Related
Hello,
I am new to the forum and also the owner of an HTC Fuze. I have been playing around recently with the GPS on the phone and got me thinking. I live in NY and we have a CORS network of gps base stations that are fed by the use of ntrip.
I was wondering if their was any way to use the gps signal on my phone and the connection to this CORS network to give me sub inch accuracy on my phone...then not sure what I would do with it then. But I do live on a farm and I would like to see some type of precision agricultural use.
I guess I need a way to have the GPS on the phone talk with the GNSS internet radio and then give me spot on guidance and such.
Please let me know your thoughts or if I need to explain better.
Thanks,
Clayton
bump
bump. Any ideas? Anyone
Great idea cwrisrey !
That will save the cost of a geodetic device, which is many times the cost of a Fuze. Further, it will lead the accuracy of the buildin GPS into millimum class.
Not dig into this further, would you go further to tell these:
Is that CORS data encrypted?
Is that accessible through public internet or VPN?
Is there copy right or intellectuall property right issue involved? (I don't think so, but better make it clear first)
Once again, great idea. Please do remember to update this thread once you got any progress. Thanks.
More info
Hello wg5566,
This site would probably answer alot of your questions clearer than I could:
http://www6.nysdot.gov/spiderweb/frmIndex.aspx
* Is that CORS data encrypted?
-I don't believe so, I think that it is just a form of compression, to distribute across the internet.
* Is that accessible through public internet or VPN?
Yes, the NYS CORS anyway. It accessible from the public internet (although they require you to register with them) But I believe there are other free streams. I also believe it was modeled after being able to be sent threw GPRS.
* Is there copy right or intellectuall property right issue involved? (I don't think so, but better make it clear first)
-I believe the ntrip is based on a GNU, I think the source code is available. http://igs.bkg.bund.de/index_ntrip_down.htm
Windows CE version:
http://www.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/crgb/gsr/downloads/installGNSS.CAB
Please, let me know your thoughts...
Thanks,
Clayton
My fast thoughts:
First make sure there is no satisfied freeware currently available for WM.
If so please ask a moderator to move this to the development & hackings section. And Add tyis sentence on the title: Call for developers for revolutionary GPS app!
I'm sure somebody here can develop this. You know the geodetic device was invented many years ago with very weak profiles comparing to current WM devices. The hardware on our phone should be capable to deal with these calculations, and the WM Pro platform should be capable to support such an app. Anyway it should not be a biggy for many masters here. But it is a biggy for gps users with high accuracy demand for any reason.
Edit: Did you try install that wince cab on your phone? I think some of WINCE apps can just run on WM. Please backup your data first.
Edit2: I tried to install it on my device, at first it did not show up in start menu, then I found the cab just put files and shortcut in the folder names in French. But there is no registry involved in the cab. Only three files. And then program UI itself is in English. Just run the executable from the folder will go right out of the box. So please try it. I did not try to connect & loggin yet, due to not registered account.
Edit3: Looks like the cab is only access the data from internet, convert the data format and export the data, but we still need a geodetic/gps software to process/use the data.
Disclaimer: I attatched these three files for the only purppose of exchanging software developement infomation. Anybody if download it please do not use it for any purppose other than this. Thanx.
Some thoughts on the subject
Hi All,
The idea of using NTRIP to make a Windows Mobile GPS device sub-meter accurate crossed my mind. After some research I found this thread.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any software capable of doing this. My idea is that it should be possible to accomplish this goal, using a combination of existing tools (which would be really cool!).
As wg5566 notes, there is a (WM) tool called GNSS Internet Radio, which is capable of downloading NTRIP corrections. It turns out this software works, but does have some flaws. Someone wrote another open source tool which is better (?), but unfortunately it isn't built for Windows Mobile (see: http://lefebure.com/software/).
More searching revealed a (dead?) project on codeplex: SharpGPS. It's an unfinished demo. It does however seem to be designed to do exactly what we're suggesting in this thread.
My idea: Completing the WM version of SharpGPS with parts of GNSS Internet radio / lefebure NTRIP client should result in a tool that's capable of upgrading a WM devices' gps signal to sub-meter accuracy through RTK/DGPS corrections over NTRIP.
Any ideas / suggestions about this?
It's already been done for the commercial market
Land surveyors, construction companies, and farmers use RTK GPS and RTK GNSS correction services on a regular basis. Some are free and some are paid subscription. They can be either NTRIP protocol with casters or individual TCP or UDP connections. Examples of software available are Carlson SurvCE and MicroSurvey. Read Carlson's support site for how they deal with the data flow using such networks on SurvCE (Windows Mobile and CE).
I have worked in land surveying using such equipment, and it generally requires dual frequency receivers, RTK corrections, and high quality antennas to achieve 1-2cm 95% CI horizontal precision. The current GPS chips in cell phones are only single frequency and so the best you could expect under ideal conditions is 2'-3' precision using some form of differential correction like WAAS or beacon or DGPS via NTRIP. Under average conditions, the precision will likely be in the 10-20' range. The dual frequency receivers take care of the large errors caused by radio waves traveling through the ionosphere.
Due to the limitations of batteries, antennas, and space for more chips in cellphones, the future of location accuracy will likely include some combination of GPS/GLONASS and cellular radio signal frequency timing calculations from cell towers. True Position, with its U-TDOA technology, is one example of measuring the time differences of cell phone radio waves using cell towers with known coordinates. Rumors (from surveying journals) have it that there are current patents in place that can allow for sub foot precision using such methods when sufficient cell towers are present for multilateration.
Has anyone found success on this topic? WM or Android...
Would be very interested, since there is a free NTRIP feed available in Switzerland... anyone?
*bump* it up
Been there still trying. Problem is no carrier phase off internal gps.
Grimli said:
Hi All,
The idea of using NTRIP to make a Windows Mobile GPS device sub-meter accurate crossed my mind. After some research I found this thread.
As wg5566 notes, there is a (WM) tool called GNSS Internet Radio, which is capable of downloading NTRIP corrections. It turns out this software works, but does have some flaws. Someone wrote another open source tool which is better (?), but unfortunately it isn't built for Windows Mobile (see: /lefebure.com/software/).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lance lefebure is a really cool guy I'm sure he wouldn't have any problem building a wm version but it is going to takea lot more than that to get rtk to a cell phone.
Very good ,thanks.
Ed hardy bikini said:
Very good ,thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are confused just ask questions and I will do my best to answer them. I am in the ag industry and deal with RTK networks and different ways of connecting them and tons of different gps units on a daily basis.
Look at this:
http://stakemill.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/ashtech-mobile-mapper-100-supports-esri-arcpad-10-0/
and this:
http://www.ashtech.com/-2359.kjsp?RH=1272644205746&RF=1270806507068
Is that still a phone !?
wg5566 said:
Look at this:
Is that still a phone !?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope PDA with support for external GPS with a builtin reciever that even sees glonass satellites (russian constelation). That was made specifically to do RTK mapping. It does have a GSM radio for data to connect to the cors.
Phone positioning using CORS
To perform a CORS (Network Reference correction we need a GGA stream from the GPS in your device. This allows us to remove the anomalies and provde the correction stream. As phones use a sirf II chip or similar they do not have input capability to output the NMEA stream to achieve this.
This one works great! it will connect to an Rtk receiver and get the nmea string from it or will use the internal GPS to be able to register on the CORS network. It will then stream the corrections over Bluetooth to a receiver or even a repeater radio. It won't however correct the internal GPS. http://antrip.dyndns.biz/Home/DownloadTrial
If you know my Multiplatform Bible of using your handset as a modem, you may already know ICSControl, WalkingHotSpot and WMWifiRouter, the (so far) three applications that make a Wi-Fi access point out of your Windows Mobile phone.
Now, a brand new Wi-Fi access point app, HTC CM Wifi Internet Sharing, has been released by XDA-Developers moderator Noonski. It’s available for download HERE (free XDA-Devs registration needed if you aren’t already a member). The (separate) QVGA version, with the built-in HTC Scroll, is at the bottom of the post. You’ll also want to check out the FAQ.
Compatibility
I’ve, after having very thoroughly tested it on my WinMo phones, started a compatibility list of the app. It’s currently available HERE. Note that, should it exceed the 10kchar limit, I’ll break it into two (or more) parts.
As you can see, there are a lot of model + ROM version combinations that it’s incompatible with (as opposed to, say, WMWifiRouter, which I’ve found compatible with almost everything). If it does not work and neither does WMWifiRouter, then, try installing kliptik’s ICS CAB. I recommend WMWifiRouter to test it against; it has a trial version (HERE). It’s much easier to use / configure than ICSControl and WalkingHotSpot doesn’t have a trial.
Also, Omnia users will want to try the CAB HERE on phones that the new app is incompatible with. (The latter can only be installed on genuine Omnias and nothing else, it seems – that is, don’t even bother installing it on non-Omnias.)
Note that it's fully incompatible with MS Smartphones (WM Standard devices), it seems - don't even bother trying. (See my related report HERE.)
If WMWifiRouter does work but this app doesn’t, then, try consulting my compatibility list to see whether there’re success stories of your phone at all. If there are, check out the ROM version they have and even consider flashing your phone to it. Nevertheless, if you don’t want to go through that torture, just consider shelling out $30 for WMWifiRouter or WalkingHotSpot – or learn to use ICSControl.
Note that some sites have even called the app “a WMWifiRouter killer”. Well, it’s still far-far away from that, particularly on phones that it’s plain incompatible with. And, of course, it can only share the connection via Wi-Fi and not other means (BT, USB).
You always with great stuff to share and learn from!!
Thanks Menneisyys
I´ll test it on my Uni with Tomal wm6.5 and report back.
Cheers,
orb3000 said:
You always with great stuff to share and learn from!!
Thanks Menneisyys
I´ll test it on my Uni with Tomal wm6.5 and report back.
Cheers,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I'm more than interested in your results as it didn't work with me.
The nice thing about WMWifiRouter is that it doesn't flag the traffic as tethered, i.e. to the service provider (e.g. att) it looks as if it is simply the device surfing the net. AFAIK the 'normal' / built-in internet connection sharing in WM6.1 flags tethered traffic for the service provider.
Since very few people on this forum probably have the 'tethering enabled' contract, I view that as a key feature.
Does this program do the same?
Menneisyys said:
Thanks! I'm more than interested in your results as it didn't work with me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately it didn´t work with my Uni
coolVariable said:
The nice thing about WMWifiRouter is that it doesn't flag the traffic as tethered, i.e. to the service provider (e.g. att) it looks as if it is simply the device surfing the net. AFAIK the 'normal' / built-in internet connection sharing in WM6.1 flags tethered traffic for the service provider.
Since very few people on this forum probably have the 'tethering enabled' contract, I view that as a key feature.
Does this program do the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do any applications exist that present themselves in the same manner but can tether over USB as well (to conserve battery life)?
crazy talk said:
do any applications exist that present themselves in the same manner but can tether over USB as well (to conserve battery life)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WMWifiRouter
I mainly use it via USB
Wasn't terribly sure where to place this question, so I figured I would drop it into the general Q&A forum. I am running the new EVO on Sprint, not rooted, and I am looking for an application that can display active (and perhaps historical) network bandwidth usage based on the application(s) utilizing it.
So far the only one I have manged to come across is "NetMeter" from the market. While this shows active network activity, it does not single out applications.
Trying to figure out what's whoring out the bandwidth on my phone and how I can fine-tune the problematic applications. As I type this I am looking at ~10min of 3G usage totaling over 15MB so far, and from what I can tell I am not running anything that would require the downloading of said data chunk!
So yeah, any input, tips, tricks..hints, or leads?
Thanks in advance!
Anyone? I thought of this while at work - for those wondering what exactly I mean, I suppose I am looking for something similar to wireshark for the PC in Android form!
Get SPB Wireless Monitor.
I have done some reading and observed some Android Wifi tools which could be useful to you guys.
I know some of you guys already know about some of these apps whiles others don't.
My First Wifi Tool is Dsploit.
Introducing dSploit
dSploit is an Android network analysis and penetration suite which aims to offer to IT security experts/geeks the most complete and advanced professional toolkit to perform network security assesments on a mobile device. Once dSploit is started, you will be able to easily map your network, fingerprint alive hosts operating systems and running services, search for known vulnerabilities, crack logon procedures of many tcp protocols, perform man in the middle attacks such as password sniffing ( with common protocols dissection ), real time traffic manipulation, etc, etc . This application is still in beta stage, a stable release will be available as soon as possible, but expect some crash or strange behaviour until then, in any case, feel free to submit an issue on GitHub.
Here are some screen shots http://www.dsploit.net/images/shots/1.png
http://www.dsploit.net/images/shots/2.png
And A Walk through Video http://youtu.be/HrQl1cG2Hq0
And you could visit their website http://www.dsploit.net/
My srecond Wifi tool I wanna Show you Guys is Anti-Android Network Toolkit
What is Anti?
ZImperium LTD is proud to annonce Android Network Toolkit - Anti.
Anti consists of 2 parts: The Anti version itself and extendable plugins. Upcoming updates will add functionality, plugins or vulnerabilities/exploits to Anti
Using Anti is very intuitive - on each run, Anti will map your network, scan for active devices and vulnerabilities, and will display the information accordingly: Green led signals an 'Active device', Yellow led signals "Available ports", and Red led signals "Vulnerability found". Also, each device will have an icon representing the type of the device. When finished scanning, Anti will produce an automatic report specifying which vulnerabilities you have or bad practices used, and how to fix each one of them.
This App is Kind of a paid App. But you can get the free version from here http://zantiapp.com/anti.html
Here is a link to the walk through video http://youtu.be/tKW-XV59-gk
My third Wifi Tool is Wifi Kill
Its an application for killing wifi connections, that is preventing users on that network from getting to their websites.
I couldnt find the website for this app. (Seems they dont have any). But you could download it from
Here : http://mediafire.com/?ue5itmf89w5h4x2
Here is a link to the walk through video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtaPF6NcOeo
My third Wifi Tool is Droid Sheep.
Its Actually in Two forms
DroidSheep [Root] is an Android app for Security analysis in wireless networks and capturing facebook, twitter, linkedin and other accounts.
DroidSheep Guard is another Android app for monitoring Androids ARP-table. It tries to detect ARP-Spoofing on the network, such as an attack by DroidSheep, FaceNiff and other software.
For Some reasons, the Doidsheep[Root] cant be downloaded from their website which is this http://droidsheep.de/
But dont worry you can find it here at http://depositfiles.com/files/ektsufdkl
On the other hand, DroidSheep Guard can be found at the playstore
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...h.droidsheep.guard.free&feature=search_result
The next one is Android Netspoof
Description
Network Spoofer lets you change websites on other people’s computers from an Android phone. After downloading simply log onto a Wifi network, choose a spoof to use and press start.
Please note that there is no intention for Network Spoofer to include any malicious features. This application is a fun demonstration of how vulnerable home networks are to simple attacks, with permission of the network owner - DO NOT attempt to use Network Spoofer on any corporate or other non-residential networks (eg. at school, university). It becomes very obvious when Network Spoofer is being used on a Network, and use of Network Spoofer will be considered malicious hacking by network administrators.
It can be downloaded from here http://sourceforge.net/projects/netspoof/files/latest/download
There is another App called AoutoProxy
Description
The most complete proxier on the Market. Autoproxy allows you to use Market, Gmail, maps or surf the web even behind the proxy from your home/school/office.
