Kindle 3--disabling WiFi/3G

Loken · 07-10-2011, 04:05 PM

Afternoon,

New here but have been trolling for months (:

I've a slightly odd ball question..

Is it possible to entirely remove/disable 3G/WiFi on a Kindle? I know you can turn it on and off via the Menu button, but I was wondering if it could be removed completely, without being able to be turned back on by accident. I'm assuming it will involve messing around with the source code and jail breaking of some kind.

Any insight or if it's at all possible would be greatly appreciated!

AliBaba77 · 12-26-2011, 06:05 PM

Looking for the same thing here. I suppose you never figured this out, huh?

mpetersen3 · 12-26-2011, 07:49 PM

What is the goal for you in achieving this? I can suggest ways to turn it off depending on what your motives are?

thomass · 12-26-2011, 08:27 PM

open the back cover and remove these units

dasmoover · 12-26-2011, 10:09 PM

I suppose the easiest way would be to unload the 3g/wifi drivers. What model specifically?
You will need to jailbreak.

samineru · 01-02-2012, 05:30 AM

I don't actually need this myself, but imagine someone would like to gift a kindle to a young child, and did not want to give them internet access with it.

HarryT · 01-02-2012, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samineru

I don't actually need this myself, but imagine someone would like to gift a kindle to a young child, and did not want to give them internet access with it.

Get a WiFi only Kindle, and make sure that you have a security key on your WiFi (as of course you should have anyway).

Mario1up · 01-02-2012, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomass

open the back cover and remove these units

That'll work for 3G, but WiFi is built into the motherboard, I'm afraid.

SteveEisenberg · 01-02-2012, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mario1up

That'll work for 3G, but WiFi is built into the motherboard, I'm afraid.

At least in my neighborhood, unencrypted WiFi is becoming a rarity. I live in an attached house, and a quick check shows all three signals, including my own, are secured.

And what if there is an unencrypted signal? One could figure out whose it is, and, in a neighborly way, volunteer to help them keep others from stealing their bandwidth.

Realistically, most people of any age are unlikely to use an eInk browser to access disturbing graphic content. Instead the child is going to do it on a tablet, PC or Mac when at a friend's house.

I hope this isn't making a value judgment about how other people raise their children. I'm just saying that a WiFi Kindle, with WiFi turned off and password protected, is about as child-proofed as anything can be nowadays.

montalex · 01-03-2012, 12:26 AM

Have you ever used the Kindle browser? By the time a kid managed to load a site with R rated material, he'd be old enough to view it. And I don't think anyone has ever been actually harmed by the written word.

AliBaba77 · 01-06-2012, 01:44 AM

Sorry for being late to reply. I understand that the Kindle Browser isn't that great but the reason for disabling the WiFi is that I do not want my 9 year old daughter (who reads anything and EVERYTHING she can get her hands on) to access inappropriate literature or even reference material that may be a little more than she is ready for. Not concerned about images as much as I am literature.

This child is continuously seeking for new material and she soaks new information up like I sponge. I would like to be able to approve that information before she soaks it up.

WiFi isn't an issue at home. The problem is that WiFi is readily available at any McDonalds, neighbors' signals, and various different places.

I have been researching this on other sites as well and so far no one has come up with a method of disabling WiFi. I understand it's counterintuitive to what one would expect/want from their Kindle so I'm sure there's little, if any, demand for such a mod.

At this point, I've done everything I can possibly do to prevent access to undesired material. All I can do now is monitor regularly, which any decent parent should do anyhow, and hope that she doesn't stumble upon anything undesirable.

If someone does come up with something I would love to hear about it and give it a spin. She has a $79 basic Kindle 4.

Thanks so much for the replies!!!

Mario1up · 01-06-2012, 02:00 AM

I just realized - you could try taking the back cover off and removing the wifi antenna. That may or may not work, but in my experience it's near impossible to get a wifi signal on something without antennae unless it's a couple feet from the router.

geekmaster · 01-06-2012, 03:47 AM

This can be done in software a number of different ways. Changing the IP address or gateway, downing the wlan interface, preventing the wifi driver from loading (or unloading it later).

The best way would be to change the firewall settings to prevent wifi traffic from getting in or out (iptables). Read about how iptables works.

If you disable wifi by learning how iptables works, then you will know how to enable when you want to. If somebody gives you a quick fix, then how will you turn it on when you need it? Give a man a fish or teach him to fish? That is why linux geeks are so fond of answering many questions with RTFM -- it means it would be much better for you to go learn it before messing with it...

Of course, if your daughter becomes a linux geek herself, you should disable wifi multiple ways besides iptables to delay when she "hacks" it back on.

mommy · 02-01-2012, 11:11 AM

Geek master: It would be a very long time before I could learn enough Linux to be able to do this. And as you said, a child would probably soon be able to "fix" the wifi. But I'd be willing to pay for a program or application that can do this for me. I'm sure there are other parents who if they knew all that a curious kid could do with a Kindle and free wifi access they too would pay for a disabled device, or a way to password the device so that only the parent could access wifi if needed.

