WiFi bargain hunting

I recently had occasion to buy a TP-Link TL-WR702N from ebay.
The transaction itself went smoothly enough, but when I tried to use the thing, that's when the problems started.

The box it came in had a lot of Chinese writing on it - I could still see the product name, the company name, and TP-LINK in English.

I was slightly concerned when the documentation included were all in Chinese - I've upgraded the firmware for routers before, and I could download the English manuals from TP-Links web site, so I figured I could "upgrade" it with an English firmware file.

That's where the fun began.

To help you, dear reader, to appreciate the following content, let's talk probabilities. Imagine that each customer, having received the router, considers it 100% likely that they can use the router. For each hurdle some will fail.

Chance for success: 1.0

TP-Links own documentation mentioned that uploading firmware required selecting a ".bin" file from the routers web interface - a file upload - simple enough, I thought - that's how most routers do it.

Unfortunately I couldn't access the routers web interface, from Debian Linux or Windows 7 (I added Debian and Ubuntu to my Samsung laptop).

By chance I happened across another blog that told me how - by using a network cable and setting the ethernet port on my PC to 192.168.1.2.

That hurdle would probably have caused 90% of customers to fail, or 1 in 10 to pass.

Chance for success: 0.1


Then I discovered that the web pages were in Chinese too.

It took a bit of trial and error network wizardry to be able to connect to the internet using WiFi and to the router via the ethernet cable, so that I could translate the web pages to English with Google translate.

That's where the fun really began.

The web pages the router served told me that I had to set up a TFTP server to provide the firmware upgrade.

Since setting up a TFTP server to deliver a file isn't a trivial undertaking, and since the TFTP server configuration varies widely depending on who/what you're serving files to, that's another severe hurdle, causing 90% of customers to fail at this step.

Chance for success: 0.01


The (translated) router web page indicated that there were 5 ways to use the router - the "repeater" mode seemed the best.

In repeater mode, the router acts as a repeater for your "main" router, plus you can connect equipment to the same network using it and and an ethernet cable.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to work.

Chance for success: 0.001


It was only after deciding to send it back, telling others about the problems I had, and the delay involved in trying to raise this problem with ebay, trying to cancel the transaction in Paypal (causing a server error, no less) that I tried to set up the router as a client - the way wifi dongles work, but with a network cable instead of a USB port.

It worked, as long as you remembered to set the IP address of whatever device you connect to it.

Chance for success: 0.0001


When I contacted the seller about this I was told that I didn't need a TFTP server. Incorrect.

When I contacted TP-Link about this, I was told that I could only upgrade/convert the router to English if its web pages showed traditional Chinese - routers showing simplified Chinese couldn't be "converted" to English.

Guess which one I had.

I even managed to upload updated (Chinese) firmware to it, using tftpd-hpa-5.2-2 in Debian by running the server in the same directory as the firmware upgrade.
Here's the command you need to run as root to serve that file (bye bye Windows users)

in.tftpd -4 -L -v -s --permissive $PWD

If this command completes straight away it means that it couldn't start (no error message).

You have to stop the running tftpd with

        /etc/init.d/tftpd-hpa stop

first.

Chance for success: 0.000001


The upgraded firmware still needs a TFTP server to work, and no, it wouldn't accept the English firmware file from TP-Links web site.

I considered that a lot of customers (almost including myself) might find that the time and trouble required to enjoy this product may be more than most are willing to commit, and that ebay should take some steps to prevent this happening to other unsuspecting English speaking users, maybe by getting someone fluent in Chinese to talk to TP-Link about this.

They recommended I follow the steps they gave me to get the sellers telephone number to try speaking to him, so that we might come to some amicable arrangement.

Chance for success: 0.0000001

The sweetest thing about all this is that if I'd bought a TL-WR703N I could have just installed OpenWrt!

Some disorganized notes

There's no point trying to lay these out - I'd need to know all the possible failure routes.

================================================

Configuration changes sometimes don't take effect right away.

