Can I tell if someone is using my wireless?

Cunny-Funt

After reading the thread on how the eircom routers are wide open etc.

And after recently getting a laptop and buying a wireless eircom router off a mate of mine, I'm just wondering if theres any sure way of knowning if someone is/had been able to connect to my wireless network and use my broadband?

Not knowning a huge amount about wireless but used to fiddling around with my non-wireless modem (NAT etc)

I kinda "winged it" when I set up the wireless. I changed the default name of the network from eircom24242 (random number) to something....amusing.

And generated my own wep code. However I couldnt connect the router with my laptop. I eventually went into the "mac" settings thingy and deleted all the setting that were already there, assuming it was stuff from when my mate was using it. & hey presto I could connect. Entered my PW and got in. Now my lappy just connects to it when I turn it on, and it does'nt ask for the pw.

How safe am I?

AlmightyCushion

The reason it doesn't ask you for a password is because it is stored on your laptop. If anyone tries to connect to your wireless they will get asked for the password. If they don't provide it then no access.

watty

Except with some Linux tools it takes about 5mins max to work out the password. Write down a 32 to 63 character long random key and change WiFi and Laptop both to WPA-PSK

The laptop will remember the key.

The mac filter idea (you had to delete), doesn't work anymore except for people that can't use Google.

Krusty_Clown

Well seeing as you moved away from the default SSID, you're relatively safe, from the perspective of the Eircom weakness.

Anyone who knows how to crack WEP is probably not going to be bothered going to the trouble.. You could go to the extent of powering off the wireless router when not in use. This would greatly reduce the risk of someone attacking your security. Cracking WEP creates a lot of wireless traffic, which is quite noticeable, lots of disconnects, etc.

Just turn on WPA. It's not difficult.

Cabaal

moving to wireless

Cunny-Funt

Sorry. I posted there because it was the same place the thread was, that sparked this one.

So I'm assuming "default SSID" is the name of the network. I just changed it so as not to be boring.

About WPA, when I was messing around I did see this option but when I clicked it, all these boxes opend up where I'm suposed to fill in information. So it was less obviouse to me what to do here, hence why I stuck to WEP.

But lastly, noone has answerd my main question , is there any way to tell if someones connected to my wireless modem?????

I pretty sure no one has done so, but while getting high ping during a game the thought occered to me, and thats when I began to wonder if it was possible to just check?

Even if there was simply a way of seeing how many devices were connected to the modem wirelessly. As this laptop should be the only one!.

Cheers for the replies so far though

Martyr

if you connect to http://192.168.1.254/ and select [expert mode] from the menu, then select [statistics]
you'll see something like:

DSL
ATM
Ethernet
IP
LAN
Wireless
Logs

you'll want to click on LAN
here, you can see what systems are currently connected.

but i personally don't know how to detect if someone has used it in the past, unless there are some extra logging parameters you can set in the configuration..

_CreeD_

As mentioned encryption is your only real protection so enable the best you have. Just about every other measure can be bypassed with a little work and do little beyond keeping casual snoopers out (even using Hidden/changed SSIDs won't do you much good as Windows Clients beacon search requests to Hidden SSIDs for which they have profiles, you could be sitting at a net cafe and your system is happily broadcasting the hidden SSID for your home network in probe packets every few mins.)

Short of installing an IDS checking the associate logs/real time results on your router is the only real way to go.

robinph

Are there any student houses nearby? If so then they have probably already broken into it for a laugh, otherwise I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Cunny-Funt

Nah I reckon I'm grand, sure the most likely person to connect to somones elses wireless around here is me But I wouldnt and nor do I need to. I did try to see if I could connect to those my laptop picks up for the laugh though as I was quite surprised that I could pick up some modems (my house isnt connected to any others so these would be houses across a street.)

Some poor guy has a modem with no PW set up at all.

But all I really wanted to know was if there was a way I could check for sure no ones was connected to mine for those times I randomly get high ping and want to eliminate possibilities.

Cheers Average Joe, and everyone else who replied. :cool: