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The Telecom Digest for April 15, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 95 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Re: DSL line question-Verizon-filters (Bruce Bergman)
Re: DSL line question-Verizon-filters (Rich Greenberg)
Mobile phone carriers profit from stolen phones (bernieS)
iPhone photo's embedded GPS info used to arrest Anonymous hacker (Thad Floryan)

====== 30 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======

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Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:47:46 -0700 From: Bruce Bergman <brucebergman@gmail.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: DSL line question-Verizon-filters Message-ID: <CACqS804MTBX-CZ4RgzZ6axW4LD86xxyco1tW8qeVc=SmQwPXKA@mail.gmail.com> On Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:53:35 -0700 (PDT), Michael <michael.muderick@gmail.com> wrote: > > I just replaced my Verizon modem...they sent me a new one because the > old one would periodically drop signal, and had to be re-booted each > time. As a followup they called my today to check that everything was > OK. They ran a line test because they said they weren't seeing a > perfectly good line. I disconnected everything from the demarc and > the number that had been 1400, was now perfect, around 3500. Not sure > what that means, but she suggested replacing all my DSL filters...they > go bad she said. I have about 10 in the house, including some that > serve more than one device, e.g. caller id boxes, wireless phones, > answering machine, etc. > > Do the filters go bad? I occasionally will hear some DSL noise > when two phones are off - hook at the same time. Otherwise everything > seems to work OK. > > They scheduled to call back in a week to see if there's an > improvement. I have some new filters, never used, that I could put > in. I'd welcome any comments. > Yes, the filters do go bad, and if you have several voice extensions in the house the "Bridge Tap" effects of all that wire with DSL signals reflecting back can kill your data speed just as badly as it does when it's on the outside plant cabling. I'd strongly suggest you get the Incumbent Telco to install a single Whole House DSL Filter and block the signal right there at the Demarcation Point from all but the one inside wire line and jack you will use the DSL Modem on. You'll see an even bigger speed jump because you eliminated all the stub antennas (mini bridge taps) at your end, and the speed should stay consistent. Plus you don't have to mess with all those inline filters at every phone anymore. And if they won't (or can't) rewire the demarcation point to add the Whole House Filter, you might have to get it done by a local independent technician or DIY it. The Telco is supposed to rework a messy demarc to add a MPOE Subscriber Test Point, and a clueful installer can easily do the whole house filter at the same time. (And a lazy one will blow it off, do the bare minimum and go take a nap in his truck...) Worst case, you can use one of those in-line filters, a pair of 6" modular line cords, a wall jack and a weatherproof box to build your own Whole House Filter if you don't want to search down the purpose-made units. Exact same function, just a different form factor. --<< Bruce >>--
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:02:17 +0000 (UTC) From: richgr@panix.com (Rich Greenberg) To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: DSL line question-Verizon-filters Message-ID: <jmcaip$2rb$1@reader1.panix.com> In article <CACqS804MTBX-CZ4RgzZ6axW4LD86xxyco1tW8qeVc=SmQwPXKA@mail.gmail.com>, Bruce Bergman <brucebergman@gmail.com> wrote: >I'd strongly suggest you get the Incumbent Telco to install a single >Whole House DSL Filter and block the signal right there at the >Demarcation Point from all but the one inside wire line and jack you >will use the DSL Modem on. You'll see an even bigger speed jump >because you eliminated all the stub antennas (mini bridge taps) at >your end, and the speed should stay consistent. Plus you don't have >to mess with all those inline filters at every phone anymore. The way I originally did just this (see earlier post) was that I had a multi-line NIJ (previous owner had multiple lines, I had only one) and the filters I had had 2 jacks, one filtered, one not. I removed the active line from the NIJ, plugged the filter into the NIJ, and plugged the active line into the filtered jack. Then I moved the line going to the DSL modem to another set of terminals and plugged its plug into the unfiltered jack. BTW, I have some unneeded DSL modems. One is hard coded for BellSouth, One for Earthlink. If anyone can use one of them, its yours for whatever it would cost me to mail it to you. I also have a fancier one available. See http://www.zoomtel.com/products/5690.html and email me if interested. -- Rich Greenberg Sarasota, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 941 378 2097 Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67 Canines: Val,Red,Shasta,Zero,Casey & Cinnar (At the bridge) Owner:Chinook-L Canines: Red & Max (Siberians) Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:59:36 -0400 From: bernieS <bernies@netaxs.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Mobile phone carriers profit from stolen phones Message-ID: <ShctF.A.RUD.R6aiPB@telecom> At 03:20 AM 4/14/2012, Hancock4 wrote: >Message-ID: <213c38ad-a543-4014-9d7e-4977705ed626@w5g2000vbp.googlegroups.com> > > >From the Los Angeles Times: > >"Police in downtown Los Angeles have seen cellphone thefts soar 32% as >smartphones like the IPhone become easily turned into pay-as-you-go >phones. Police said phones are being commonly snatched from >restaurant tables, libraries and nightclubs as people leave them >unattended." > >for full article please see: > > >http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/cell-phone-thefts-on-the-rise-in-downtown-la.html > >-or- > >http://tinyurl.com/7t3a63w > Profit may be a primary reason mobile carriers no longer share a database of mobile phone ID's and refuse to activate them. Mobile carriers profit handsomely from stolen mobile phones in several ways: the victim has to buy another phone and agree to a profitable new contract, and the user of the stolen phone starts a new line of service (prepaid or otherwise.) An even more sinister motivation could be in play: law-enforcement agencies make extensive use of mobile phone network providers to surveill targets who are likely to use stolen smartphones. If stolen phones could no longer be used, it could greatly complicate law-enforcement agencies' electronic surveillance of their targets. And since mobile carriers profit handsomely from providing electronic surveillance of their users to law-enforcement agencies, they have yet another strong vested interest in providing service to stolen phone users. My guess is that both mobile carriers and law-enforcement agencies are quietly lobbying behind closed doors to prevent the formation of any new laws that could force mobile carriers to stop providing service to stolen mobile phones. Or an I just being paranoid and seeing a conspiracy where none exists? -bernieS
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:43:57 -0700 From: Thad Floryan <thad@thadlabs.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: iPhone photo's embedded GPS info used to arrest Anonymous hacker Message-ID: <4F8A19CD.6060006@thadlabs.com> This is sort-of funny: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57414153-71/breasts-lead-to-arrest-of-anonymous-hacker/ Picture is at the above URL; the short article follows: " Police allege that an Anonymous hacker posted a picture of his " presumed girlfriend's breasts as a taunt to U.S authorities. The " picture allegedly contained GPS information that led the FBI to " her. " " Pride in one's lover's bodily parts can lead to a fall in one's " own bodily security. " " That seems to be the lesson from the tale of an alleged hacker, " Higinio O.Ochoa, a 30-year-old Linux administrator from " Galveston, Texas, who was arrested by the FBI and charged with " unauthorized access to a protected computer. " " The accusation, as described by the Sydney Morning Herald, is " that Ochoa hacked into several Web sites belonging to law " enforcement. " " Sometimes, though, the temptation to leave a calling card can be " too great. So Ochoa allegedly used a Twitter account to direct " people to a Web site when all the law enforcement information " he'd supposedly hacked was on display. " " Also on display was a picture of a woman, her breasts lowering " themselves tantalizingly toward the camera, with a sign beneath " them reading: "''PwNd by w0rmer & CabinCr3w <3 u BiTch's''. " " Now CabinCr3w is the apparent name of an Anonymous offshoot. And " the "w0rmer" part? Well, the Twitter account linking people to " the site was @AnonW0rmer. " " However, the photograph of the breasts apparently linked " authorities to Ochoa -- because, taken with an iPhone, it " contained GPS information. The information allegedly suggested " she lived in Melbourne, Australia. " " Further burrowing led the police to discover a posting on Ochoa's " Facebook page that allegedly revealed his girlfriend was " Australian. " " The claim is that police have managed to match pictures of her " that Ochoa allegedly posted on Facebook to the breast image. " " To the untrained eye, this might seem curious, as the Facebook " pictures allegedly show her face, while the taunting picture does " not. " " Perhaps the authorities have gone beyond mere facial-recognition " technology and are in possession of software that can match other " bodily parts with astonishing accuracy.
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