Try (as root) "ip neigh show", and "ip route list cache"

You can also try to see if "ip route flush cache" and "ip neigh flush dev eth0" can unwedge the system.

After a flush, "ip neigh show" and "ip route list cache" should return very few, if any, entries.

Web pages translated
See my separate blog post.

Error codes translated

错误代码：18000
升级不成功，请检查您是否开启TFTP服务器以及上传文件是否在相应目录下。
<
Error code: 18000
Upgrade is unsuccessful, please check if you open the TFTP server and upload files in the appropriate directory.
>

错误代码：18001
上传文件长度错误，请检查文件并重试。
<
Error code: 18001
Upload the file length error, please check the file and try again.
>
错误代码：18005
上传的文件版本与机型不符。
<
Error code: 18005
Version of the uploaded file does not match with the models.
>

anti-work

The term "anti-work" is one of those terms that makes you do a double-take.
How can something be anti-work?
From the definition of work as "the amount of effort applied to produce a deliverable or to accomplish a task", it follows that

Anti-work is the work done to make the production of a deliverable or the accomplishment of a task more difficult.

Huh.
So what does that mean in our everyday lives?

1. Learning curves
If a learning curve is made more steep, so that learning a new skill is more difficult than it otherwise might be, this is anti-work in action.

Sometimes this is justified as "intellectual property protection".
You may notice this when you buy a gadget and discover that there are no visible screws or means to open or examine the device.

Sure, there are good reasons not to mess with electrical equipment, for example. But this wouldn't stop one of the manufacturers competitors from opening it - they'd use a hack-saw and be done with it.

2. Officialdom
It takes a certain level of skill to put something moderately complex together.
If you can give it smooth curves or a two-tone plastic case, it conveys the impression that it was made by a corporation, and that tweaking it is "discouraged".

3. The "Oubliant"
This is a French term that originates from the word "forget" but here it's used as a noun that means "a place to send someone to forget about them".
In the context of anti-work, this means a labrynth.
A good example of this is the world wide web.
If you use the right search term and there are one or more sites that feature that term then you're in luck.
Veer of the beaten path and you're in for errors misconceptions, copies out of date references etc.

To remove these entries from the web would be a great service to humanity, but that in itself constitutes another form of anti-work:

4. Work that appears to achieve no result
Another way of putting it is "work that helps you discover all the wrong ways of doing something".
You meant to ask for the right way, but didn't have the language, the grasp of terminology or the experience to pose the question correctly.

This happens a lot in software development, even in cases where buying a book on the subject is not an option, simply due to what's called "shop blindness".
This is where a group of individuals become so immersed in a subject that they unconsciously begin to use every-day terms with specific meaning not apparent to an outsider. Result: anti-work.

5. One vs many
If you're trying to "stay ahead of the field" you can either be ahead of the field, or make the field more difficult, using anti-work.
Of course your ability to encourage others to follow your anti-work path indicates that you're already prominent in that field, so why do it?
Possible answers are: officialdom, in the public interest (e.g. risk or hazard concerns), branding (where the tone used is consistent within professionals in the field).

6. Bureaucracy
The incidences of bizarre procedures where a simpler friendlier and ultimately more efficient alternative exists are too depressing to list.

7. Gamesmanship
When an otherwise simple career path is steeped in dodgy dealings/characters/situations.
See <insert country here>'s next top model to see what people get up to in the business of wearing clothes.

8. Bottle-necks
Just like a bottle, the flow is restricted at the neck, unlike a glass or cup.
This is where the supply/production/application process needs to be handled by an elite group of individuals.
Rather than train others to share the load, these talented individuals are far too busy catering to demand. If only there was more time!

9. The blind leading the blind
No offense is meant towards the visually impaired here.
In this context the "blind" leaders many be amateurs, enthusiasts or those who otherwise manage their audiences expectations of their ability.
If there's a problem, they "have an idea" as to what's wrong.
If they fix it, it'll "probably be OK".
They may ask the real experts but don't tell you otherwise you wouldn't need them.
The wonderful thing about this class of anti-workers is that we can all claim our free membership pass with subjects we're learning or that are a bit beyond us.
I think that's the job description of a parent.

10. It was like that when I got here
The possibility that this was really the case implies the existence of some unknown individual/entity who's in a better position to know how things really work than the people responsible, and that asking too many questions might offend this unknown deity.
Religions have started over this kind of hearsay and rumor.
Then again some people duck and dive responsibility for a living.

11. The "stall"
You have a requirement, and you look around for the tool, service or product to solve it, but none of them fit exactly, or need further investigation.
"OK there are problems with version 0.5, wait until you see version 0.6, it will knock your socks off."
So you start looking into their offering and indeed the possibility exists that one day it could possibly do what you want.
A few days/weeks of learning how to use it you discover you need to buy a book.
Then a DVD.
Then a training course.
Then the next version.
And another training course.
There are more expensive offerings available, but you thought you'd save money be allying with an impertinent start-up or open source alternative.
It's bound to be cheaper than doing it yourself, won't it?
Then they change direction entirely and guess what, there are books, DVDs and training courses for that version too.
Who would have thought they were in the book/DVD/training course business.
Then you find out that the thing you wanted to do could be done with the product, and 250 people.

12. Fashion
Yes, fashion even gets in here too. See also culture, tradition and religion.

13. Psychological projection
See here for more on this.

14. Competition
Anti-work is a tool, and if you can keep a competitor too busy to compete effectively, then that could make the difference.

15. Jobs
It's a sad fact that the importance of some management positions is measured by the number of people that position manages.
Like the emperors new clothes, this can run away with itself.
We should all have more free time by now, not keeping each other busy.

I encourage you to note anti-work wherever you go and whatever you do.

It may help you distinguish between real work and a performance.

I wouldn't describe myself as a "save the planet" type, but most damning of all is the fact that anti-work is just wasteful.

If even one such problem could be solved or its effects reduced by one person spending one hour of their time, to save thousands of other people spending hours or days of their time trying to solve, then we would have a more efficient society.

That's a good thing, isn't it?

3D printing PCBs

Solder (see this for an example) has a melting point of 270C.
PET has a melting point of 250C.

If you could form 0.1mm cubes of each and arrange them in rows, then the "printing" process becomes a process of arranging row after row and layer upon layer into a finished (rectangular) shape - like a circuit board.

Subject the finished item to 240C and the solder and plastic will become soft enough to sinter to themselves while holding their relative shape.

The finished PCB won't be as tough as a regular PCB, but it would be possible to reuse them as they will separate with a sustained heat of 270C because of their different densities.

You obviously couldn't solder items to this PCB - they would need a mechanical contact to the solder.

Just make sure you have adequate ventilation!

the moist maker

I had an idea about how to connect a memory chip to the Broadcom BCM2835 for the Raspberry PI without the need to solder the connection.
The original comment is here and the blog entry is here.
I called it the "moist maker" because in the TV series "friends" that's the name Ross gave to the extra slice of bread soaked in meat sauce that went in the middle of the sandwich - a triple-decker.
I saw two chips and a plastic layer that goes between them - I thought that calling it a "moist maker" makes it easy to identify and reference.

I now realize that the scope of this idea is much greater than this one specific application.

Imagine circuit boards where most components are surface mount - through holes would only be needed where the increased pin density would require more precise component alignment.

Next, imagine a thin plastic electrically insulating sheet with conductive plastic pillars in it that conduct electricity from the component connector above to the circuit board below - the moist maker.

Finally a rigid transparent cover sheet that's molded or 3D printed so that it lightly presses the components onto the moist maker and holds them in place so they can't move and the electrical connection between them, the moist maker and the PCB is good.

The cover is held in place with clips on the edge of the PCB.

No need for soldering and if you no longer need the circuit, just unhook the cover and you can reuse the components.

The memory->CPU->PCB that started off the idea has more precise alignment requirements than other components and this would be possible by adding rectangular pillar into which the CPU, another moist maker and the memory chip fit. It would need to have pins that fit into slits/slots in the PCB to achieve the required alignment precision.

