Why Wireless Hacks?

The term hacking has a bad reputation in the popular press, where it used to refer to someone who breaks into systems or wreaks havoc with computers as their weapon. Among enthusiasts, on the other hand, the term hack refers to a "quick-n-dirty" solution to a problem, or to a clever way to get something done. The term hacker is taken very much as a compliment, referring to someone as being creative, and having the technical chops to get things done. O'Reilly's Hacks series is an attempt the reclaim the word, document the ways people are hacking (in a good way), and pass the hacker ethic of creative participation on to the uninitiated. Seeing how others approach systems and problems is often the quickest way to learn about a new technology.

Wireless Hacks is about getting the most out of your wireless networking hardware. In this book, you will find practical techniques for extending range, increasing throughput, managing wireless resources, and generally making your wireless networking vision a reality. Remember that reality is what you can get away with, and wireless hackers have found that they can get away with quite a lot using surprisingly little. This book will show you some of the best bits of their collected experience.