Student Uses Wireless Controller to Track Down Stolen Xbox 360
Student Uses Wireless Controller to Track Down Stolen Xbox 360
December 16, 2008
We love it when the good guys win.
A clever student at Missouri State University used the Xbox 360 controller's wireless capabilities to track down his stolen console, reports school newspaper the Standard.
It seems that someone swiped Ryan Ketsenburg's 360 from his dorm room after the sophomore forgot to lock his door. He managed to recover his system, however, with a tidy piece of detective work:
Ketsenburg... turned on his wireless Xbox controller and found that it was still connecting to his Xbox. Based on this discovery, Ketsenburg said he realized that his Xbox must be nearby...
The controller connected to the Xbox on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of Hutchens but not on the third floor and seventh floor, so through process of elimination, Ketsenburg said he figured out that the stolen Xbox must be on the fifth floor.
Following the controller's signal, Ketsenburg said he was able to pinpoint the room where his Xbox was stolen... The 5th floor resident assistant checked the alleged room where the stolen Xbox was and was able to find the Xbox, Ketsenburg said.
The controller was able to prove that the Xbox belonged to Ketsenburg, because the controller was able to turn on the console unit, he said.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:44pm
JDKJ: And since you shared with me, I'll share with you, if you'd like. I have the best recipe for chocolate nut cookies. Just lemme know if you're interested.
JDKJ: And since you shared with me, I'll share with you, if you'd like. I have the best recipe for chocolate nut cookies. Just lemme know if you're interested.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:40pm
JDKJ: Thanks. That wasn't so hard, was it? You make me twist your arm. And I'm glad your ass ain't going nowhere near the turkey but to get a serving or two. I just can't see you cooking no turkey as a good move.
JDKJ: Thanks. That wasn't so hard, was it? You make me twist your arm. And I'm glad your ass ain't going nowhere near the turkey but to get a serving or two. I just can't see you cooking no turkey as a good move.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:36pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:its going to be a 20-30 person party soem are bigging in stuff all I am cooking is soem chocolate/nut cookies and some cake with choclate iceing.
ZippyDSMlee: JD:its going to be a 20-30 person party soem are bigging in stuff all I am cooking is soem chocolate/nut cookies and some cake with choclate iceing.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:33pm
JDKJ: For real, Zip, what's the plan for Thanksgiving? I know you ain't doing all the banister painting and leaf blowing for nothin'. I assume there're big things popping off at the Chateau Zippy. But that you won't share the plan hurts me.
JDKJ: For real, Zip, what's the plan for Thanksgiving? I know you ain't doing all the banister painting and leaf blowing for nothin'. I assume there're big things popping off at the Chateau Zippy. But that you won't share the plan hurts me.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:32pm
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:sorry but are a diseased lefty...but we love you anyway ^^ *lick*
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:sorry but are a diseased lefty...but we love you anyway ^^ *lick*
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:28pm
ZippyDSMlee: DS:But...I am a spaz 0-o
ZippyDSMlee: DS:But...I am a spaz 0-o
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:04pm
JDKJ: I thought it was because he types with his left hand only, his right hand being perpetually occupied otherwise.
JDKJ: I thought it was because he types with his left hand only, his right hand being perpetually occupied otherwise.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:03pm
DarkSaber: Too late for that.
DarkSaber: Too late for that.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:02pm
Valdearg: I just don't need a bunch of people thinking I'm diseased for whatever reason.
Valdearg: I just don't need a bunch of people thinking I'm diseased for whatever reason.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:02pm
Valdearg: No worries.. Just making it clear that I'm fine. Just gotta ride it out.
Valdearg: No worries.. Just making it clear that I'm fine. Just gotta ride it out.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:01pm
DarkSaber: Zippys hands hate each other, that's why he types like a spaz.
DarkSaber: Zippys hands hate each other, that's why he types like a spaz.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:00pm
JDKJ: I'm just saying that taking medical advice from Zippy may not be the best move you ever make.
JDKJ: I'm just saying that taking medical advice from Zippy may not be the best move you ever make.
Posted 11/24/09 at 01:00pm
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:DOn;t mind DS his dicky prickleness is what makes him so hot :X *luff luff* JD is just a dick.....a small annoying one....
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:DOn;t mind DS his dicky prickleness is what makes him so hot :X *luff luff* JD is just a dick.....a small annoying one....
Posted 11/24/09 at 12:58pm
Valdearg: FYI, I'm getting better. It was a fast moving, severe cold.
Valdearg: FYI, I'm getting better. It was a fast moving, severe cold.
Posted 11/24/09 at 12:58pm
Valdearg: It's frigging cold/flu season. Plenty of people are sickl.
Valdearg: It's frigging cold/flu season. Plenty of people are sickl.
Posted 11/24/09 at 12:57pm
Valdearg: Wow.. Just because I'm bi doesn't mean I'm a slut. Damn guys..
Valdearg: Wow.. Just because I'm bi doesn't mean I'm a slut. Damn guys..
Posted 11/24/09 at 12:56pm
DarkSaber: ok, so you have good aids instead of gay aids (bad aids as it is otherwise known).
