Survey: Battery Pack Needs (for F*N routers)

[33W@rl0r)]

I'm designing and evaluating battery solutions for F*N routers. I am testing and documenting many different options and battery technologies, and will post my findings on how to create and/or build each.

Once I've completed my designs and testing, I will post all of the info, including the approx. run-time of each solution, design info, Schematics (if necessary), part numbers, and sources any unique parts. (I already have several battery packs running, and one will power the FON for several days!!)

Given that there are a lot of options and trade-offs with regards to cost and size, I'd like to best understand how people plan on using their battery packs. Generally the longer you want the battery to last, the larger and/or more expensive it will be. Please keep this in mind as you answer this survey. (Don't expect small & cheap if you want super-long life.)

If you could take a few moments to respond to these questions it would really help guide my efforts:

• Under what circumstances do you envision using your F*N on battery power?
• What run-time (in minutes or hours), before having to re-charge or replace batteries, would you find acceptable for a battery solution?
• If multiple options could be made available (providing different run-times), what additional run-times would you suggest? (i.e. a small pack for short durations, and a big pack for longer situations.)
• If a battery solution was rechargeable and didn't require replacing batteries, what is the maximum $ you would spend?
• If it made the battery solution cheaper, would you be willing to modify your FON circuit board ? (Assume this requires only basic soldering skills.)
• If it made the battery solution last longer (before recharging), would you be willing to modify your FON circuit board i? (Assume this requires only basic soldering skills.)

Given the lack of space (and HEAT) in the F*N 2100, there is not enough room to place most battery packs in the stock case. Would you prefer:

1. a "piggy-back" small box containing the battery pack, or
2. moving the F*N internals (circuit board & antenna) to a larger case which would allow the battery to be included in the same case?

• If you answered (1) above, what size enclosure for the battery back would be ideal for you?
• Please include any additional info you think would be helpful that I forgot to ask.
• Please post (or PM) with any info on your current battery solution, and the run-time you get from it, so I can include it.

I look forward to sharing my findings on this; I have a lot of testing to do (some tests take days), so it may be a few weeks before I have all of my results.

Thanks,

³³\/\/

[Darren Kitchen]

Under what circumstances do you envision using your F*N on battery power?

When I use the Fon as a Jasager I'm typically mobile (airports, coffee shops, hacker conferences). I like to keep the Fon pretty self contained so that I don't need cables going to it either for AC power or ethernet.

What run-time (in minutes or hours), before having to re-charge or replace batteries, would you find acceptable for a battery solution?

Just a few hours is fine really. Once my laptop battery goes so does all the fun anyway so 4-6 hours. Enough for a flight across the country. ;)

If multiple options could be made available (providing different run-times), what additional run-times would you suggest? (i.e. a small pack for short durations, and a big pack for longer situations.)

A small 4-6 hour battery pack would be great for day to day stuff but on a longer pentest it would be truly valuable to keep the Fon functioning for as long as possible.

If a battery solution was rechargeable and didn't require replacing batteries, what is the maximum $ you would spend?

If the battery is rechargeable it's a one time fee so I'd consider spending anywhere between $20-80 depending on run time.

If it made the battery solution cheaper, would you be willing to modify your FON circuit board ? (Assume this requires only basic soldering skills.)

Yes

If it made the battery solution last longer (before recharging), would you be willing to modify your FON circuit board i? (Assume this requires only basic soldering skills.)

Yes

Given the lack of space (and HEAT) in the F*N 2100, there is not enough room to place most battery packs in the stock case. Would you prefer:

1. a "piggy-back" small box containing the battery pack, or

2. moving the F*N internals (circuit board & antenna) to a larger case which would allow the battery to be included in the same case?

Either solution is fine but I'm partial to anything that fill fits inside the Standard Issue WiFi Pineapple Enclosure ™:

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. So far I've been mostly experimenting with "off the shelf" solutions. The four AA battery pack soldered onto my fon is about as advanced as I've gotten and even that solution only runs for 3-4 hours on good 2400mah rechargeable batteries.

[OiNK]

* Under what circumstances do you envision using your F*N on battery power?

tbh this is the only option for me, where i live there isnt very many places i can use the fon without battery :)

* What run-time (in minutes or hours), before having to re-charge or replace batteries, would you find acceptable for a battery solution?

A couple of hours will be fine, as Darren has mentioned, laptop batteries don't last very long anyway, so if its about the same, then its good enough!

* If multiple options could be made available (providing different run-times), what additional run-times would you suggest? (i.e. a small pack for short durations, and a big pack for longer situations.)

Maybe having both options available would be best, you never know when your gonna wanna be using it for longer periods, i personally will being using 4x AAA batteries and likely have multiple "packs" however smaller is kinda better to conceal what it actual is, not that most people would know that the fon is !! lol

* If a battery solution was rechargeable and didn't require replacing batteries, what is the maximum $ you would spend?

I've checked around for rechargeable and its about £10.00 for the recharge kit with 4 2400mh batteries here in the UK which i think is rather great, i rememeber paying about double when i was 8 and had a RC car :P ahh the 80's hehe

* If it made the battery solution cheaper, would you be willing to modify your FON circuit board ? (Assume this requires only basic soldering skills.)

I wouldn't want to modify the circuit board atall, this might very create problems for unbricking in the furture should something happen...

* If it made the battery solution last longer (before recharging), would you be willing to modify your FON circuit board i? (Assume this requires only basic soldering skills.)

Again, i probably won't touch that, unless its gonna give me a HUGE difference in performane / battery life :)

For mine and Haktars, Fon we will be using the battery pack in another case, although this may change, so piggy back will be the best bet for our mod :) ...tbh having it sitting on the desk beside me isn't really an issue here, people here ain't very techie lol

Thanks for reading :) Nice post btw ...

Alex.

[33W@rl0r)]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the input.

It seems like there are several easy options available for people who only want 2-4 hours.

The "longer life" solutions are a bit more complicated, and require a lot more testing. But they would allow for interesting uses like remote data capture, and hiding devices in remote locations (where the could run for days).

I'll try to get the list of cheap & easy power solutions put together quickly, while I continue testing the larger batts & chargers.

Cheers.

[OiNK]

Thanks actually a really good point, i hadn't thought about using it in this way, im guessing this is why der is memory expansion stuff happening :)