[Gaffer]

I had a new idea (they're rare but they do exist ).

Rather than add lots of flotsam and jetsam here and there, I thought I'd dedicate 1 thread to mindless ramblings.
This could then be added to by me as and when .

I'm going to try and add stuff that maybe doesn't deserve a seperate thread and may not even be Wii related....but stuff that I might need to "let out" all the same.

The first post is a recent one that should really have kickstarted it:

Originally posted 4th October

OK......long time coming but here's a quick entry for you to chew on .

1: WPA on the DS?
We all want it. Most of us don't understand why Nintendo didn't implement it. For those of us who don't want it, it's a right PITA.
What am I going on about?
Router security of course.

When the DS arrived, it had WEP security as it's highest....fairy nuff.
When it was updated to the lite, WPA had arrived (yaay). So why did Nintendo not add in WPA?
Their excuse is that "most households utilise WEP". True, but at least allow the option of WPA then. That way "most" households can continue with WEP and "savy" households can use WPA.

Nope, they've stuck to their guns unfortunately......but is this amendable?

Well, I'm not entirely sure how the WEP is handled by the DS. I'm assuming it is all software/firmware based. I say this because the PSP initially had only WEP, and an early firmware update allowed you to choose WPA.

Not only that, but enterprising 3rd parties have already added WPA to the DS .
Yes, you read that right folks, a chap in the US has started a project that adds WPA capability to your DS. This involves a firmware update that allows you to choose a WPA protocol in the WFC settings in the home screen.

Here it is.

He only got as far as v0.21 I'm afraid. Why? Well Nintendo USA decided to try and sue him. They sent him a "cease and desist" letter and ordered him to remove all firmwares to a 3rd party site and close that section of his site down .
This is why I included the Google cached link as opposed to a direct one.

So that looks like it's dead in the water - when it all appeared to be going so well too .

However, what it does show is that it is at least entirely possible to do it.
We could go 2 places from here:
1) The same author relocates to a server in a different part of the world (China maybe? Sweden?) and restarts the project under a psuedonym.
2) Someone else starts a similar project or starts from where he left off (again, located in a "harder to reach" corner of litigation world).

A third option is for Nintendo themselves to acknowledge that they need an udpate.
After all, why allow WPA2 on the Wii, blabber on and on about how Wii and DS are interconnectable, and then refuse to allow WPA/WPA2 on the DS?
Bizarre behaviour methinks.

In fact, someone else summed it up pretty well here:

Originally Posted by Julian Blog

If someone actually needs or wants their wireless network to be secure, WEP is not an option. WEP+MAC address filtering is still inherently insecure. This is true today.
For some time perspective, the GameCube was released long before 802.11g was even close to finalized. The Nintendo DS was released after WPA was finalized. Going forward, most consumer wireless devices will support WPA. As of a year ago, even with about 8 regular users of my network, I could switch to WPA. Except for the Nintendo DS. If the Revolution is also released without WPA support (it’s likely, since the DS doesn’t support it anyway), it’s going to be many many years before people can realistically begin using WPA instead of WEP—at least anyone who owns Nintendo hardware. Now, you may not need to switch to WPA, but some people do.
It’s just stupid to release a modern 802.11b or g device these days that does not support WPA. I’m willing to grant that WEP is more popular today, but that’s because WPA is much much newer! WPA will become more popular in a few years if devices actually support it.
It’s also important to note that WPA is easier to use than WEP. There’s no such thing as a “HEX equivalent password” with WPA.
I don’t understand the reasons not to support WPA. These devices Nintendo is releasing will be with us longer than average computer hardware.

So how could Nintendo do this update?
Simple, in the same way PSP does. Future published releases have a firmware updater (you're warned beforehand about having it plugged into a stable wall supply first ) that update your DS' WFC ability to WPA/WPA2.
It would need to be as reliable as the PSP ones though (having said that, most people who homebrew on their DS' use flash carts as opposed to physically chipping the console, so unlike modded Wii's, you're unlikely to get a brick if you update from the game cart on a DS).

So the ball is in Nintendo's court. Someone has even SHOWN them how to do it already, there is no excuse to let it "lag behind" the Wii so much re:security.



2: My new Wiimote battery solution.

On to different things, I got fed up with the constant battery changing of the Wiimotes. True, I haven't touched my Wii for nigh on over 1-2 months recently (not due to lack of games, more due to lack of time), but even sitting there not doing anything didn't stop the bleedin' 'motes thirst for power.

So I bought what is quite possibly the fastest/best charger on the planet.....Energiser 15min charger (£14):



I also bought 2 sets of these (8 Ni-mh batts in total = £8 ) on the right to go with them. 2800mAh...mmmmmmmm .
Now the 15min refers to 2200mAh batts....the 2800mAh actually take about 30min to recharge.
As the charger has individual "rails" for each battery, it doesn't matter wether you charge one or 4, or some fully flat and some slightly flat, they all charge independantly.

Having said all that, I'm not too impressed with the 7dayshop batts. Even though advertised as 2800's, they don't appear to last much longer than the Energiser 2200's.
So my advice is to buy the charger, remember to keep all batteries the same rating (and if possible, the same manufacturer too), and it's worth specifically buying a named brand such as Duracell/Energiser, which even though advertised as only 2200-2400 seem to last as long as these "higher capacity" ones yet take less time to charge as well .

Overall, a good buy if bought with decent Ni-mh batts then.

More updates to follow