believe the uncompressed filesystem size is about 3.5-4.5 GB and
>should compress down to about 1.2-1.4 GB based on the results from the
>test script.
>
>I used filesystem.squashfs from LL2014_Ubuntu-13.10-32.iso with test
>script.
>
>Anyone help???
I think I would look for a change in the version of squashfs and/or libxz (if that's the name of the library for compression).
Perhaps there's squashfs documentation to know what size your test files need to be.
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2015 08:00:38 +0100
From: Chris <cshorler@googlemail.com>
To: Bristol and Bath Linux User Group <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>,
David Fear <david@dfear.co.uk>, Bristol & Bath lug
<bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] The Perfect WiFi setup?
Message-ID: <DFF03FF9-C3B1-4FD6-8C94-461FBB8FDEFE@googlemail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
On 16 June 2015 18:41:40 BST, David Fear <david@dfear.co.uk> wrote:
>Hi folks
>
>Just looking for some quick advice.
>
>1) Do people on this list use the wireless router supplied by their
>ISP?
No
>
>1a) If no, what do you use and why?
Have had Linksys, and now TP-Link W8960N for several years. I bought the latter because of they made available their source code and I thought it might be a project to port to openwrt. As it turns out, it's not clear how easy that would be because of the wireless chipset support. Firmware updates have not been seen for several years, I plan to replace - unless I can get some pointers on porting openwrt (as I said though, I'm not sure of the practicality of that, even after reading the wiki)
I don't consider the device secure, and think it may have been compromised several times. I reloaded firmware on each occasion.
It also is prone to lose ADSL 2 connectivity, so I use it in ADSL 1 mode. This could be to do with dodgy telephone wiring in my flat. Wireless connectivity drops out at least every 3 hours (the comes back on with nothing on the device log).
You can telnet or SSH into the device. And it has an extensive web admin interface.
>
>2) If you use a non-ISP supplied wireless router, do you use an
>alternate firmware? and what did you choose and why?
>
Would like to, can't yet.
>3) Any suggestions on software to test wireless network setup and
>performance?
>
I use WiFi analyser on Android to ensure no one else is near my WiFi channel (all 7 neighbours are either fixed to other channels). This seems to improve wireless reliability. I also decrease the strength of the signal - I assume this improves things, but can only guess as to the cause (too many radio waves bouncing around my n-walls, superposition... Not a RF engineer)
>4) For those of you on the list who live in older (i.e.
>Victorian/Edwardian) properties; do you use more than 1 access point /
>router provide coverage throughout your house.
>
10 years old, NA... Although I wonder about the effect of galvanised steel frames in the walls and ceilings and a metallic roof above that.
>4a) if yes, do you use powerline adapters with built in wireless point
>to extend coverage?
>
>4b) if no, where do you place your router? and did you change the
>antennas or alter settings to improve speed and/or coverage?
>
I moved it from the main socket at the front of the flat to the living room at the rear. To improve wireless coverage.
>
>Thanks for the info.
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2015 09:07:01 +0100
From: Steve Netting <steve@track3.org.uk>
To: bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk
Subject: Re: [bristol] The Perfect WiFi setup?
Message-ID: <1434528421.3111.9.camel@track3.org.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> 4a) if yes, do you use powerline adapters with built in wireless point
> to extend coverage?
I find it hard to believe people are still a) using and b) recommending
these devices to others. They completely trash much of the HF spectrum,
sometimes well into VHF and UHF (effecting DAB radio, reducing ADSL
speeds due to increase in noise floor etc).
Even if they don't cause you problems, they're likely to cause problems
for your neighbours. Mains wiring is not designed to carry RF so
radiates in unpredictable patterns. The problems with PLA devices are
well publicised.
Steve
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2015 09:23:53 +0100
From: Peter Hemmings <peter@hemmings.eclipse.co.uk>
To: Bristol and Bath Linux User Group <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] The Perfect WiFi setup?
Message-ID: <55812E99.6030604@hemmings.eclipse.co.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
I am not an RF engineer but have a bit of experience/training in years
gone by!
In case it helps others, here are a couple of points.
On 17/06/15 08:00, Chris wrote:
> On 16 June 2015 18:41:40 BST, David Fear <david@dfear.co.uk> wrote:
>> Hi folks
>>
>> Just looking for some quick advice.
>>
>> 1) Do people on this list use the wireless router supplied by
>> their ISP?
> No
>
>>
>> 1a) If no, what do you use and why?
>
> Have had Linksys, and now TP-Link W8960N for several years. I bought
> the latter because of they made available their source code and I
> thought it might be a project to port to openwrt. As it turns out,
> it's not clear how easy that would be because of the wireless chipset
> support. Firmware updates have not been seen for several years, I
> plan to replace - unless I can get some pointers on porting openwrt
> (as I said though, I'm not sure of the practicality of that, even
> after reading the wiki)
>
> I don't consider the device secure, and think it may have been
> compromised several times. I reloaded firmware on each occasion.
>
> It also is prone to lose ADSL 2 connectivity, so I use it in ADSL 1
> mode. This could be to do with dodgy telephone wiring in my flat.
