• Is it easy to set up a Wireless Network Key

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    #393288

    I live in a block of flats and run two laptops on a wireless network. I’m using Windows XP on both of them.

    I want to prevent a neighbour from buying an adapter and sharing invisibly my adsl connection.

    My questions below are prompted by some prompts and options I have seen listed on the properties page of my wireless network.

    Q1 Will data encryption help me? (What is WEP Enabled, anyway?)
    Q2. Will Network Authenticaltion help me? (What is Shared Mode and does it differ from WEP Enabled. IE are they mutually exclusive?)
    Q3 how do I put your suggested solution into practice?

    Q4. How do I detect if someone else is using my wireless network?

    Just in case it helps I have queried my router and it says that it’s configuration is as follows:
    Modulation Mode : gdmt
    Operating Protocol : RFC 2364 (PPPoA) Routing Mode
    VPI : 0
    VCI : 38
    Authentication Method : chap
    LAN IP : 192.168.xxxxxxxx.yyyyyyyyy
    Nat : Enabled

    Viewing 3 reply threads
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    Replies
    • #712145

      I’m just starting to learn about wireless security. Some access points let you enter a list of MAC (NIC hardware) addresses that are allowed to use that access point. This would allow you to tie it down to your own devices, period, end of story, unless your neighbor cleverly sniffs your traffic to the access point, captures your MAC address, and impersonates you. So the second layer of defense is to encrypt the communications you are broadcasting from your computers. WEP is considered not to be very strong encryption, but it’s probably good enough to discourage the casual passerby. Another thing you could do would be to turn off DHCP on your network. Use static IP addresses, and set the range of machines allowed to access the Internet in your firewall to something that would be hard to guess (e.g., 192.168.37.200-192.168.37.202).

      Just some initial thoughts. I imagine there must be some online resources that go into great detail.

    • #712146

      I’m just starting to learn about wireless security. Some access points let you enter a list of MAC (NIC hardware) addresses that are allowed to use that access point. This would allow you to tie it down to your own devices, period, end of story, unless your neighbor cleverly sniffs your traffic to the access point, captures your MAC address, and impersonates you. So the second layer of defense is to encrypt the communications you are broadcasting from your computers. WEP is considered not to be very strong encryption, but it’s probably good enough to discourage the casual passerby. Another thing you could do would be to turn off DHCP on your network. Use static IP addresses, and set the range of machines allowed to access the Internet in your firewall to something that would be hard to guess (e.g., 192.168.37.200-192.168.37.202).

      Just some initial thoughts. I imagine there must be some online resources that go into great detail.

    • #712200

      It is very easy to set up a WEP key, and I would strongly recommend that you do so.

      Most of the information that you have provided seems to relate to an ADSL modem, is this a combined device of some sort?
      Can you let us know what model Network Access Point you are using. Detailed setup instructions usually come with these devices but anyone who wants to help you will need to get a copy of the manual from the vendors web site.

      I would include a screen shot to show the setup on my Belkin F5D7130 Network Access Point, but the key is actually displayed in the GUI and by the time I had scrubbed it out there was very little left to show.

      StuartR

      • #712349

        Thanks for your reply, StuartR.

        I have documentation for my Wireless Access Point (model WL008 from Solwise who have quite an educational and informative site at http://www.solwise.co.uk). I cannot see any reference in it to wireless network encryption. However, one of the screen shots shows the Bridge Manager screen and this has a prompt for Wireless Security. A quick phone call to Solwise a few seconds ago told me that this is where I type the encryption key.

        So, apart from actually doing it, I think I know what to do. Many thanks for your help. You have given me the confidence to try it.

        By the way, I am short of literature or links to sites explaining WiFi although I have read and mostly understood whatever I’ve found so far. Do you happen to know a site that explains what is the purpose of the switch on the back of my Access Point (or do you know the answer yourself). It has two positions: WiFi and Multimedia (Whitecap). The documentation mentions its existence, but it was trial and error on my part that led to my selecting the WiFi position.

        • #712473

          My only suggestion is that when you set up a WEP the standard is 0123456789 and avoid it like the plague as if I were your neighbour and wanted to share your broadband it would be the first one I’d try!
          Regards

        • #712474

          My only suggestion is that when you set up a WEP the standard is 0123456789 and avoid it like the plague as if I were your neighbour and wanted to share your broadband it would be the first one I’d try!
          Regards

        • #712559

          A quick google search shows that Whitecap was a proprietary competitor to 802.11b that was implemented on some early Panasonic and Netgear access points, it included some quality of service (QoS) features that made it more suitable for streaming multimedia applications.

          StuartR

        • #712560

          A quick google search shows that Whitecap was a proprietary competitor to 802.11b that was implemented on some early Panasonic and Netgear access points, it included some quality of service (QoS) features that made it more suitable for streaming multimedia applications.

          StuartR

      • #712350

        Thanks for your reply, StuartR.

        I have documentation for my Wireless Access Point (model WL008 from Solwise who have quite an educational and informative site at http://www.solwise.co.uk). I cannot see any reference in it to wireless network encryption. However, one of the screen shots shows the Bridge Manager screen and this has a prompt for Wireless Security. A quick phone call to Solwise a few seconds ago told me that this is where I type the encryption key.

        So, apart from actually doing it, I think I know what to do. Many thanks for your help. You have given me the confidence to try it.

        By the way, I am short of literature or links to sites explaining WiFi although I have read and mostly understood whatever I’ve found so far. Do you happen to know a site that explains what is the purpose of the switch on the back of my Access Point (or do you know the answer yourself). It has two positions: WiFi and Multimedia (Whitecap). The documentation mentions its existence, but it was trial and error on my part that led to my selecting the WiFi position.

    • #712201

      It is very easy to set up a WEP key, and I would strongly recommend that you do so.

      Most of the information that you have provided seems to relate to an ADSL modem, is this a combined device of some sort?
      Can you let us know what model Network Access Point you are using. Detailed setup instructions usually come with these devices but anyone who wants to help you will need to get a copy of the manual from the vendors web site.

      I would include a screen shot to show the setup on my Belkin F5D7130 Network Access Point, but the key is actually displayed in the GUI and by the time I had scrubbed it out there was very little left to show.

      StuartR

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