It works by creating a transparent/intercepting proxier running on your phone that redirects web traffic to your proxy. Other apps don't have to be aware there is a proxy!
All outgoing traffic is captured, formatted and transmitted through your network's proxy. That means it works with market, all browsers, gmail, maps, and others.
This is App is a paid app but they have got the light version.
here is a link to it https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mgranja.autoproxy&hl=en
FaceNiff
FaceNiff is an Android app that allows you to sniff and intercept web session profiles over the WiFi that your mobile is connected to.
It is possible to hijack sessions only when WiFi is not using EAP, but it should work over any private networks (Open/WEP/WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK)
It's kind of like Firesheep for android. Maybe a bit easier to use (and it works on WPA2!).
*** ROOTED PHONE *** is required. Please note that if webuser uses SSL this application won't work.
This application due to its nature is very phone-dependant so please let me know if it won't work for You
Use with stock browser (might not work with other)
Legal notice: this application is for educational purposes only. Do not try to use it if it's not legal in your country.
I do not take any responsibility for anything you do using this application. Use at your own risk
It can be downloaded from here http://faceniff.ponury.net/download.php
I will Be updating the list frequently.
UPDATE
So as i said, i would be updating this and guess what i have kept my promise.
There is this App called Intercepter-NG its another android wifi tool i find useful.
Intercepter-NG is a multifunctional network toolkit for various types of IT specialists. It has functionality of
several famous separate tools and more over offers a good and unique alternative of Wireshark for android.
The main features are:
* network discovery with OS detection
* network traffic analysis
* passwords recovery
* files recovery
Runs on Android >=2.3.3 with root+busybox
Looks better on high resolution, but completely comfortable on 480x720.
It can be downloaded from the playstore https://play.google.com/store/apps/...t#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsInN1LnNuaWZmLmNlcHRlciJd
Another important Wifi tool for android is Wifi WOlf
- PCMag.com Editors' Choice award winner for network utilities
If you are a network administrator or a network engineer that has any WiFi / wireless on your network then you already know that you need a good WiFi network monitoring / analyzer tool or toolkit to properly manage and analyze inside your wireless network. Without the proper network tools you have no way to determine proper functionality of your WiFi network or identify security risk that comes with having wireless technology inside of your enterprise corporate LAN. As a network administrator or engineer you already have many other responsibilities with your network such as managing servers, routers, switches, workstations, inventory management, asset management, bandwidth monitoring, troubleshooting... the list is long. Make sure you have a tool that makes your wireless network management easier!
- Active Passive Pre-Deployment and Site Survey and WiFi Analyzer network tools for wireless professionals. Works on 802.11 N, G, B, and A networks (Depends on device)
Quickly perform wifi site surveys by simply double tapping on floor plan to register samples
2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wifi analyzer fully supported in all wireless tools
WiFi Heatmapper
WiFi AP Edge Map
WiFi Channel Map
WiFi Stumbler
WiFi Analyzer
Access point filters allow you to analyze AP edge individually
Wireless security filters identify and analyze secure and non-secure (WEP, Ad-Hoc, Open) wireless networks
Sub-filters allow you to filter out weak WiFi coverage areas
Network Icons for mapping out your hardware
Export all views for email or printing
Export and Import all surveys for backup or to share with other techs using Wolf WiFi Pro
Create multiple sites
Supports and analyze broadcast and hidden SSIDs (once known to device)
Complete help documentation at www.wolfwifi.com and videos on www.youtube.com
-WiFi Scanner and analyzer with summary view and detailed view
-Channel Graph displays and analyze channels in use to easily identify congestion
-Signal Tracker helps you track down access points and adjust antennas
-802.11 A/B/G/N support (depends on device)
It can also be downloaded from the store https://play.google.com/store/apps/...nByaXNpbmdhcHBzLmFuZHJvaWQud29sZndpZmlwcm8iXQ..
