Hacking the Cable Modem: What Cable Companies Don't Want You to...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 320 pages
• Published by: No Starch Press September 10, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1593271018
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1593271015
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Weighs: 1.3 pounds

Product Description
In the beginning there was dial-up, and it was slow; then came broadband in the form of cable, which redefined how we access the internet, share information, and communicate with each other online. Hacking the Cable Modem goes inside the device that makes Internet via cable possible and, along the way, reveals secrets of many popular cable modems, including products from Motorola, RCA, WebSTAR, D-Link and more.

Inside Hacking The Cable Modem, you'll learn:

the history of cable modem hacking

how a cable modem works

the importance of firmware (including multiple ways to install new firmware)

how to unblock network ports and unlock hidden features

how to hack and modify your cable modem

what uncapping is and how it makes cable modems upload and download faster

Written for people at all skill levels, the book features step-by-step tutorials with easy to follow diagrams, source code examples, hardware schematics, links to software (exclusive to this book!), and previously unreleased cable modem hacks.

Back Cover Copy
What people are saying about Hacking the Cable Modem

"No Starch Press is a publisher with a penchant for finding geeky niches that other publishers will not touch, and DerEngel's Hacking the Cable Modem is a fine case in point." --Linux Journal, October 2006

In the beginning there was dial-up, and it was slow; then ame broadband in the form of cable, which redefined how we access the internet, share information, and communicate with each other online. Hacking the Cable Modem goes inside the device that makes Internet via cable possible and, along the way, reveals secrets of many popular cable modems, including products from Motorola, RCA, WebSTAR, D-Link and more.

Inside Hacking The Cable Modem, you'll learn:
* the history of cable modem hacking
* how a cable modem works
* the importance of firmware (including multiple ways to install new firmware)
* how to unblock network ports and unlock hidden features
* how to hack and modify your cable modem
* what uncapping is and how it makes cable modems upload and download faster

Written for people at all skill levels, the book features step-by-step tutorials with easy to follow diagrams, source code examples, hardware schematics, links to software (exclusive to this book!), and previously unreleased cable modem hacks.

Reader Reviews
I expected this book to be much more technical than it was. Rather than a collection of schematics and wiring diagrams, DerEngel combines many personal stories with the results of his work. It's quite an interesting read, although I don't know if the book will make hardware hackers out of anyone. Some people may be able to hack their modems with the ready-to-use tools the author discusses, but most people probably aren't going to want to potentially destroy their modems by cracking open the case and messing with the circuit board components. Most of the discussion takes it for granted that the reader is already be familiar with basic electrical engineering and Radio Shack. The tools he uses are Windows programs, so unix users may need to find similar tools to follow along with the hacks. I wish the book had talked more about the cable companies motivations for various limitations. At one point, DerEngel does admit that some limitations protect the equipment and service for everyone's use, but overall I think he ignores that without commenting on the rather selfish notion that anyone should be able to get better internet service than others on their block. What would happen if everyone uncapped their modems and started uploading lots of data? Despite my complete disinterest in hacking my modem, I found the book an interesting read and informative.