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Hi, as we'll all end up with an xda2, and they seem set to have built in Buetooth. I thought a thread all about the possitive applications for Bluetooth would be useful.
Can we steer away from the 'why can't it just have wifi' argument and actually discuss uses for bluetooth.
My thoughts are...
Bt gps mouse for the car would be fantastic. allowing you to pass the xda around the car and still have it picking up a signal. even take it outside the car when stopped to plan the rest of your route.
I have a broadband internet connection at home, running from a dedicated server machine, by Bt'ing the server i'll be able to wirelessly surf the net anywhere in my house, that would rock! internet based voice comms in my mobile. guess you could also Bt activesync if you really felt the need, but i tend to charge it at the same time so i'll stilll be plugging a cable in.
Bt headsets could be good. driving along the road and your phone rings etc...
Guess you could Bt contacts and appointments etc
Bt games could be interesting, think theres a worms clone called snails that already does this.
Does anyone know if it'll be able to connect to more than one Bt device at a time? say a gps system and a headset? or my server machine and a headset? Can anyone think of Bt uses that i've overlooked
i hope your house's not so big do not forget BTs range does not go over 10 meters and BT is much more subject to interferences frequencies with other devices than 802.b or g protocol. Even more BT max speed theorically is 2 Mbps, whereas wifi 802.11b is 10 and 802.11g is 54
i guess THAT makes the difference too
BT is more secure ok but within a very limited range and brandwidth, perfect for headsets
You can use multiple devices. BT effectively doesn't even give the full 10-meter specified range (unless it is Class II, 100 meter spec). It is very slow with an effective throughput around 700k. It is fantastic for headsets, and still much faster than GPRS. The GPS thing makes me laugh though...both devices need power, so why not just cable them together?!?
Guys/Gals....
I might be slow to know about this, so I figured some others here might be too. No disrespect intended, but I watched a program this weekend 'The Real Hustle' on British TV. It explored a serious vulnerability in the Bluetooth technology.
Apparently there exists software which can be installed on O/S based Mobile phones/PPC's that allow its user to scan for BT devices i.e. in busy areas like train stations etc.
They can then hijack your phone..'Without Your Knowledge'!! They can then use your available credit/contract minutes, to make calls to a purpose made premium number @ £1.50 per minute....all without leaving a trace on your phone!
You won't know until you get your whopping bill and will have no way out of paying for it, as calls will have registered as having been made from your phone!
Bottom line for Athena users with BT earpieces and other people too. ONLY switch your BT on when you are going to use it and be sure to switch it right back off when you're finished.
The program did not reveal whether this was possible if the devices/BT mode was set to invisible, but that is something I intend to find out.
Scary eh?
P.S. Something like this happened to a relative of mine only last week as his BT is always on (for phone calls). Just thought I'd share my concerns with you. Sorry if its old news already.
Yup, old news I'm afriad. The Ameo AFAIK and can test, seems to have a fairly sturdy bluetooth stack, as do most phones from the last 18months - 2years. But it is quite surprising how many phones are vulnerable to various bluetooth exploits. I have found that its not impossible to crash the BT stack, but its not trivial, and doesn't really seem to do too much damage, apart from requiring a restart of the BT module. Unlike my old T68 which locks up tighter than a locked up tight thing, gives out my contacts and calendar, make calls e.t.c.
Oh, and I generally leave the BT off on the Ameo because its such a battery drain.
Digital.Diablo said:
Yup, old news I'm afriad. The Ameo AFAIK and can test, seems to have a fairly sturdy bluetooth stack, as do most phones from the last 18months - 2years. But it is quite surprising how many phones are vulnerable to various bluetooth exploits. I have found that its not impossible to crash the BT stack, but its not trivial, and doesn't really seem to do too much damage, apart from requiring a restart of the BT module. Unlike my old T68 which locks up tighter than a locked up tight thing, gives out my contacts and calendar, make calls e.t.c.
Oh, and I generally leave the BT off on the Ameo because its such a battery drain.
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Thanks for that Diablo. So what you are saying is that newer devices (like our) with newer BT stacks are NOT vulnerable to these attacks? Only the older types of mobile phones?
Is the hidden option didn't make any difference?
I have tested a couple of "available" software.
Generally it is quite trivial to establish a connection with older mobiles phones. SonyEricssons seem to be particularly vulnerable.
I haven't been able to successfully intercept the Athena though. Although I have many shortcomings in my very limited abilities... I'm sure a dedicated person would be able to intercept and <do whatever> given enough time.
