Book Review - Hacking the Cable Modem by DerEngel
Category Book Reviews
Have you ever wondered what is inside that device called a cable modem? And if you're a real geek, have you ever wondered what you might be able to do with/to it in order to "modify the performance"? Then this is your book... Hacking the Cable Modem - What Cable Companies Don't Want You To Know by DerEngel. This is very detailed information on everything you'd ever want to know...
Contents: A History of Cable Model Hacking; the Cable Modem Showcase; A Faster Internet; The DOCSIS Standard; What's Inside?; Firmware; Our Limitations; Reverse Engineering; Cable Modem Security; Buffer Overflows; SIGMA Firmware; Hacking Frequencies; Useful Software; Gathering Information; The Blackcat Programmer; Traditional Uncapping; Building a Console Cable; Changing Firmware; Hacking the RCA; Hacking the WebSTAR; The SURFboard Factory mode; Hacking the D-Link Modem; Securing the Future; Frequently Asked Questions; Disassembling; Cross-Compiling; Acronyms; Index
The author has a long history with hacking cable modems to determine how they work. Over time, he's figured out how to get at the internals of the modem software, how to use debugging menus to tweak performance, and also how to "uncap" certain types of modems. Uncapping is the act of removing any software settings that limit the speed at which your cable modem sends and receives data. There's a huge difference between what you actually get, and what the line is capable of. Often the cable companies offer up more speed for higher prices, but after reading this book you realize it's not a technology limitation but a business/money decision. He also goes into great detail about how to build devices that you can attach to the modem and use to understand the firmware and programming. The book is most useful if you're familiar with low-level programming languages and a soldiering iron, but even at a higher level it's interesting to understand what goes on between the cable company and your PC...
This is one of those books that consolidates a lot of information into one place, and will save you an immense amount of time if the subject matter is of interest to you. It's definitely covering a subject and niche that hasn't gotten much (if any) coverage before...
Have you ever wondered what is inside that device called a cable modem? And if you're a real geek, have you ever wondered what you might be able to do with/to it in order to "modify the performance"? Then this is your book... Hacking the Cable Modem - What Cable Companies Don't Want You To Know by DerEngel. This is very detailed information on everything you'd ever want to know...
Contents: A History of Cable Model Hacking; the Cable Modem Showcase; A Faster Internet; The DOCSIS Standard; What's Inside?; Firmware; Our Limitations; Reverse Engineering; Cable Modem Security; Buffer Overflows; SIGMA Firmware; Hacking Frequencies; Useful Software; Gathering Information; The Blackcat Programmer; Traditional Uncapping; Building a Console Cable; Changing Firmware; Hacking the RCA; Hacking the WebSTAR; The SURFboard Factory mode; Hacking the D-Link Modem; Securing the Future; Frequently Asked Questions; Disassembling; Cross-Compiling; Acronyms; Index
The author has a long history with hacking cable modems to determine how they work. Over time, he's figured out how to get at the internals of the modem software, how to use debugging menus to tweak performance, and also how to "uncap" certain types of modems. Uncapping is the act of removing any software settings that limit the speed at which your cable modem sends and receives data. There's a huge difference between what you actually get, and what the line is capable of. Often the cable companies offer up more speed for higher prices, but after reading this book you realize it's not a technology limitation but a business/money decision. He also goes into great detail about how to build devices that you can attach to the modem and use to understand the firmware and programming. The book is most useful if you're familiar with low-level programming languages and a soldiering iron, but even at a higher level it's interesting to understand what goes on between the cable company and your PC...
This is one of those books that consolidates a lot of information into one place, and will save you an immense amount of time if the subject matter is of interest to you. It's definitely covering a subject and niche that hasn't gotten much (if any) coverage before...
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Comments
Don't look to this book as a quick fix to your cable modem woes. Plan to spend serious time working to achieve anything with it.
Posted by Andrew Pollack At 05:18:08 On 28/09/2006 | - Website - |
I've ordered this. It will be interesting to see if I can do something about the 'black hole' level of service I currently get.
I'd also love to see if there is a way to use a pair of cable modems for a long haul network link.
Posted by Andrew Pollack At 14:27:45 On 23/09/2006 | - Website - |
http://vtalk2.com
Iqara Sify
Posted by Iqara Modem hacks At 13:06:30 On 11/12/2006 | - Website - |
Posted by john At 10:24:27 On 21/02/2011 | - Website - |