> Wireless connectivity drops out at least every 3 hours (the comes
> back on with nothing on the device log).
>
> You can telnet or SSH into the device. And it has an extensive web
> admin interface.
>
>>
>> 2) If you use a non-ISP supplied wireless router, do you use an
>> alternate firmware? and what did you choose and why?
>>
>
> Would like to, can't yet.
>
>> 3) Any suggestions on software to test wireless network setup and
>> performance?
>>
>
> I use WiFi analyser on Android to ensure no one else is near my WiFi
> channel (all 7 neighbours are either fixed to other channels).
I use that and check if other have changed channel or moved into the area.
This
> seems to improve wireless reliability.
My experience also
I also decrease the strength
> of the signal - I assume this improves things, but can only guess as
> to the cause (too many radio waves bouncing around my n-walls,
> superposition... Not a RF engineer)
Assuming router/receivers have AGC (automatic gain control) then these
are wide band and if there is a much larger signal on another channel
anywhere across the specified bandwidth then the gain will be reduced!
A practical example of this is my 20db attenuator I had to insert in my
strong welsh TV signal to enable me to get my local west TV signal. My
local signal was overpowering the TV's input amplifier and reducing its
gain (welsh 10kW local 100w). Equalized the signals and the local
channels improved!
I did do "aerials" at college and still think it can be a bit of a
"black art"!!
Metallic structures will all affect signals in different ways. If a new
apartment has wire strengthening mesh in walls it would have the
potential to block out all signals at a particular frequency depending
on the mesh size!
>
>> 4) For those of you on the list who live in older (i.e.
>> Victorian/Edwardian) properties; do you use more than 1 access
>> point / router provide coverage throughout your house.
>>
> 10 years old, NA... Although I wonder about the effect of galvanised
> steel frames in the walls and ceilings and a metallic roof above
> that.
>
>> 4a) if yes, do you use powerline adapters with built in wireless
>> point to extend coverage?
>>
>
>> 4b) if no, where do you place your router? and did you change the
>> antennas or alter settings to improve speed and/or coverage?
>>
> I moved it from the main socket at the front of the flat to the
> living room at the rear. To improve wireless coverage.
>
>
>>
>> Thanks for the info.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________ Bristol mailing list
> Bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk
> https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/bristol
>
--
Peter H
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2015 09:33:13 +0100
From: Peter Hemmings <peter@hemmings.eclipse.co.uk>
To: Bristol and Bath Linux User Group <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] OT Online Photo Printing!?
Message-ID: <558130C9.6080403@hemmings.eclipse.co.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
On 16/06/15 19:57, Peter Hemmings wrote:
> On 16/06/15 14:00, Adrian Portway wrote:
>> I second Alex's suggestion to add the dates yourself however I'd suggest
>> using Phatch ( Photo batch editor -http://photobatch.stani.be/ ) as a
>> simpler GUI method, it's likely in your repo.
>
> It was and I installed it!
> Had a little "play" and I need to learn how to use it!
>
> I did an action selected an image but could not seem to find how to
> actually make the conversion. I suppose I will have to RTFM!!
>
Have managed to do what I wanted and will look at the large amount of
options before getting my photos printed.
Thanks for pointing me towards this useful S/w.
--
Peter H
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2015 10:06:57 +0100
From: "Colin M. Strickland" <cms@beatworm.co.uk>
To: "Bristol and Bath Linux User Group" <bristol@mailman.lug.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [bristol] The Perfect WiFi setup?
Message-ID: <975FD025-03AA-448A-96F1-E71DD4D1DFD7@beatworm.co.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
On 17 Jun 2015, at 9:07, Steve Netting wrote:
> I find it hard to believe people are still a) using and b)
> recommending
> these devices to others. They completely trash much of the HF
> spectrum,
> sometimes well into VHF and UHF (effecting DAB radio, reducing ADSL
> speeds due to increase in noise floor etc).
>
> Even if they don't cause you problems, they're likely to cause
> problems
> for your neighbours. Mains wiring is not designed to carry RF so
> radiates in unpredictable patterns. The problems with PLA devices are
> well publicised.
Well, I don't know about recommending, but it's obvious why people
continue to use them - they're cheap, and convenient, and mostly seem to
work for the use case people buy them for, and they either don't mind or
notice the negatives you mention.
I've got a couple deployed, FWIW, and whilst I don't particularly *like*
them, I am slightly surprised by how well they've worked. My slightly
unusual use case gets me a rather tall house, where the (cable-only)
internet feed comes in on the top floor, which is four floors away from
where all the computers live. When I moved in, I quickly bunged in the
powerline to get bootstrapped. I *intend* to wire ethernet at some
point, this involves tricky cable routing and runs probably in excess of
100M. So that was four years ago... meanwhile the powerline reliably
gives me a ~250Mb backbone between the router attached to the cable
modem, and the router that sits in the machine rack.
The only way I guess to stop people like myself from being able to
carelessly do this kind of thing is through stronger regulations, I
guess. Probably start by getting in touch with your MEP/MP, and see what
the options are for lobbying for better legislation?
--
Regards,
Colin M. Strickland, cms, 'that guy'.
------------------------------
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