Normally it should be enough to enable "Beam authentication" and uncheck "Make this device visible to other devices".
mackaby007 said:
Thanks for that Diablo. So what you are saying is that newer devices (like our) with newer BT stacks are NOT vulnerable to these attacks? Only the older types of mobile phones?
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I wouldn't go as far as to say they're invulnerable, however they're stronger than other targets. Bluetooth in itself is quite basic in its security mechanisms, but Ameo stands up well to attack. As mentioned, its possible to crash the stack, but this doesn't bring any benefit to the attacker, apart from the knowledge that they've been able to do that. I suppose it could be used as a buffer overflow exploit, but with so few devices around, its probably not worth the effort to try.
One thing TO be aware of though is that when pairing a device, its possible for a 3rd party to grab the keys off the air, and then you can impersonate a bluetooth device. So if someone were to capture a key pairing between a mobile and a laptop for the laptop to be able to make internet connections via the phone, then you could impersonate the laptop to make these calls. But this is fairly unlikely if the phones are already paired. However, the cool thing is, if you've got a vulnerable phone, you can make it loose the pair key, when Mr End User resync's the phone, snap it out of the air and do naughty things. I work in Network Security so I try and experiment with these things for the good of our staff, and bluetooth hacking is one of the cooler things IMO.
Oh, another cool point is that people think bluetooth is 10m or 100m radius. Some researchers have managed to send a bluetooth message about 3km (I think).
And finally, the other thing you can do to really bug someone is repeatedly make bluetooth requests to their phone for 'services available'. Most phones will provide this without pairing, and in doing so, it can generally cause the power consumption to increase. Once again, I killed my T68 with this technique in about 2hrs from full charge, as each time it made the request, the screen redrew, the backlight and key led's came on and I suspect the radio power draw increased.
WM5 and espicially 6 are practically safe
Done a bit of research on this now and coupled with your feedback guys, I feel Athena owners are pretty safe from random attacks. Thanks a bunch for putting my mind at ease...I will however remain cautious in public areas and turn my bluetooth off if I am spending a considerable amount of time there.
The fact is that the only way this vulnerability works is by exploiting the Symbian Bluetooth stack for now. Conversely, WM is one of the more secure O/S's out there at present. WM6 is even more so. There's a lot of snakeoil within the industry, although with the Ameo, I would look into getting AV if you plan on doing a lot of downloading off the web. Yes, there is no serious malware for the WM platform, but the device can still be a carrier for the host Windows systems. As HSDPA becomes more widespread, the benefits fo attacking these platforms becomes greater; it's not there yet but will become an issue.
mackaby007 said:
Done a bit of research on this now and coupled with your feedback guys, I feel Athena owners are pretty safe from random attacks. Thanks a bunch for putting my mind at ease...I will however remain cautious in public areas and turn my bluetooth off if I am spending a considerable amount of time there.
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It should* be enough to disable visibility. If need BT for your headset but care about battery drain just enable powersafe mode for the audio gateway in the registry.
I'm running bluetooth all the time on my ameo. I'm around a lot on public areas like train stations and airports and every now and then I'm using btCrawler to scan for other devices just to see how many are in visibile mode.
So the best practicefor using bluetooth (on laptops, handhelds or whatever) is:
- Turn off visibility
- Use encryption AND authentication for every connection
- Don't accept messages or transfers from unknown devices
- Don't use easy PINs like 0000 or 1234
- Use different PINs for every connection
If you follow the above, using bluetooth should* be safe
* Should, because if an attacker knows your device address, he's still able to try to attack you directly. There is an interesting article by Max Moser about using the expensive (but excellent) Bluetooth Diagnostic Tool from Fronline (FTS4BT) with a normal inexpensive bluetooth dongle. Using this you are able to sniff bluetooth connections by following the hopping sequence. You can sniff audio connections, data transfers, etc. If no encryption is enabled everthing is tranfered in plaintext. However it is still possible to decrypt encrypted BT traffic if you are able to sniff the pairing process. If you have successfully sniffed the whole pairing process you can extract the link key and PIN with btcrack and then use the frontline sniffer to decrypt the traffic.
Hello all! I am curious if free GPS (no data plan, just free GPS service) is available on the HTC 8525? I am really liking the Tilt [8925] with the full-keyboard, GPS, wi-fi, and 3 Megapixel camera, but I see that the HTC 8525 has a full-keyboard, wi-fi, and a 2 Megapixel camera. I can live with the 2-MP camera, but I really would like the GPS for free, if possible. Is there a GPS freeware software made for the 8525? Could the 8925 GPS software be installed on the 8525 with no issues?
