How To: iPad 4.2.1 WiFi with a Bluetooth GPS (Warning, Jailbreak Required!) [Updated 2x]
Monday, January 24, 2011I'll have none of that.
Jailbreaking Disclaimer
Before you read any further, repeat after me: "I will be voiding my warranty and may very well break my device by doing any of this." This information is provided AS IS. If you permanently break it, I'm not buying you a new one and nobody at Apple is going to be sympathetic.
And finally, "I will not be a despicable human being and use this jailbreak for the purposes of software piracy." It appears that jail breaking for the purpose of changing carriers (unlocking) and maybe even for the purpose of allowing unapproved software; i.e. breaking out of the walled garden that is The App Store, is probably legal. Though parts of that are being debated right now, so lets keep that in mind as we proceed. Check your local/national laws and make sure you're not breaking them
The Things you'll need
A Bluetooth GPS
Apple doesn't support GPS via Bluetooth. I'm not sure if this is because it adds a level of complexity that they expect the average user won't tolerate, or if it's because they'd prefer you not buy the WiFi version. In my case, I already own a MiFi so the idea of purchasing a data plan just for an iPad would have been wasteful.
Good Bluetooth GPS devices have a decent battery in them and can run unplugged for several hours. I purchased this one for a little over $35.00USD
Bluetooth GPS Software
We'll cover this after the jailbreak, because you can't install this until you've successfully booted jail-broken.
An iPad WiFi with 4.2.1 iOS
That's the version I'm covering because that's the version that was installed on my iPad (it was a returned unit after Christmas). If you have a later version, you're out of luck for now (I'll update when something is available).
If you're not sure what version you have, turn the device on, tap "Settings", tap "General", look for "Version". If it says 4.2.1, you're in good shape. If it's got something earlier, you may even be in better shape, but you'll need to find a different How To. I'm only covering 4.2.1.
The "ipsw" for 4.2.1
Fear not, you can get that directly from Apple, here.
greenpois0n
This is the only software as of this writing that fully jailbreaks the iPad. Download it and save it somewhere you'll remember. We'll be running it soon. Try here.
UPDATE: The iPhone Dev Team has their version now. Use it if you wish, but this how-to covers greenpois0n.
Jailbreaking iOS 4.2.1 for the iPad
So far, a fix to greenpois0n is pending (and if a fix isn't offered, a fix will be available via Cydia for this specific issue). You may want to stop here if you have purchased DRM encrusted iBooks.
UPDATE: If you use iBooks you'll want to take a look at this. Remember that disclaimer. You're now doing things that Apple would prefer you didn't.
A note about upgrading a Jailbroken Device
In short, don't ever apply "official" upgrades to your device from here on out. When iTunes tells you that there's a software update, ignore it (choose "Download Only"). The software update will most likely render your iPad either unjailbroken, or worse ... bricked and unusable. This is a pretty big problem. I'll be keeping mine up-to-date as I see new versions available and jailbroken, so check back here or at any of the hundreds of blogs that cover jailbreaking--especially The iPhone Dev Team, they're a much better resource than this. Always check the iPhone Dev Team or other sites to verify that the new firmware is able to be jailbroken, and that any software that requires jailbreaking to run is also compatible.
Don't Panic
Most of the time, most of the problems you'll encounter can be overcome. One of the big questions I had when I first embarked on Jailbreaking is "Will I have to reconfigure everything on this device again?". I have a bunch of Audiobooks, WiFi network keys and e-mail settings configured and the idea of redoing all of that was not a pleasant one. Other companies should take a page out of the Apple iTunes playbook. Your devices data is restored down to the last place you paused your Audiobook. Other than the addition of Cydia and the fact that you're jailbroken, you'd have no idea you just did what you did (though, do read the section about securing your device!)
So lets get started
Step 1 - Get a good backup
Plug your iPad into your windows or Mac box and make sure iTunes fires up, syncs and backs up your iPad. This is the key to getting everything back to the way you left it when we're done.
Step 2 - Fire up greenpois0n and follow the dead simple instructions
Yes, it is normal for your iPad to boot up with a bunch of text, just hang on. It takes a little bit of time to boot. Fear not, you're probably fine
Step 3 - Fix what's broken.
Maybe you won't have to do this. I did. Upon booting, if you do not have a Loader or Cydia icon, follow the nice video tutorial here
Securing your iPad (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP)
So great, you're jailbroken. Unfortunately, you also have a device now that has an ID and password that a large chunk of the world already knows (and at least a few of those people are probably people you don't want accessing your device).
Tap Cydia and let it fully load. As of this writing, you'll get prompted that there are updates you need to install. Allow them to install and reboot your iPad.
Once rebooted, make sure your iPad is in portrait display mode (Cydia will look really banged up in landscape). Tap the section about changing the "Root" password. As of this writing "Mobile Terminal" does not work, but try following the instructions. If you can't launch Mobile Terminal, follow the "OpenSSH Access How-To" instructions to get OpenSSH running. Then connect according to those instructions. The Login ID is "root" password is "alpine", and this is the problem we're going to solve.
After connecting from PuTTY or terminal (putty for Windows, terminal for Mac) as instructed by Cydia, type "passwd". You'll be prompted for the old password ("alpine"), then the new password. Don't skimp here. SSH is something that is regularly targeted by hackers and script-kiddies. Go for 20 characters or more, with symbols and numbers weaved in. Don't bother memorizing it. Write it down on a piece of paper and store it somewhere useful to you. The guy robbing your house doesn't care about logging into your iPad remotely using SSH. And the guy who cares about logging into your iPad remotely isn't going to be rifling through your drawers, he's going to be using rainbow tables or brute forcing using the top passwords of the moment. Keep this password at home, not at work. Or write it on something that you can put in your wallet. If this makes you uncomfortable, try using a Password Safe (I'd recommend that anyway, consider protecting your online bank account as carefully as you protect the greenbacks in your wallet).
Installing Bluetooth GPS Support
So now you're jailbroken, secured and ready to go. First, you need software that will communicate with the GPS. As of this writing, there are a couple to choose from, but BTstack GPS 1.5 is the least expensive.
Hop into Cydia, tap "Search" and type in BTstack. If you're not sure your GPS will work with BTstack, install the free version, test it out, then buy the full version (the full version integrates the Bluetooth GPS location information into Apple's location APIs so that GPS based apps can see the data).
Hooking it all up
First, if you've never used a stand-alone GPS device, there's some things you need to understand.
1) Stand-alone GPS devices require a line of sight to the sky. They do not work indoors.
2) "Cold start" can take a full minute or more to get a GPS fix. Your cellphone doesn't take this long because it uses other tricks to figure out where you are, which gives your GPS device a boost in getting a fix.
That's just how it is. My Globalsat sits on my dash plugged into the cigarette lighter at all times, so it's always got a fix. This probably isn't a good idea to do if it's 1 degree outside and you have a weak car battery or don't drive your car every day (or if you live in an area where a bluetooth GPS device might be attractive to a thief).
First, if you haven't already, get your Bluetooth GPS on the charge (make sure to give it a good long charge the first time so as to improve the life of the internal battery).
Hold down the pairing button on the side for 5 seconds and tap the GPS icon on your iPad. If you're using the Globalsat from this post, you should see SB-369 show up in the list of devices (you may see some other devices, as well). Tap it. You'll be taken to a screen that shows the status of the GPS. When the screen changes and you see a "pin" over where you're standing, you're done.
Ok, so what about nav software?
I'm using Navigon's US+Canada edition. It's about $50, plus $20 for traffic. Personally, I think it's terrific. There may be better products out there, but when I was looking through many of them, I found that the Navigon product had the feature set I wanted.
Is there anything else I should know?
Glad you asked. I'm assuming you're not going to walk around with the Bluetooth GPS device in your pocket. Every time you get out of range of the bluetooth device, your iPad will disconnect from it. When you return to your car, or wherever your device is, you have to tap the GPS icon on your iPad and tap the SB-369 under recent devices. It should connect very quickly and if it was on your dash, it should already have a good fix.
See anything wrong with the post, or have experience with better/other bluetooth GPS devices/software? Post it in the comments.
This is why I AdBlock+ and You Should Too
Saturday, December 11, 2010One of the key difference is that (short of a few nasty DRM techniques some publishers insist on using), it's usually the pirates that have to worry about malware. Failing to block ads works the other way.
By failing to block advertisements, you're allowing a trusted third-party (who is usually using fourth-party) to serve you ... software. Software that you hope doesn't result in your computer becoming a zombie. That's trust that should only be given to the most savvy of third-party advertising networks, and the most savvy of publishers.
For a long time, if you didn't visit pr0n or warez sites, avoided P2P piracy or Usenet alt.binaries, and kept your AV up to date, you were unlikely to encounter trouble.
Such hasn't been the case for the last few years. Today's story of trusted third parties delivering malware comes from Google.
It's difficult to dwell on a bad day . . .
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Fix: MS10-049 and SSL problems connecting to https:// sites or Google Talk
Friday, August 20, 2010Problem
When connecting to Google Talk, or to some other SSL based sites using Internet Explorer or any browser that uses the operating system's SChannel libraries, the connection to the site fails.
Other things you might see
TLS v1.0 is turned off.
Wireshark shows a reset happening very shortly after the Client Hello for SSL.
The Fix
Use SCVS for TLS:
For non Windows 7 hosts, apply this fix (Reference)
Fire up RegEdit, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL
Create a new DWORD item called "UseScsvForTls" and set it equal to 1
I'm not sure if this was unique to our environment, but we discovered TLS 1.0 was disabled and the above fix didn't cover that. To enable TLS 1.0 in IE, select Tools|Internet Options|Advanced Tab. Scroll to the bottom and check the box that says TLS 1.0.
But why?
In at least some cases, a proxy server monitoring https traffic was interfering with the connection. If the proxy was bypassed, all was well with the world on Windows 7 and lower hosts. If the proxy was not bypassed, hosts failed without this registry key, and Windows 7 hosts failed at all times since the Windows 7 patch pays no attention to that registry key.
Obviously it's something related to the patch and the proxy server in my case, but I'm not sure what. I'll update this when I find out.
Other Posts on the Subject
Google Talk Support Forum Entry (No, I wasn't the original poster, but I replied)
Specific Incompatibility with Cisco VPN 3000 concentrators
The importance of taking intent into account
Tuesday, April 20, 2010The issue was (surprise) of intent. I was surprised to learn that in Michigan (at the time ... this may have changed), shop-lifting had to be intentional (or at least had an out for the absentminded). This protected the guy who forgot about the case of soda at the bottom of the cart while loading items on the belt while checking out.
I argued that intent was important based on a pre-WWW experience I had as a teenager. I had walked into a CVS, my girlfriend had purchased a few items and I had started reading the ingredient list on a pack of Certs (just what is Retsyn). Distracted, I walked out without paying for the breath-mints and we went to see a movie. I realized after the movie that I had not paid for the roll of Certs that I had half-eaten. Since I was now a common thief and wanted to rid myself of that personal blight, I went back to the drug-store, and paid up. All was well with the world. I got to keep up my streak of never shoplifting or stealing (to my knowledge) and the store got paid for the item I absentmindedly had forgotten to pay for.
This got into traffic law. Practically everyone thinks they're a good driver and yet everyone has had cause to be yelled at by another driver on the road entirely by accident. It's the single biggest reason that it's a bad idea to have something representing your church or political beliefs on your car, why inflict your mistakes on others?
I have no statistics to back it up, but I'm guessing that most of us have received a warning or citation for violating a speed limit, turning on red when there's a "no turn on red" sign, being the third car at the yellow light turning left or some other traffic law. Intent is not taken into account because you're *supposed to be paying attention* so as not to endanger the lives of other people.
Traffic/road laws where I'm from are strict and extensive. Enforcement, however, is limited by ratio of traffic patrol officers to ... well ... traffic. This is balanced by the idea that traffic enforcement officers take intent into account, if for no other reason than to be efficient with their own time.
On the right roads, there's no time to waste on the folks going 1-5 MPH over the limit, or the folks who cut a yellow light a little too close.
Take the human judgment aspect out of the picture, though, and those restrictive laws turn us all into "criminals by accident". Automation without human oversight and "Zero Tolerance" laws eliminate good judgment. (see fark.com or drudgereport.com for examples).
The child who brings a butter knife to school to better manage his turkey sandwich is being treated like the kid who brought a gun. The responsible driver who looks in his rear-view mirror, and assesses the road conditions before deciding whether or not to slam on the brakes at a yellow light is trained to choose between his life at the will of a cement truck driver or a ticket and higher insurance rates. A red light camera doesn't take that into account even if a judge might. Time and court costs are money.
As someone with a 60 mile round-trip trek for work, speed cameras are the worst. While attempting to safely drive you might focus less on the dashboard and more on the vehicles around you, especially if you're surrounded by someone who appears to be in more of a hurry than they should be. The idea of being hit with a ticket without the circumstances or "intent" being taken into account is scary to me.
But maybe I'm wrong?
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I write code, sometimes from a beach.