Hobbit fans are well aware of Bilbo’s sword, Sting, that glows blue when Orcs are around. Inspired from Sting, this replica sword called WarSting is capable of lighting up after detecting Wi-Fi networks that are not secure. You all can make one at home as well!
The DIY project uses a toy replica sword and requires adding a Spark Core unit into it. The Spark Core unit is a Wi-Fi ready Arduino board that makes use of the sword’s technology. The sword’s tech involves light features, actuators and motion sensors and with a little bit of tweaking, once can modify it so that it light ups when an unprotected Wi-Fi network is detected.
When the sword is moved through air making that ‘whoosh’ sound, it sends a message back to the network to inform it that it has been taken care of. The IP address from the defeated DHCP server is served into the Spark’s cloud. The idea is to make people realize the importance of encrypting their Wi-Fi servers.
The whole process requires a bit of soldering skill and some programming capabilities and be assured that the end product is a tool that will serve justice. The sword that was chosen by Spark CEO Zach can be disassembled without cutting it apart. A pretty cool little gadget, isn’t it?