Sorry if this sounds too easy. I am very inexperienced in "modding" a cell phone (my latest is making an old Motorola v120e WAP-enabled -- 4 years ago before cell phone carriers charged for it!). Back to the topic, if the GPS software requires modding the 8525, I would like a "modding for dummies" step-by-step instruction in layman's terms, and hopefully a guarantee that it won't fry the cell.
Lastly, if anyone has the 8525, would you be so kind as to critique it, compared to the 8925 if possible?
Thanks in advance!
Sorry for any confusion here. I overlooked that the 8525 is made for T-mobile. I didn't win it or bid on it yet, though. I don't believe that it's unlocked, but I'm sure there are some unlocking software out there. Point being, is the 8525 really worth the effort in unlocking it to AT&T, or should I just stick with the 8925 Tilt? The biggest difference is the 8525 costs $169.78 (used), where the Tilt starts about $250 (used).
ohpfan said:
Sorry for any confusion here. I overlooked that the 8525 is made for T-mobile. I didn't win it or bid on it yet, though. I don't believe that it's unlocked, but I'm sure there are some unlocking software out there. Point being, is the 8525 really worth the effort in unlocking it to AT&T, or should I just stick with the 8925 Tilt? The biggest difference is the 8525 costs $169.78 (used), where the Tilt starts about $250 (used).
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The GPS software that you can use on the Tilt can be used on the 8525. That's not really the problem. The issue is that the 8525 has no built in working GPS hardware. So this means you have to use a small bluetooth GPS receiver. It actually works well but you have to carry the bluetooth receiver in your pocket / car.
Mike
Interesting! I never knew that Bluetooth GPS existed! A BT-359 costs $46.95, which isn't too bad.
Sorry to get slightly off-topic, but what are the requirements for a handset to have, to be able to use that Bluetooth GPS device? I have the Samsung A707 Sync currently, would it be compatible with that handset? If so, would I need to get on an unlimited data rate plan [$30/month], or just by buying the GPS device, it covers all costs to using it? Is the software to put into the Sync included, or do I have to pay for it? I just use the Sync for voice calls (no texting/data messaging), but a hand-held GPS is pretty cool, especially when it's built-in to the cellular phone!
Thanks for your help!
Sorry, can't say about your Samsung A707 but if you connect via bluetooth there are NO charges to use the GPS software (apart from getting the sodftware and maps) as long as its not something that constantly requires updating through the GPRS system. But thats just crazy to do... Better to get a standalone GPS program, I've got Tomtom, and purchase maps.
Cheers....
mikechannon said:
But the advantage of having a program that you can buy a map/s for is that it will operate more smoothly in my experience as the map is held in your device.
The GPS Sirf III receiver I use is:
http://www.blueunplugged.com/p.aspx?p=120534
Mike
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Thanks for all the info! This is still all new to me, so forgive any stupid questions. Is there a difference between different Bluetooth models, besides the obvious rechargeable battery or included AC or DC power adapter?
I'm still unsure how this all works. What exactly does the Bluetooth adapter do, if the maps are stored on the cell phone? Like does it have up-to-date POI (points-of-interest) or are those required to be downloaded?
By the way, I have decided not to go with the 8525 at this point. I am still considering buying a Tilt (8925) if the Bluetooth adapter sounds too difficult to match up to my cell phone. (I understand that neither of you know for a fact if the Sync can get the maps loaded into it.)
Thanks again for any new info!
As stated, I use a STANDALONE program... It has maps loaded onto an sd card and can be purchased from off Tomtom(if I wish to update to the latest).
As for the bluetooth adaptor, EASY to sync. Like a bluetooth headset with 1 or 2 more steps. I prefer my hermes to the tilt as /8925/variio III( the names go on 4ever) as it has EXCELLANT graphics drivers the other model doesn't, apparently there have been issues about this and it doesn't look like HTC give a damn about fixing it.
If the GPS is all you're after the bluetooth option is a good way to go but make sure you have at least 25 channels on your GPS receiver as I had a 16 channel receiver and it took up to and over 10 minutes to lock sometimes. Got a 52 channel receiver and it makes a HUGE difference. People say it shouldn't as there are only 25(?) GPS satellites but it makes a HUGE difference in lock time(< 1 minute) and signal strength...
Cheers...
Just to clarify a little for the Original Poster.
