Conventional Wi-Fi aerials are all well and good but they don't really cut it if you want to impress fellow hackers and scare the general populace.

Forget a modified Pringles can - what you really need at somewhere like last weekend's DEFCON shindig is something that looks like an M-16 but with its firing mechanism replaced by a 14.6 dBi Yagi antenna (http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci214378,00.html) that can get you online at up to 10 miles (16.1 km).

Yes indeed. Adapt this so that it fits into a briefcase and what you have is Day of the Jackal (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069947) -style foldaway technology plus access to remote, insecure Wi-Fi networks. A must for every would-be Jason Bourne (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372183).

Perfectly pitched towards the geekier members of the Michigan Militia, we doubt the US Secret Service would be as enthusiastic though - especially if they're on presidential protection duties at the time.

As a spotter from website engadget notes (http://www.engadget.com/entry/4508373394872473) the Sniper Yagi is as "likely to get you thrown in jail as logged onto a WiFi network", but if you're serious about putting the war back into war driving (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372183) that's surely only a minor consideration. ®

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