DarkSaber: ok, so you have good aids instead of gay aids (bad aids as it is otherwise known).
Posted 11/24/09 at 12:56pm
JDKJ: @Val': I dunno. Compromised immune systems often fall victim to common colds. You may wanna consider looking beyond Dr. Zip's diagnosis and towards a second opinion.
JDKJ: @Val': I dunno. Compromised immune systems often fall victim to common colds. You may wanna consider looking beyond Dr. Zip's diagnosis and towards a second opinion.
Posted 11/24/09 at 12:54pm
Valdearg: @DS: gaids? Really? Wow, you are a dick.. That being said.. It is a cold. Zip's instincts were right on.
Valdearg: @DS: gaids? Really? Wow, you are a dick.. That being said.. It is a cold. Zip's instincts were right on.
Posted 11/24/09 at 12:42pm
JDKJ: Or hemorrhoidal flare-up?
JDKJ: Or hemorrhoidal flare-up?
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
Ahhh, love it when theives get caught red-handed :P
------------------------------------
I am a signature virus, please copy and paste me into your signature to help me propagate.
Could you say this one got caught red ringed?
Awesome ... what a great use of a wireless controller.
I've never been so interested in the latter half of a story. What happened to the thief?!?
Violent sodomy? does it matter?
Violent sodomy always matters.
At the moment, no idea, at the least suspended I would have thought, but Ketsenburg is going to prosecute, the hard drive was wiped so he's lucky he's not getting death!
Ugh! The thief wiped his hard drive?! Hangin's too good for 'im!
wow man, wiped his info thinking that would make it untrackable ehh? well new lesson to xbox thieves in dorms, steal ALL the controllers. Lesson to xbox users in dorms, always keep one of the sync'd controllers hidden somewhere safe so you can walk around with it later searching for your xbox :P
------------------------------------
I am a signature virus, please copy and paste me into your signature to help me propagate.
Yeah, hopefully something interesting. Required to clean the halls and bathrooms of the dorm.
Nido Web Flash Tutorials AS2 and AS3 Tutorials for anyone interested.
How to set Xbox 360 Parental Controls
Blindfolded.
Quite creative.
Is it just me, or was this posted before, a few weeks back?
Nah, its just becoming a common theft in campuses apparently, something similar happened but he didn't track it down with the controller.
------------------------------------
I am a signature virus, please copy and paste me into your signature to help me propagate.
A similar one was posted, yes, but that one was tracked down using the IP address.
What kind of idiot takes the console and not the controller?
the kind that gets caught?
------------------------------------
I am a signature virus, please copy and paste me into your signature to help me propagate.
Maybe he only took one of them or something?
Maybe his own XBox red-ringed on him and he already had all the controllers he needed?
Or perhaps more likely, only one controller was lying around. That's often the case at my place, since I rarely have gaming visitors.
But yeah: stupid. But then, intelligence never was a requirement for being a thieving scumbag.
Thats pretty creative. Glad to see someone with brains in a college.
Unless he's got some very rich parents, he's going to have a nice little record which makes employment and enrollment in school much more interesting. nys regents | regents exam | math b regents | tanning lotion
How did he find it exactly. I'm still somewhat confused.
By seeing on what floors the controller would work.
Wireless controllers sync with the last x-box 360 they were connected to. Unless you sync a controller up with another Xbox, it will always try to connect to the last machine it was connected to. Turning on the controller will turn on the console. The controller has 4 lights around the xbox button in the middle. If you are player 1, you'll see the top left quadrant lit up. Each player has a different quadrant.
But the wireless has a limited broadcast range, just like a wifi hotspot or any other wireless device. If you take your controller too far away from the machine, it will lose its connection. I'm not sure if the controller turns off at this point or if the LED rings all blink in a sequence to represent a lost signal. Either way, you can tell when your controller is out of range.
By walking around and making notes on where the controller loses sync, you can make a rough guess as to where the xbox is. By going up and down floors he worked out which floor the xbox was most likely to be, and by walking around that floor he worked out which room it was most likely to be in.
That was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. And what wonderful deduction! Sherlock Holmes would be proud, if he were real. I really do mean all of that.
"That's not ironic. That's justice."
Handy bit of detective work, this.
Criminal charges sound likely, vandalism for the destruction of the data on the HD and theft for the theft of the unit. The guy who did it is likely going to be expelled from the school as well, as he's been caught dead to rights. Authorities KNOW it was the stolen unit, and it was in his dorm room.
Unless he's got some very rich parents, he's going to have a nice little record which makes employment and enrollment in school much more interesting.
I love "geeks gets one over on thief" stories. My favorite is still the girl who used remote desktop to take a picture of her laptop thief with her webcam.
Why I never leave a webcam plugged in. And if I can't unplug it, electric tape time.
I have two controllers for my 360 but I put one of them away in my closet until company comes over. This guy probably does the same or something similar. The theif was probably in a rush to get in and out so grabbed the xbox and the nearby controller. There was no way for him to even know there was a second or third controller somewhere in the dormroom. I guess the lesson to be learned here is to not steal xboxes from people who live within a few dozen feet of you. Or not to steal xboxes at all.