Because the Hermes does not have a built in GPS receiver you need an external one. So the Bluetooth receiver receives the satellite data and then uses bluetooth to beam the data to the phone. (it is not using bluetooth to receive satellite info, but using it to send the info to the phone).
Mike
ultramag69 said:
As stated, I use a STANDALONE program... It has maps loaded onto an sd card and can be purchased from off Tomtom(if I wish to update to the latest).
As for the bluetooth adaptor, EASY to sync. Like a bluetooth headset with 1 or 2 more steps. I prefer my hermes to the tilt as /8925/variio III( the names go on 4ever) as it has EXCELLANT graphics drivers the other model doesn't, apparently there have been issues about this and it doesn't look like HTC give a damn about fixing it.
If the GPS is all you're after the bluetooth option is a good way to go but make sure you have at least 25 channels on your GPS receiver as I had a 16 channel receiver and it took up to and over 10 minutes to lock sometimes. Got a 52 channel receiver and it makes a HUGE difference. People say it shouldn't as there are only 25(?) GPS satellites but it makes a HUGE difference in lock time(< 1 minute) and signal strength...
Cheers...
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Thanks for the detailed reply! I don't currently own the Hermes 8525; I seen it on eBay for the price I mentioned earlier and was considering buying it. About 15 minutes later, I realized it's intended for T-mobile service, which I know can be unlocked to any SIM-card compatible company (i.e. AT&T/Cingular in the States) for a fee.
I am a bit unsure what you mean by "Standalone" though. I presume you don't have a "ready out of the box" GPS system with viewing screen, but the only other option I can think of is you put the memory card into the cell phone (or a PDA / laptop PC).
My Bluetooth-compatible cell phone has a MicroSD memory card slot on it, and I have the SD card adapter where I can put songs, pictures, and text files onto my cell phone via the memory card. Therefore,all that is needed is a memory-card compatible cell phone, and then download maps to the memory card and insert it into the cell phone. If that's the case, then I should be set! I would only need to find a Bluetooth GPS adapter (with 25 channels for best results). Am I correct on this understanding?
I heard that there are a few free map sites online, do they offer POIs for free too? I am going on my honeymoon in Los Angeles, CA and would really like to just use my cell phone with the above features on it with the Bluetooth adapter for convenience as well as not having to carry a full-size GPS with me.]
Another silly question, if you don't mind. Do the Bluetooth adapters work on more than one device at a time? For instance, my Sync A707 cell phone and my fiancee's Blackberry Pearl could each have a copy of the maps. Would the receiver work on both cells at the same time; or is it only pairable to one at a time? For the above scenario, we would have to both be within the amount of feet required to receive the Bluetooth signal, of course. [Since we're on our honeymoon on the other side of the U.S., I doubt we'd be separated that far away.]
ultramag69 said:
Just to clarify a little for the Original Poster.
Because the Hermes does not have a built in GPS receiver you need an external one. So the Bluetooth receiver receives the satellite data and then uses bluetooth to beam the data to the phone. (it is not using bluetooth to receive satellite info, but using it to send the info to the phone).
Mike
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Thanks, that helped me understand it much better than before. Not to belittle ultra, but I was thinking the cellular phone had to have 25 channels, but he meant the Bluetooth adapter should have 25 channels for best results.
I am considering a Hermes and probably will be getting one shortly within a week. I am not the OP, but either way thanks for the info. Which TomTom version is best on the Hermes - and which reciever is best with TomTom. Or is there a better GPS software for the hermes. Thanks again for all the info. I have been active on the Excalibur section, but have been interested in getting a Hermes as my next phone.
To the OP, the 8525 is actually an AT&T/Cingular phone here in the US, not a T-Mobile. The Wing is the only PPC on T-Mobile. If it says T-Mobile -then it is unlocked as it already comes Cingular/AT&T capable.
es_bih said:
To the OP, the 8525 is actually an AT&T/Cingular phone here in the US, not a T-Mobile. The Wing is the only PPC on T-Mobile. If it says T-Mobile -then it is unlocked as it already comes Cingular/AT&T capable.
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Thanks for that info! I read that on the eBay listing, I just presumed it was accurate on the listing.
If I can get the Bluetooth adapter to work on my current cell phone I won't need the Hermes (as I would have to buy that adapter anyways). My current Samsung Sync has a 2-MP camera and music player, so the only thing I would be adding is the full QWERTY keyboard with the Hermes. I don't really think the Hermes is worth the $170 or more to me just for the keyboard (for text messaging).
I do like the Wi-Fi on the Tilt, so that the keyboard would be useful, to type online. That's why I am still leaning toward the Tilt, not the Hermes, if I do upgrade my cellular phone.
ohpfan, is your mobile a windows os phone?
