Customer Reviews

Wi-Fi Toys: 15 Cool Wireless Projects for Home, Office, and Entertainment (ExtremeTech)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was hoping that this book would help me boost my Wi-Fi signal around the house, since the reception downstairs is a little weak. Well, it did show me how to boost my signal - for up to 20 miles! Ok, seriously, long distance wi-fi is one of the 15 projects in this book, but my solution was actually in building the high-gain antenna project in chapter 4, which did indeed solve my reception problems.

The book is very well written, and has plenty of photos to guide you along the way. The projects are definately cool, and there are plenty to keep us geek types busy.

If you are using wireless networking, I would encourage you to take a look at this book.

I have been toying with the potentual of Wifi and its various applications over the last 12 months. This book illuminated areas that i never thought were possible to the average person.

Within one week of the arrival of WIFI toys i had begun building a WIFI hotspot in my area using the details in Chapter 10 - Creating a free wireless hotspot. The hardest part of it was setting up the Linux system (Linux is free!!) but after following the instructions and purchasing a few inexpensive parts on Ebay i had a hotspot running for all my neighbours.

The antenna pages are superb and make it easy to follow and build out of next to nothing. Range extension, Selfpowered repeaters (yes you heard that right).
I even loved the final chapter 15 - Making a wireless Digital picture frame (Woww - cheap and easy).

overall this is a fantastic book with tons of insight into the mysterious and invisible world that surrounds us every day. Weather your into Wardriving (searching for wifi) or building cool toys this book will make you the envy of the neighbourhood when you drive down the road with wireless video link between you and your freind car.

Great book, well worth the read.

If the author had come of age in the 1920s, he'd have been one of those radio hobbyist freaks. Endlessly tinkering with his antennas for that little extra gain. Not unlike what goes on in this book! He writes for the hands on hardware gadgeteer.

WarDriving gets a lot of space here. Partly because if properly done, it is such fun. Finding all these often open WiFi nets, that are invisible to all the mundanes around you. That is probably what has driven its popularity. Being able to see what most miss.

Other topics are also covered, like long distance WiFi. Here, surprisingly, WiMax is not mentioned at all. Instead, the author talks about extending your standard WiFi apparatus. Oh well, still early days for WiMax.

One reassuring detail. No mention at all about WarChalking. This is basically an urban myth/prank that became a meme. Actual WarDrivers rarely, if ever, do this. Helps his credibility that he omits it.

Overall a good book, with good ideas and greatt explanations for the project. However I found a problem with Solar Powered WiFi repeater.

He is showing you to use a Power Inverter for the two WiFi devices you will use. That does not make sense. They are both 12 volt devices. Why not just connect them straight to the batteries, getting more usage time out of the batteries instead of wasting power on a worthless inverter?

There is nothing valuable about this book any more except that the table of contents might stimulate you with some topics you never considered before.

The details and steps inside this book are rudimentary and long since outdated. Just Google what you are seeking and there will be better, newer information readily available for FREE !!!!

Want to extend your router's range...want to build a cantennae...want to create a VPN between routers...

GOOGLE IT.

This product in a soft package but was in excellent shape. My first browse through was a little disappointing to me because so much looked to be about antenna information. But of course it is about Wi-Fi and that is a big part of it. Lots of useful information and will be very helpful to create or extend a Wi-Fi network.

This book is excellent, a must have. This book gives you the all the basic theory you are going to need to undertand wireless, and of course Cool Proyects.

This is a book for those who have a little bit o' cash, a little bit o' time and a little bit o' tinkering skills. The projects are easy and useful.

I must admit I won't be building a coffee can antenna, but it sure is cool to know how to build one. I've learned quite a bit about my home WiFi network in an entertaining way. This is fun stuff.

This book is not as advertised. It was totaly useless.. I would never recommend this book to anyone.. The information contained in this book can be found on the internet for free. Do yourself a favor and save your money and use google.