And one more thing, The app WifiKIll can also be used to redirect web pages to a specific site.
you can do so by first knowing the sites IP Address, then u open the wifi kill app and go to settings the select rejection method drop policy + redirect to.......
Afterwards click on redirect to IP and insert the Ip of the site you want to redirect to.
Note that None of these Apps are mine and all these apps require root, also i am not the cause of any damages these apps could do to your phone. Thanks
Enjoy:fingers-crossed:
But If you have any questions with these apps or questions on how to install any of them, feel free to ask.
Thanks once more.
DroidSheep link is broken
Turbokat said:
DroidSheep link is broken
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not broken, just choose regular download and wait for the countdown to complete.
Sent from my myTouch 4g using xda app-developers app
here you guys might like this as well.
https://app.box.com/s/1h0mdqynmb5lcz0gasbf
Another tool for site survey
There is another free android tool for heat maps creation - "WiFi Maps Light", available on GOOGLE PLAY, documentation can be found on app's official site.
you gonna want for sure bcmon.apk if you want to get your wifi crack on. crack wep and wpa/wpa2-wps natively in rooted android rom.
http://bcmon.blogspot.com/
https://bcmon.googlecode.com/files/bcmon.apk
https://code.google.com/p/bcmon/
thisworks on a lot of devices i have it working on a samsung galaxy nexus sprint, htc glacier, samsung galaxy s2, nexus 7-2012-grouper, and a couple others. no need for custom rom even just root and youre golden
Commented to follow on this wonderful index
Sent from my E151
Network Toolbox for Android
Another great tool I came across recently is Network Toolbox for Android:
play .google .com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsropos.whois
It includes a bunch of handy admin tools including Whois, RBL checks, DNS and ARIN lookups, Ping, Port Scan, find external IP, Geo Location for Ip addresses, CIDR calculator, Email server tester, and much more! :good:
mark.worth.666 said:
Another great tool I came across recently is Network Toolbox for Android:
play.google .com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsropos.whois
It includes a bunch of handy admin tools including Whois, RBL checks, DNS and ARIN lookups, Ping, Port Scan, find external IP, Geo Location for Ip addresses, CIDR calculator, Email server tester, and much more! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
asdfghjkl
ktetreault14 said:
asdfghjkl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying to push it up?
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Free mobile app
mickeyasamoah said:
Trying to push it up?
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes lmao. i haven't found a reliable app for all the wifi tinkering and what not
A bit of help maybe please on Zimperium's anti
I had dsploit installed and stupidly uninstalled it because now I cannot find the last version apk anywhere.
Anyway, I installed Z's ANTI. Everything seemed to go OK. My android is rooted and superuser rights were granted to the app.
My problem is that when it runs a network scan it recognizes my router but no open ports and that seems to be the end of it.
Any advice?
silvanet said:
I had dsploit installed and stupidly uninstalled it because now I cannot find the last version apk anywhere.
Anyway, I installed Z's ANTI. Everything seemed to go OK. My android is rooted and superuser rights were granted to the app.
My problem is that when it runs a network scan it recognizes my router but no open ports and that seems to be the end of it.
Any advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. I found zanti (dsploit) difficult to use. I would wish to have guides for learning purpose.
Sent from my XT1033 using XDA Free mobile app
I've tried various man in the middle hacks on my laptop with the new zAnti. Its actually very cool
Don't download droid sheep from here (virus)!! I looked at the md5 hash and it did not match the ones of the last 3 versions (the md5 hashes are on http://droidsheep.de/?page_id=23) and also android warned me and blocked the installation
Download the one on https://forum.xdadevelopers.com/showthread.php?t=1539105 from the comment of user "Dlll" i verified the md5 and it matched the version 14 on http://droidsheep.de/?page_id=23 (verify it yourself if you don't trust me)
Stay safe
How to verify?
Graciasz
Muchos gracias ?