The other alternative to conductive plastic pillars is an insulating sheet saturated with carbon nano-tubes orientated perpendicular to the sheet surface.

As long as enough of them connect the item above to the item below without them shorting out adjacent pins or each other, it should work.

Once 3D printing takes off, the possibility of printing the multi-layer PCB complete with soft conductive component connections would open this up to hobbyists.

2013-11-07 update
You can now do a web search for "vertical conductive cloth tape adhesive" - let me google that for you: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=vertical+conductive+cloth+tape+adhesive

I won't publish them here as there doesn't seem to be a manufacturers link available yet, but would it work for this application???

Sekonda ELD watch

I recently lost my Sekonda ELD watch - the details don't matter.
I always liked the look of this watch and it did what it said on the tin - a watch.
The face lit up when you pressed the button above the time adjustment.
It was a familiar thing, what ever that means.
You never know how much something means to you until it's gone.
The Sekonda web site doesn't show it - I guess they stopped making it.
I don't even know what the model number is.
On a recent search I found this picture:
http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac143/samueldav/Rolex/Sekonda/?action=view&current=100_0865.jpg&currenttag=Sekonda

If you happen to come across this make/model on the web or in a department store, please let me know.

supply and demand

It recently came to mind that "supply" is to "demand" as "production" is to "consumption", but is that really the case?

Certainly you can't have one without the other, and they are very similar.

But the fact that goods or services move from one party to the other is the only thing they have in common.

Let's see where they differ.

1. a producer produces, whether or not there are consumers, whether it's a by-product or a waste product. Plants produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. As far as plants are concerned, oxygen is a waste product.

2. a supplier has a market in mind when they decide what to supply and how much to charge for it so they can make a profit from their customers.

It's very easy to confuse the two, consumers and customers.

Some producers will project an image of themselves as suppliers in an attempt to raise the price of their products, projecting the role of customer onto their consumers, and they can sometimes forget that without consumers, they've got a hill of product that will only get larger.

This is called fashion.

Once they get a few customers to associate the purchase of these items with social status, you've got a fashion trend.

Then other producers will engage in production of similar items in order to "get on the band wagon" and profit from the trend.

If a producer chooses to identify themselves on the product as a guarantee of quality, then you've got a brand name.

The distinction between a supplier and a producer becomes starkly clear when one considers marketing.

Consumers don't need marketing hype to know they want something, but marketing can affect who they go to for it.

Customers are all about the brand, how much it costs, and how prominently they can display their purchases as a status symbol to others.

The fact that they're acting as walking bill boards for a producer usually doesn't enter into it.

Just food for thought.

toughen up

Toughness in the workplace consists of in-fighting and bullying.
Companies encourage this behavior

1. by not discouraging it
2. by providing productivity incentives
3. as a way of controlling their employees
4. as a way of managing their customers expectations

Some people pride themselves at being tough.

Toughness isn't only about people by the way - being able to tolerate difficult situations is a skill, whether it's a property of your location, situation or the rules of the arena you're in.

Some crossword puzzles are tough.

It seems that, all things being equal, those who can dish it out as well as they can take it will succeed.

This takes a strange turn when this fashion becomes popular.

These fashion followers not only expect to be on both ends of this abuse cycle, they promote this fashion by their success, which they attribute to being tough.

Here's the rub. Any society, for example the society you find yourself in right now, depends on money moving around.

If that society finds itself populated predominantly by "tough" people, then they want to pay less and get more.

Less money moves around, meaning there's less money to make, and life becomes more difficult for everyone.

A tough society is a poor society.

Look at countries without even a working democracy - third world countries.

People can live without money, being able to possess only as much as they can carry or watch over.

Others form gangs and look for ways to exploit and dominate others.

How tough is that?

A society is a show. A performance we put on for each other.

A tough society is a poor show.

The fashion of toughness is just comical.

We depend on each other indirectly as customers for our business as they in turn depend indirectly on us.

All a society needs to be really successful is lots of people.

The next time someone tells you to "toughen up", point them here!

It has a lot in common with a mullet.