If unsecured Wi-Fi networks irk you and you want to see each and every last one vanquished, there’s a sword for that. Really. It’s called WarSting, and it detects unsecured wifi networks with a Lord of the Rings twist.

In the Lord of the Rings universe, Biblo Baggins has a magical sword called “Sting” that glows blue when orcs and goblins are around. Pretty handy, except that there aren’t orcs or goblins that need vanquishing in our universe. But there are unsecured Wi-Fi networks. That’s what WarSting detects, and it even glows blue in the process.

You can make a WarSting of your very own using two simple things. First, a toy Sting sword — ideally one that lights up and makes whooshing noises when you slash it through the air. The second thing you need is a Spark Core, a Wi-Fi development kit that has a reprogrammable chip with a Wi-Fi module on board and can interact with sensors and actuators (the same ones that make the toy sword light up and go whoosh when you slay imaginary orcs).

Assembling your WarSting is as easy as disassembling the toy sword, splicing the Core with the toy’s electronic system, and reprogramming the Core to with network-vanquishing firmware. Once that’s done, reassemble your sword and you’re ready to fight unsecured Wi-Fi networks.

When when you wave your customized WarSting through the air near an unsecured Wi-Fi netwk, it jumps on that network and sends the user a message reading “{YOUR WI-FI NETWORK} has been vanquished!”

You can get step by step directions here, then start slaying away!

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IMAGE: Spark Blog