Thats why we are using GPS on ours. We can load the software on easily. You need to do a google search and find out if you can use the GPS software on your current phone. All phones are not the same and can't do everything another can. Nokia N-series has GPS, HTC too. You will have to check to see if yours is capable.
Cheers...
ohpfan said:
Thanks for that info! I read that on the eBay listing, I just presumed it was accurate on the listing.
If I can get the Bluetooth adapter to work on my current cell phone I won't need the Hermes (as I would have to buy that adapter anyways). My current Samsung Sync has a 2-MP camera and music player, so the only thing I would be adding is the full QWERTY keyboard with the Hermes. I don't really think the Hermes is worth the $170 or more to me just for the keyboard (for text messaging).
I do like the Wi-Fi on the Tilt, so that the keyboard would be useful, to type online. That's why I am still leaning toward the Tilt, not the Hermes, if I do upgrade my cellular phone.
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I hope you know that the
8525 has wifi
abc12345 said:
I hope you know that the
8525 has wifi
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Well, geez that eBay member sure didn't do his research then! Thanks for that info too!! I even looked on CNet to compare models and it didn't mention the 8525 has Wi-fi in it.
To ultra: I will check tonight about if my cell can support GPS. Been a busy weekend here, so not much time online.
ultramag69 said:
ohpfan, is your mobile a windows os phone?
Thats why we are using GPS on ours. We can load the software on easily. You need to do a google search and find out if you can use the GPS software on your current phone. All phones are not the same and can't do everything another can. Nokia N-series has GPS, HTC too. You will have to check to see if yours is capable.
Cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just found out that the Sync uses a proprietary firmware, so I would say no to Windows OS . From my understanding, the Java in my Sync phone doesn't accept Bluetooth is why the GPS isn't able to work. Unless there's an updated Java that supports Bluetooth, I am not able to use my current cell. Which leads to the question: Is there a "universal" Java update for Bluetooth support, or is it cell phone specific?
OK, I found a nice price for a 8525 on eBay, only $115 (including shipping) for one that is sold "as-is," but it doesn't sound like anything other than a battery or charger is wrong with it. I purchased it, and should be shipped on Wednesday. I will keep you all informed on what happens with it when I get it! Once I get it working, I'll go for the Bluetooth adapter later on.
Just a little update ... there is another Sync user who is trying to get the Samsung u600 firmware "altered" so that the Sync can use the Bluetooth GPS adapter.
Hi, I'm back again, with an AT&T-replaced reconditioned 8525. It's really strange, that I've made a full circle once again, after about a month of asking this question! I am now a bit wiser, and hopefully not as naive, as before!
As mentioned in other threads, I've updated to WM6 already. I am back on eBay looking for Bluetooth GPS adapters. Ultra mentioned earlier to look for a 25+ channel model, which I found two that meet or exceed that data.
My research has found the lowest price [shipping/handling-included] at $39.90 for a BT-5 (12 channels); the next one up at $44.48 for a Sirf-3 (12 to 16 channels); and the last at $44.99 for a BT5721 (44 channels).
The obvious choice is the BT5721 for only $5.09 more than the cheaper BT-5 model, but has anyone had experience with any of the 3 models mentioned? Also, it seems that the TomTom brand is predominant in the U.S., but how reliable is the software -- does it hang, lock up, etc.? I don't want to first experiment with it on my honeymoon and get the other half upset for being lost in the 'hood.
I will consider any suggestions for what models to buy, be it from any of the 3 above, or other ones. I would like to spend no more than $45, as the BT5721 seems the best deal right now!
I sincerely recommend the one with the highest amount of channels. I know people will say that there are only 24 gps satellites BUT I had a 16 channel receiver and got BAD signal coverage (around urban environments especially). At one point my GPS software was telling me I was in the middle of Sydney Harbour (but to take the next right - don't ask me Tomtom did it...).
I updated to a 52 channel reciever and have had no problems since.
Others may have a different opinion but I believe the one with the most channels is money well spent, and the petrol you save running around in circles trying to get a GPS fix & trying to work out WHERE THE HELL YOU ARE (not to mention the high blood pressure and hair replacement costs) more than make up for the "extra" $$$$$...
Cheers...
ultramag69 said:
I sincerely recommend the one with the highest amount of channels. I know people will say that there are only 24 gps satellites
. . .
I updated to a 52 channel reciever and have had no problems since.