So you want to run your own server, eh? Whether you want to free yourself from data mining, commercialising, monetising, greedy be-tied-and-suited media moguls or from the spiritual successors of J. Edgar Hoover and Yuri Andropov does not matter. You want your data to be just that, *your* data. While this might seem extreme to some the idea is actually not far fetched, nor is it impossible to realise. After all, the 'net and the web were conceived as a decentralised network of services. This model, while good in allowing diversity and freedom, is less than ideal from a profitability standpoint so you should not expect those who stand to profit from hoarding your data to lend a helping hand here You're on your own here.
Well, not really on your own of course as there is a metric ton of information on this subject to be found on the 'net. Everything from how to turn that old laptop into a server through using single-board computers as servers through re-purposing whatever you happened to find dumpster-diving. Suffice to say that you need hardware, software and a network connection. A separate router, preferably one under your own control, running known software (OpenWRT, DD-WRT, Tomato, etc) on stable and not to anemic hardware so it can be used to run a VPN to your phone. You'll want your own domain name as well, either one from the free services which are (still) around or something more 'personal'.
Network connection and domain
Here you often don't have that much choice. If possible, choose a wired connection over a wireless one, both for the higher reliability as well as the usually more acceptable use policies and the fact that wireless connections often change IP address. Choose a connection without a traffic cap over one which has one. Choose the connection with the highest upload rate, even if this means settling on a lower download rate - servers send traffic up the net after all.
There are many ways to get a domain name. You can buy one, of course. For a personal server this might be overkill, but the choice is yours. One advantage of having your own domain is that it enables you to keep your mail/jabber/web/whatever addresses no matter what happens (as long as you pay the registrar, of course). You're totally free here as you can simply point your domain elsewhere if you happen to move to another ISP (and/or country...). Cheaper - as in 'free' - is to use one of the many free dynamic DNS services. As long as you have an address to feed your phone and other devices which will make use of your server you're fine.
Router
Best here is to use a router which is fully under your own control. While some ISP routers might be marginally usable, these devices are often at the whim of the ISP as they can be remotely controlled and configured. This is not what you want for your network, so just use the thing in bridge mode if possible, otherwise forward all traffic to your own router. With one of the free and open router firmwares on a reliable device you can do interesting things, ranging from port knocking on the router to VPN tunnels to your mobile devices.
Hardware, storage
Power consumption. heat- and noise production are of more importance than raw power here. There should be enough memory to keep the thing from paging (or 'swapping') on the intended work load on the chosen OS. The same goes for storage: If it fits in the box, fine. If it does not (external drives on laptops, Raspberries, etc) make sure the whole contraption is stable so you don't get any sudden 'disconnects'. For a personal server, power consumption, noise and heat production (which directly relates to reliability) are - again - more important than raw performance.
OS
Any 'unix' of choice is fine here. Linux, *BSD, doesn't matter. Even MacOS would do. Windows, not so much. It is not impossible to use Windows but it is more of a hassle given that a lot of the software is tailored to a unix environment. If you really insist on running Windows, at least make sure it is patched up to the hilt and that all - and that means all - unnecessary services have been switched off.
Software
This is the interesting bit, and the reason why this message is here in the first place. On one of the forum threads here someone was surprised by the fact that I don't run any of the Google apps on my devices, wondering how I got by without Google Play, GMail, contacts and calendar sync etc. Part of the answer to that question involves running your own server, part is covered by using alternatives for the Google-provided apps and services. I would have put this all in a table but it seems this silly forum does not support those...
Commercial service: Alternative (Remarks)
Google Play: F-Droid (The F-Droid store only contains free software. It does not provide a full alternative to the Play Store. If you really want to run the Play Store but still have a notion of privacy on your device, consider enabling Google Services only when required, disabling them afterwards. You can also designate one device as the one which gets to run the Play Store and side-load apps from this device to all others. Theoretically this should be possible using an emulator on your server as well, automating the whole process and creating a 'playstore by proxy'. I have not tried this.)
GMail: IMAP to your own server, eg the Debian standard dovecot daemon. K9 or the standard Android email client on your device.
