Saturday, November 15, 2008

Remove Meraki Toolbar

I'm down in Zihuatanejo, Mexico right now on a Meraki network at the condo. There is a toolbar at the top of each Web page in Internet Explorer generated from HTML injection by the network. The network here is not free. It was set up by another condo owner, and he either doesn't know how to turn off the toolbar or likes the extra Google search option at the top right of the page :) This explaination is given if you click on the '?' in the toolbar:

"The toolbar at the top of your browser serves up local advertising, which is one of the ways we may be able to keep Internet access free."

Personally, I don't like anyone to have control over my browser...not even me! I found out that this toolbar can be removed in FireFox using an add-on called Adblock Plus which is a free download.

  1. Open FireFox
  2. Tools
  3. Get Extensions (bottom left link)
  4. Search for 'Adblock Plus' and then 'Add to FireFox'
  5. Add a filter: 'meraki.com/toolbar'


Unfortunately, Adblock Plus is not available for Internet Explorer. It is very interesting to read the developer's comments regarding the cost of creating an IE add-on that performs the same task: http://adblockplus.org/blog/adblock-for-internet-explorer-is-not-an-option

Be careful of rip-offs for Internet Explorer with the same name:
http://www.download.com/Adblock-Plus-for-IE/3000-12770_4-10690444.html

I develop custom applications and only test in Internet Explorer becacause our customers use IE. I really don't like to switch between browsers, but while I am on this network I will be using FireFox. I'm glad that there's an alternative that allows me to feel comfortable, cozy, and secure.

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