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Thanks for the reply! After I posted on here, I located a 51-channel solar Bluetooth GPS -- the BT2.3MR (not available "Buy it Now" but first one I monitored sold for $56). To see the item I'm talking about, go to: http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Solar-Bluetooth-GPS-Receiver-51-Channels-free-ship_W0QQitemZ300246493051. Are there any issues with solar-powered GPS devices? Or are they too new to even get feedback on?
I will keep looking for a 52-channel GPS receiver, as I'm pretty frugal with my money on eBay. Thanks again!
How could one use a cell phone(s) to listen in on their office when off premise. For instance-A phone with ringer turned off & auto answer where a phone will answer after a set amount of silent rings-3, 5, 10 etc. Or could Bluetooth be used if someone was only 15 feet away & again an auto answer scenario/setting. Sometimes a headset is supposedly needed & has to be plugged into achieve this effect & would use the Michael in the headset for listening. Any hardcore mods would be OK that may require soldering, micro soldering, extra parts, rehousing phone in different case, programs etc. Also, If anyone knows of any Java options/programs or anything that would need a cable & software would be fine too. Yeah, An older Java type track phone would be great-But Android, Windows Mobile etc. would be fine. Or would a website work for 2.4 ghz fine tuned to the device & have it bookmarked on a browser on an android phone device for quick access but prob limited range unless there is a site you can buy a page for your special needs-Or what aouta scanner site like radio reference?. Also is there anyway to listen to the audio portion of 2.4 ghz The portion of the band used for security cameras etc. Audio would be fine-Video a bonus. Bluetooth operates somewhere in the 2.4 ghz band as well. Some phones have FM radio but that would require a major overhaul_basically starting over as the system is not set up for a FM transmitter-But it could be done. I've seen devices that use a sim card like a computer mouse that works/acts like any mouse but uses a GSM sim card-So, One calls the number assigned to the sim & gets full audio of the room with no distance limitations-But many have the disclamer "Does Not Work In USA Or Canada" Most say this-But not all. I'm wondering if this is for legal reasons & more of a formality than reality as I had a similar situation before. What would be the best GSM sim do you all think would be best? Also a finished modded unit would be fine too-But really need the reciever to be a phone-Of any type. Let me know. Thanx.
PS-I'll share results answers, PM's with anybody who asks.
Saw a phone modded & done for sale by an outfit in England for about $1,500 that was amazing. Did way more than I needed-But maybe at a later date etc. $1,500 is way out of budget-But zi'm realistic & not cheap for what I need. Prob a $300/cap.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
bigthunder1 said:
How could one use a cell phone(s) to listen in on their office when off premise. For instance-A phone with ringer turned off & auto answer where a phone will answer after a set amount of silent rings-3, 5, 10 etc. Or could Bluetooth be used if someone was only 15 feet away & again an auto answer scenario/setting. Sometimes a headset is supposedly needed & has to be plugged into achieve this effect & would use the Michael in the headset for listening. Any hardcore mods would be OK that may require soldering, micro soldering, extra parts, rehousing phone in different case, programs etc. Also, If anyone knows of any Java options/programs or anything that would need a cable & software would be fine too. Yeah, An older Java type track phone would be great-But Android, Windows Mobile etc. would be fine. Or would a website work for 2.4 ghz fine tuned to the device & have it bookmarked on a browser on an android phone device for quick access but prob limited range unless there is a site you can buy a page for your special needs-Or what aouta scanner site like radio reference?. Also is there anyway to listen to the audio portion of 2.4 ghz The portion of the band used for security cameras etc. Audio would be fine-Video a bonus. Bluetooth operates somewhere in the 2.4 ghz band as well. Some phones have FM radio but that would require a major overhaul_basically starting over as the system is not set up for a FM transmitter-But it could be done. I've seen devices that use a sim card like a computer mouse that works/acts like any mouse but uses a GSM sim card-So, One calls the number assigned to the sim & gets full audio of the room with no distance limitations-But many have the disclamer "Does Not Work In USA Or Canada" Most say this-But not all. I'm wondering if this is for legal reasons & more of a formality than reality as I had a similar situation before. What would be the best GSM sim do you all think would be best? Also a finished modded unit would be fine too-But really need the reciever to be a phone-Of any type. Let me know. Thanx.
PS-I'll share results answers, PM's with anybody who asks.
Saw a phone modded & done for sale by an outfit in England for about $1,500 that was amazing. Did way more than I needed-But maybe at a later date etc. $1,500 is way out of budget-But zi'm realistic & not cheap for what I need. Prob a $300/cap.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
im pretty sure any kind of phone taps and such like that is probably illegal.
Illegal in (most) countries. And unethical.
Sent from my MT27i
Wud up doh ladies.
Heres my predicament, my buds and i are driving up to daytona for SBN (spring break nationals, a bass competition) and were basically driving in a caravan.
Each car has at least 5000 rms and up to 15000 rms. (watts)
What we thought would be epic was for me to be djing off of a laptop on the way there, connected via ustream and all 5 cars tuning in to my stream allowing us to play the exact same songs at the exact same time from the 5 vehicles making you be able to hear us from a mile or so away
Predicament. To my knowledge, we have an ipad with ability to tether and nothing else as or right now considering i havent really looked too far into it.
However, We do have a power converter in one of the vehicles allowing us to use a wall outlet essentially.
I was entertaining the idea to have a router connected and to be streaming via a shoutcast server over LAN but im unaware of any app that allows you to tune into shoutcast radios being broadcast over a lan on itouch or ipad or iphone or android for that matter. I am aware that winamp allows you to plug in your listening IP but i have never tested it to work over lan nor on an android and i dont believe its on iphone etc.
So my alternative was to leech internet off the ipad, but if the caravan is 5 cars long, will all cars be able to reach the signal from the ONE ipad, and will that ipad have enough bandwidth to have me dj (upstream, upload) and 5 devices stream (downstream, download). Audio will be streamed at 48kbps if i remember correctly so the bandwidth required ISNT massive however over 5 devices i believe it might be an issue.
if the bandwidth is sufficent i was entertaining the ability to attempt to use the ipad as a WAP (Wireless access point) connected via the router then have an antenna from the router on the roof of the car to boost distance you can pick up the signal from.
WTB ANSWERS, i have 3 weeks to get this to happen
I doubt very seriously the wifi antenna in the iPad is capable of handling this sort of abuse.
You might be able to do it with a laptop and a wireless AP in infrastructure mode and have multiple clients connect to that system.
Regizzle said:
Wud up doh ladies.
Heres my predicament, my buds and i are driving up to daytona for SBN (spring break nationals, a bass competition) and were basically driving in a caravan.
Each car has at least 5000 rms and up to 15000 rms. (watts)
What we thought would be epic was for me to be djing off of a laptop on the way there, connected via ustream and all 5 cars tuning in to my stream allowing us to play the exact same songs at the exact same time from the 5 vehicles making you be able to hear us from a mile or so away
Predicament. To my knowledge, we have an ipad with ability to tether and nothing else as or right now considering i havent really looked too far into it.
However, We do have a power converter in one of the vehicles allowing us to use a wall outlet essentially.
I was entertaining the idea to have a router connected and to be streaming via a shoutcast server over LAN but im unaware of any app that allows you to tune into shoutcast radios being broadcast over a lan on itouch or ipad or iphone or android for that matter. I am aware that winamp allows you to plug in your listening IP but i have never tested it to work over lan nor on an android and i dont believe its on iphone etc.
So my alternative was to leech internet off the ipad, but if the caravan is 5 cars long, will all cars be able to reach the signal from the ONE ipad, and will that ipad have enough bandwidth to have me dj (upstream, upload) and 5 devices stream (downstream, download). Audio will be streamed at 48kbps if i remember correctly so the bandwidth required ISNT massive however over 5 devices i believe it might be an issue.
if the bandwidth is sufficent i was entertaining the ability to attempt to use the ipad as a WAP (Wireless access point) connected via the router then have an antenna from the router on the roof of the car to boost distance you can pick up the signal from.
WTB ANSWERS, i have 3 weeks to get this to happen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a pretty sweet idea dude! If I were in your shoes, I would create a powerful, rolling, WiFi LAN. Here's how I would do it:
Here's what you would need:
VLC (it's free)
A really powerful wireless router with external antenna's
Make sure the laptop you're going to be performing the broadcast from has its own wired network adapter
What you would do:
Connect your laptop up to the WAN port of the wireless router (the same port that you would normally connect your Cable Modem/DSL/FiOS). This is because you want your laptop to be set up as the default gateway for that LAN.
I would perform the broadcast from the middle car in the caravan for the best signal to the rest of the vehicles, possibly even use external antenna's (like, external to the car itself, not just the router) for the best possible signal quality.
Set up a local VLC streaming server on the laptop. This way you can make the stream much higher bandwidth and higher quality. Everyone can tune into with their own VLC client's, whether on other laptops, or iOS/Android devices with VLC.
Done correctly, this setup won't even require an internet connection, as everything will be done via the local network. That said, if the broadcasting laptop has a mobile connection tethered up to it, then everyone can benefit from that if they wanted to.
Overall, the mobile WLAN idea, in conjunction with a local VLC broadcast, will afford you the best audio quality along with the highest degree of reliability, as you won't need to worry about dead spots in the mobile coverage. Also, this method will yield the lowest latency (because they'd all be on the same local network), so for everyone in the caravan, their stereo's will more likely be playing the same thing at the same time as opposed to everyone playing the same thing, but all at different parts depending on their cellular network conditions.
What do you think?
Will the router do it? Unless it's a real piece of junk, yes. (And by junk I don't mean something selling new for $19.99, I mean something real cheap. Even a $20 router should handle 5 audio streams without waking up.)
Will the idea work? Not the way you want. There will be a delay of up to a few seconds between the streams to each car. All the cars can hear the same song at (within a couple of seconds at most) the same time. But close enough that there's no echo? No.
Connect a computer's web browser to a web audio source (police scanner, or anything else where the source doesn't start by your connecting to it, like a podcast will). Connect your phone to the same source (using its browser). Notice that there's a delay between them.
Nothing you can do about it - that's just how streaming works these days. Maybe for SBN 2025.
With encoding and decoding of digital audio streams, signal quality, et cetera.. you'll find it hard to achieve a truly synchronized stream. With new ATSC broadcast standards, even television sets in my household are off-sync; there is an echo.
Here's where analog synchronization comes in. It might seem very old-fashioned, but you could use an FM transmitter for this. I don't know much about them, but be aware of FCC regulations here in the states. You'll need a fairly high-power one and an omnidirectional antenna. Plan on a nice big investment, too!
Some cons to an FM transmitter:
1. Reliability: it's RARE that you'll find a vacant station in a metro area. Broadcasting over live stations is illegal, and requires a LOT more power than you can get in a portable FM transmitter.
2. Security: the music stream is unprotected. Just about anyone nearby could pick up your station and use YOUR tunes.
3. Vulnerability: it's possible that someone else could bring a more powerful FM transmitter, and broadcast Justin Bieber to your five vehicles (yikes!)
It'd probably be easier to store local copies of the music in each vehicle and use a network connection to handle synchronizing hitting the "Play" buttons.
But you'd probably have to write a whole new application.
dfc849 said:
With encoding and decoding of digital audio streams, signal quality, et cetera.. you'll find it hard to achieve a truly synchronized stream. With new ATSC broadcast standards, even television sets in my household are off-sync; there is an echo.
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Click to collapse
Ya, anything that encodes and decodes is very likely to do it at a slightly different rate, so synchronization would be very difficult. Even if you could get them started at the same time, they will probably slip out of sync after some time, too. This goes for the idea of just pushing "play" at the same time. Music playing at slightly different rates may sound the same to us, but will shortly fall out of sync.
dfc849 said:
Some cons to an FM transmitter:
1. Reliability: it's RARE that you'll find a vacant station in a metro area. Broadcasting over live stations is illegal, and requires a LOT more power than you can get in a portable FM transmitter.
2. Security: the music stream is unprotected. Just about anyone nearby could pick up your station and use YOUR tunes.
3. Vulnerability: it's possible that someone else could bring a more powerful FM transmitter, and broadcast Justin Bieber to your five vehicles (yikes!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the other hand, to broadcast only a few hundred feet you could probably get something at a computer store that would handle it. I know I picked up a $10 FM transmitter meant for iPods and CD players to connect them to a car stereo. It transmits from my computer to my stereo about 50ft away with no problem, though I haven't tested the limits. It would be easy enough to just plug it into your DJ machine and set all the cars to the same radio station. You could try sticking it to the top of the car and see how far away the other cars still get a clear signal. If it's not enough, you could probably pop it open and extend the antenna a little and get better range.
Where are you driving UP from? Cuba? All of that for a 4 hour trip if you are as far South as Miami?
xpather that
Cool idea
i'd go with analog, i.e. FM transmitter
You ought to have good line of sight on the other members of your caravan.. While I'd recommend keeping the DJ in the center of the pack, even if all five cars were strung along you ought to get good signal from front to back. Just don't get too separated (finding ways to manage that is half the fun of caravaning).
I'll echo what was said above and recommend you preload your songs on all the devices. Streaming synchronized audio is simply impractical. *Playing* all the songs at the same times might be more doable. Maybe. Your mileage may vary, etc etc.