I've taken away the cell phone and the laptop, next to go will the be the well loved Kindle 3 until I can solve this problem.

07-10-2011, 04:05 PM	#1
Loken Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Kindle 3--disabling WiFi/3G Afternoon, New here but have been trolling for months (: I've a slightly odd ball question.. Is it possible to entirely remove/disable 3G/WiFi on a Kindle? I know you can turn it on and off via the Menu button, but I was wondering if it could be removed completely, without being able to be turned back on by accident. I'm assuming it will involve messing around with the source code and jail breaking of some kind. Any insight or if it's at all possible would be greatly appreciated!

01-06-2012, 03:47 AM	#13
geekmaster Carpe diem, c'est la vie. Posts: 6,433 Karma: 10773668 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Multiverse 6627A Device: K1 to PW3	This can be done in software a number of different ways. Changing the IP address or gateway, downing the wlan interface, preventing the wifi driver from loading (or unloading it later). The best way would be to change the firewall settings to prevent wifi traffic from getting in or out (iptables). Read about how iptables works. If you disable wifi by learning how iptables works, then you will know how to enable when you want to. If somebody gives you a quick fix, then how will you turn it on when you need it? Give a man a fish or teach him to fish? That is why linux geeks are so fond of answering many questions with RTFM -- it means it would be much better for you to go learn it before messing with it... Of course, if your daughter becomes a linux geek herself, you should disable wifi multiple ways besides iptables to delay when she "hacks" it back on. Last edited by geekmaster; 01-06-2012 at 03:57 AM.

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12-26-2011, 06:05 PM	#2
AliBaba77 Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Kindle	Looking for the same thing here. I suppose you never figured this out, huh?

12-26-2011, 07:49 PM	#3
mpetersen3 Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kindle	What is the goal for you in achieving this? I can suggest ways to turn it off depending on what your motives are?

12-26-2011, 08:27 PM	#4
thomass Wizard Posts: 1,669 Karma: 2300001 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Türkiye Device: Kindle 5.3.7	open the back cover and remove these units

12-26-2011, 10:09 PM	#5
dasmoover Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 26720 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3 WIFI	I suppose the easiest way would be to unload the 3g/wifi drivers. What model specifically? You will need to jailbreak.

01-02-2012, 05:30 AM	#6
samineru Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle	I don't actually need this myself, but imagine someone would like to gift a kindle to a young child, and did not want to give them internet access with it.

01-03-2012, 12:26 AM	#10
montalex Fanatic Posts: 556 Karma: 1283268 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: KindleDX,Kindle 4, Kindle Keyboard 3G	Have you ever used the Kindle browser? By the time a kid managed to load a site with R rated material, he'd be old enough to view it. And I don't think anyone has ever been actually harmed by the written word.

01-06-2012, 01:44 AM	#11
AliBaba77 Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Kindle	Sorry for being late to reply. I understand that the Kindle Browser isn't that great but the reason for disabling the WiFi is that I do not want my 9 year old daughter (who reads anything and EVERYTHING she can get her hands on) to access inappropriate literature or even reference material that may be a little more than she is ready for. Not concerned about images as much as I am literature. This child is continuously seeking for new material and she soaks new information up like I sponge. I would like to be able to approve that information before she soaks it up. WiFi isn't an issue at home. The problem is that WiFi is readily available at any McDonalds, neighbors' signals, and various different places. I have been researching this on other sites as well and so far no one has come up with a method of disabling WiFi. I understand it's counterintuitive to what one would expect/want from their Kindle so I'm sure there's little, if any, demand for such a mod. At this point, I've done everything I can possibly do to prevent access to undesired material. All I can do now is monitor regularly, which any decent parent should do anyhow, and hope that she doesn't stumble upon anything undesirable. If someone does come up with something I would love to hear about it and give it a spin. She has a $79 basic Kindle 4. Thanks so much for the replies!!!

01-06-2012, 02:00 AM	#12
Mario1up Connoisseur Posts: 53 Karma: 374 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3/G	I just realized - you could try taking the back cover off and removing the wifi antenna. That may or may not work, but in my experience it's near impossible to get a wifi signal on something without antennae unless it's a couple feet from the router.

02-01-2012, 11:11 AM	#14
mommy Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Kindle 3	Geek master: It would be a very long time before I could learn enough Linux to be able to do this. And as you said, a child would probably soon be able to "fix" the wifi. But I'd be willing to pay for a program or application that can do this for me. I'm sure there are other parents who if they knew all that a curious kid could do with a Kindle and free wifi access they too would pay for a disabled device, or a way to password the device so that only the parent could access wifi if needed. I've taken away the cell phone and the laptop, next to go will the be the well loved Kindle 3 until I can solve this problem.