Contacts: CardDav to your own server (service is provided by ownCloud, amongst others), DAVdroid on your phone or tablet.
Calendar: CalDav to your own server (service is provided by ownCloud, amongst others), DAVdroid on your phone or tablet.
Cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc): WebDav to your own server (service is provided by ownCloud, amongst others), one of the many webdav clients on your phone. There is a specific ownCloud app as well.
Photo sharing (Flickr, Smugmug, etc): Trovebox to your own server, Trovebox app on phone
Streaming service (Spotify, Google Music, etc): subsonic on your own server, dSub or Subsonic app on phone (there is a rudimentary streaming service in ownCloud as well, based on Ampache)
More will follow...
If you get in the game on time you might be able to join the Reset the Net initiative!
Reserved #2
This position is reserved for a more thorough list of services
Reserved #3
This position is reserved for a more thorough list of services
YetAnotherForumUser said:
Commercial service: Alternative (Remarks)
Google Play: F-Droid (The F-Droid store only contains free software. It does not provide a full alternative to the Play Store. If you really want to run the Play Store but still have a notion of privacy on your device, consider enabling Google Services only when required, disabling them afterwards. You can also designate one device as the one which gets to run the Play Store and side-load apps from this device to all others. Theoretically this should be possible using an emulator on your server as well, automating the whole process and creating a 'playstore by proxy'. I have not tried this.)
GMail: IMAP to your own server, eg the Debian standard dovecot daemon. K9 or the standard Android email client on your device.
Contacts: CardDav to your own server (service is provided by ownCloud, amongst others), DAVdroid on your phone or tablet.
Calendar: CalDav to your own server (service is provided by ownCloud, amongst others), DAVdroid on your phone or tablet.
Cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc): WebDav to your own server (service is provided by ownCloud, amongst others), one of the many webdav clients on your phone. There is a specific ownCloud app as well.
Photo sharing (Flickr, Smugmug, etc): Trovebox to your own server, Trovebox app on phone
Streaming service (Spotify, Google Music, etc): subsonic on your own server, dSub or Subsonic app on phone (there is a rudimentary streaming service in ownCloud as well, based on Ampache)
More will follow...
More later, no time now,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an interesting topic mainly because android has the potential to become non dependant of google services and I would be nice to keep personal data really personal.
Also there is a No Gapps project here in xda that is quite interesting.
YetAnotherForumUser said:
Router
Best here is to use a router which is fully under your own control. While some ISP routers might be marginally usable, these devices are often at the whim of the ISP as they can be remotely controlled and configured. This is not what you want for your network, so just use the thing in bridge mode if possible, otherwise forward all traffic to your own router. With one of the free and open router firmwares on a reliable device you can do interesting things, ranging from port knocking on the router to VPN tunnels to your mobile devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This reminded me of something that happened in my dad's office recently:
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1209257
The ISP guys configured it that way because dad wanted to run a webserver on one system, the one directly connected to the modem on bridged mode. They apparently didn't think it was necessary to also add a router betweenthe modem and the network of computers :/
Lessons:
1. Don't trust anything the ISP guys do
2. Always us a standalone router or firewall
3. Don't use XP. Seriously.
TJKV said:
This reminded me of something that happened in my dad's office recently:
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1209257
The ISP guys configured it that way because dad wanted to run a webserver on one system, the one directly connected to the modem on bridged mode. They apparently didn't think it was necessary to also add a router betweenthe modem and the network of computers :/
Lessons:
1. Don't trust anything the ISP guys do
2. Always us a standalone router or firewall
3. Don't use XP. Seriously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can recommend something like this. They come with web-face, but you need have atleast base knowledge of how network things work.
slph said:
I can recommend something like this. They come with web-face, but you need have atleast base knowledge of how network things work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah when I realised what the ISP guys had done I bought a D-Link 2750U and set it up properly in NAT mode
Wifi also works now since it isn't bridged to a computer anymore