Unprotected Wireless - do I tell?
Discussion
While NTL failed to provide me with internet last night I discovered that a neighbour has a nice fat pipe which I can connect to.
There's no MAC address lock, there's no encryption and best of all - when I tried to access his router, there was no password!!
Do I tell and offer to lock it up for them - while adding my MAC address
or do I keep shtum - it's their own silly fault!
There's no MAC address lock, there's no encryption and best of all - when I tried to access his router, there was no password!!
Do I tell and offer to lock it up for them - while adding my MAC address
or do I keep shtum - it's their own silly fault!how much do you like your neighbour?
If they're tw@s then fine.. rinse their bandwidth as much as you can..
If you get on well with them, offer them a little money towards their internet connection and carry on using it, whilst cancelling your subscription!
Everyone's a winner!
slinky
If they're tw@s then fine.. rinse their bandwidth as much as you can..
If you get on well with them, offer them a little money towards their internet connection and carry on using it, whilst cancelling your subscription!
Everyone's a winner!
slinky
Routers are normally controlled via a web browser. You enter a particular IP address into the browser eg http://123.456.7.8
This should open the options for the router, which will allow you to apply security to the network. Instructions for the router should give you the IP address.
This should open the options for the router, which will allow you to apply security to the network. Instructions for the router should give you the IP address.
wolf1 said:
I'm in the process of rigging wireless up so Jnr can have internerd access. I picked up an Edimax router and pci card but I'm not sure how to secure the connection to prevent what has happened to your neighbour. Any ideas?
This should help
www.edimax.com/html/Faq/FAQ_router.htm#login
In general there are 4 things to do
1.) Hide your SSID - so no one can see your conection
2.) Change the default administration passwords - to stop anyone changing your settings.
3.) Enable WEP - to encrypt transmissions between router & pc.
4.) Enter your machines MAC address/s - so only machines you specify can access the router.
To find your pc mac address for windows
Type in ipconfig/all in the Command Prompt Windows.
The 12-digit Physical Address is the same as MAC address
That looks like it - except I don't know what the E stands for?!puggit said:
Cheers GMan 2112.
I'm assuming hiding the SSID will be selecting Disable in this section "Broadcast ESSID :"
>> Edited by wolf1 on Saturday 5th March 20:00
except I don't know what the E stands for?!
Neither do I but I chose Disable anyway. Is the smoke eminating from my monitor a bad thing?
george2 said:The problem is I don't actually know where the signal is coming from - I suspect it's our immediate neighbours, but I live in a Victorian terrace with a lot of close neighbours...
why not secure it for them, not say anything and put a letter through the door with
"your new password is ...., keep it secure next time".
It transpires the router has indefinite leases for DHCP - and I'm the 6th person to connect
I was thinking of sending a netsend message to all the PCs on the network...
The Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID) is one of two types of Service Set Identification (SSID). An Ad-hoc wireless network with no access points uses the Basic Service Set Identification (BSSID). In an infrastructure wireless network that includes an access point, the Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID) is used - although it may still be referred in a loose sense as SSID. Some vendors refer to the SSID as the "network name".
They may not want it secured. My wireless is open to all the world, with my PCs using WEP, but not requiring it for everything. If someone wnders by and connects up it's all sufficiently firewalled so tehy can just get a net connection, and a packet sniffer will tell me if there's anyone taking up huge amounts of bandwidth (but it's a huge connection so i doubt i'd notice).
agent006 said:Don't forget their router is unlocked!!
They may not want it secured. My wireless is open to all the world, with my PCs using WEP, but not requiring it for everything. If someone wnders by and connects up it's all sufficiently firewalled so tehy can just get a net connection, and a packet sniffer will tell me if there's anyone taking up huge amounts of bandwidth (but it's a huge connection so i doubt i'd notice).
george2 said:
in that case put a letter through every door and then speak to your neighbour saying "do you know what this is about?"
One of them will 'fess up
....Only problem is if one of the neighbours is not a nice person and then goes and buys a wireless card.
I would ask your neighbours in turn whether they have a home network. Its in the nature of PH to do something good and you never know they might be of help to you in future.
You cannot blame people for not securing their network.
These days more and more people need to share their broadband connection. Everyone is pushing WIRELESS ,
but not mentioning security !
....This is being typed on my PC in my flat, I live above an Internet Cafe. :-)
Actually I'm using a WIRED network at home.
Not interested in wi-fi at the moment.
May setup a GIGABYTE LAN soon for a Home Entertainment System.
R.
>> Edited by robertuk on Sunday 6th March 14:51
From memory, there was a piece in New Scientist or something similar in January pointing out the slightly more serious potential problem with unsecured wireless networks. While security of your own data, or leeching of the bandwidth might be the first concerns to come to mind, there has apparently been an increase of people using "war driving" with the simple intention of finding an insecure conenction through which to download illegal pornography. Any authorities following the trail will come a-knocking on your door asking some awkward questions.
guydw said:
It is now entirely possible to protect your wireless LAN from unwanted access.
This article is quote old, so maybe things are better now, but it explains how to gain access to a non-SSID broadcasting, WEP'ed network with a MAC filter:
www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/excerpt/wirlsshacks_chap1/
Raify said:
Routers are normally controlled via a web browser. You enter a particular IP address into the browser eg http://123.456.7.8
This should open the options for the router, which will allow you to apply security to the network. Instructions for the router should give you the IP address.
Not sure you'll get far with an IP address like that!
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