How to make LAN work without WAN access?

[OorieChai]

Don't know if it should be here, in Calibre Server or in General Kindle.

I want to move books and notes between a Calibre content server and Kindle PW3 ("WiFi only" version, firmware 5.7.2.1) while staying on a teensy little local subnet (aka "a laptop and a Cisco wireless access point") and totally out of wide-area networking (aka "The Internet").

Problem is, as folks mentioned about making a fridge noticeboard:

Originally Posted by https://hackaday.com/2015/07/29/old-kindle-upcycled-to-emailable-fridge-messageboard/#comment-2663956

Also, the Kindle phones home to Amazon with WiFi enabled and uses that to check for a net connection. If you are only using an isolated LAN, you have to spoof the query to Amazon or the browser will be disabled.

I do have an isolated LAN and see the truth of that statement from first-hand experience:

Originally Posted by "Connection Failed

Your Kindle connected to the Wi-Fi network but could not reach the Internet. Contact your Internet Service Provider for further assistance."

Not strictly "browser disabled", wireless simply doesn't start up, but the gist is true.

So, how do I go about aforementioned spoofing?



Note that:
1. I can't use the method mentioned in a thread next door, https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=361615 :

Originally Posted by shamanNS

Create empty (txt) file with filename "WIFI_NO_NET_PROBE" (so, without any extension) in root level of Kindle drive ( = "/mnt/us/WIFI_NO_NET_PROBE") and then reboot your Kindle.

because the Kindle is not jailbroken.
2. I can't jailbreak the Kindle because,
3. (it seems) the microUSB port is broken on the data side. When talking to a computer, the device doesn't mount, nor get recognised:

[2535.966290] usb 3-2: new full-speed USB device number 14 using xhci_hcd
[2535.966726] usb 3-2: Device not responding to setup address.
[2536.174742] usb 3-2: Device not responding to setup address.
[2536.382280] usb 3-2: device not accepting address 14, error -71
[2536.382643] usb usb3-port2: unable to enumerate USB device

and gets stuck in USB drive mode until hard reboot. Otherwise, it charges normally.
4. While trying to fix [3], I did a factory reset. No positive results and even the single dictionary I got to select on first getting the machine is no longer offered Just to say: "no, I really can't jailbreak it, it definitely seems to be a hardware fault".
5. I'm not strictly opposed to jailbreaking, as such, but I don't think that it can be done without microsoldering the port back properly (and in that case I could just go back to Airplane mode and sideloading fanfics, as I've done for ages before).
6. I am opposed to the device phoning home and getting updates - ever since I've upgraded an Android 4 phone to Android 5 (which turned out to become triple treacle-slow, when even normal Android speeds were offensive to a Nokia), I distrust manufacturers' assertions of "it'll work as well as before and even better". Working with friends' unfortunate attempts at moving from Win8 to Win10 on 1.5 x its advertised minimum requirements didn't change my mind.
7. I might be able to make a more powerful server, if needed - can't imagine why I would need anything larger, but I couldn't imagine basic WiFi capabilities being unavailable, either - but I can definitely freely make any sort of webserver within Intel core i5 CPU and 8 gig memory capabilities of a laptop (at least there, I am root!).

Question is, does anybody but Amazon and higher powers know what that webserver should tell the Kindle to make it believe the Internet is out there?

[Sirtel]

Just a note: if you consider buying a new ereader in the future, a Kobo can easily be downgraded to an earlier firmware version, should you happen to dislike an update. There is also a patch that makes the device ask for your consent before updating. A Kobo doesn't need to be jailbroken, it can be patched and tinkered with as it is.

Personally I find Kobos much better devices for sideloading than Kindles (I used Kindles for years before switching to Kobos). Not to mention their superb integration with Calibre.

[bulltricks]

All devices really only belong in a walled garden, not in the untrusted wilds of the Internet.

For the Kindle you should only need to intercept: http://spectrum.s3.amazonaws.com/kin...stub-eink.html

The code checks the UUID included in this file, but you can just grab it yourself when you are configuring the process.

You'll need to override the DNS for your local LAN and have something that serves the file.

If your wifi access point allows you to manually enter DNS entries (usually open-source fiirmwares), you are half-way there.

if Calibre Content-Server has a mechanism to serve static-files, that would be the other half.


I use a Raspberry Pi W (the 2W is a better choice now that they are in-stock everywhere). You can follow the online instructions in terms of setting up a 'captive portal' which would go through the minimal hostapd/dnsmasq/apache2 configurations.