How do I encrypt my broadband line?

Overblood

I have a feeling that one of my neighbours is hijacking my wireless broadband. How do I encrypt it so this doesn't happen?

Also, is there any way of telling IF somebody is hijacking your line?

Cheers

daywalker

You need to setup the security on the wireless, either using WEP or even better WPA, as each router has a different setup, you will need to refer to the manual that came with it or you could post what exact make and model you have and someone could give you instructions.

As to measuring if the wireless is being leeched, the modem will probably have some stat or log page somewhere in its config showing usage stats, you could leave the internet on for a period and then check if the stats have increased by a significant amount.

bealtine

Overblood wrote: »

I have a feeling that one of my neighbours is hijacking my wireless broadband. How do I encrypt it so this doesn't happen?

Also, is there any way of telling IF somebody is hijacking your line?

Cheers

Turn on WEP/WPA for starters.
(Don't use WEP if you can help if)
How you do it depends on your router.

You'll have to configure both the router and the nic in your pc.

Keep a note of all the settings.


Most routers have a "who is connected now" page too.
Again depends on the router.

Overblood

Sorry dont have the manual at hand but I can tell you right now that I'm using a netgear 54mbps wireless adsl2+ modem router DG834G v4.

PaddyTheNth

Overblood wrote: »

Sorry dont have the manual at hand but I can tell you right now that I'm using a netgear 54mbps wireless adsl2+ modem router DG834G v4.

This guide may be of some use.

Do NOT use WEP - it can be cracked extremely easily. You have to use WPA.

This bit in the guide about turning on access control - I wouldn't be so worried about that, its easy enough to spoof a MAC, but do turn on WPA.

Make a note of the passphrase - you'll have to enter that on any computer you want to connect to the network the first time they connect after enabling WPA.

http://www.maxi-pedia.com/How+to+manually+configure+a+WPA+network+wireless+connection

http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/winxpnetworking/ht/wpainwindowsxp.htm

lmimmfn

set the secururity to only accept connections from YOUR mac address( get it by opening a dos cmd prompt and typing "ipconfig /all"

harney

You should more than likely be able to use WPA with that router i.e. the router will happily work with it and assuming you are using Windows XP with at leaset Service Pack 2 your will be able to use WPA-PSK.

WEP can be cracked in a few min so don't bother using it.

harney

lmimmfn wrote: »

set the secururity to only accept connections from YOUR mac address( get it by opening a dos cmd prompt and typing "ipconfig /all"

I think that MAC filtering adds a false sense of security due to spoofing being relatively easy so the op is better off going with WPA.

Overblood

Cheers for the advice lads I set up the WPA jobby, and my download speed has magically gone from 40kb/s to 300kb/s. Suspicious.

hobochris

harney wrote: »

I think that MAC filtering adds a false sense of security due to spoofing being relatively easy so the op is better off going with WPA.

The op is better going with both.

consultech

Is there an easy way of finding said piggybacker's computer on network and teaching them a lesson?

jor el

If they had file sharing turned on, you should be able to access their shares in My Network Places. However, unless they had read/write access for all enabled, you wouldn't be able to do anything to them.

It's unlikely that anything simple would work. All you can do is kick them off, and encrypt the network.

PaddyTheNth

consultech wrote: »

Is there an easy way of finding said piggybacker's computer on network and teaching them a lesson?

You could see which devices are connected to the network in the router's control panel. Identify which ones are not in your house, then use QOS to restrict them to a download speed of something like 20 kb/s...slow enought that it's just baaaarely useable, but will still piss them off:pac:

Alternatively once you've got their IPs via the same identification method, you could do something very illegal such as attempting identify open ports and cause all sorts of mischief. But that would be very illegal and you shouldn't do it as you could get into all sorts of trouble.

consultech

PaddyTheNth wrote: »

You could see which devices are connected to the network in the router's control panel. Identify which ones are not in your house, then use QOS to restrict them to a download speed of something like 20 kb/s...slow enought that it's just baaaarely useable, but will still piss them off:pac:

Alternatively once you've got their IPs via the same identification method, you could do something very illegal such as attempting identify open ports and cause all sorts of mischief. But that would be very illegal and you shouldn't do it as you could get into all sorts of trouble.

Is it though? i.e. Your network, your right to access? I'm not being clueless here, just questioning a legal issue assumption: Could you not plead the "Oh sorry, I naturally assumed that it was my computer upstairs that I was opening ports on, given no-one else should've been on the network"-kinda thing?

PaddyTheNth

consultech wrote: »

Is it though? i.e. Your network, your right to access? I'm not being clueless here, just questioning a legal issue assumption: Could you not plead the "Oh sorry, I naturally assumed that it was my computer upstairs that I was opening ports on, given no-one else should've been on the network"-kinda thing?

I see what you're saying but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get away with it. You'd both be committing an illegal act...can't remember what the exact legal terms are, and I don't think I've read about a relevant case in Ireland actually being prosecuted. You could establish the precedent

jor el

consultech wrote: »

Is it though? i.e. Your network, your right to access? I'm not being clueless here, just questioning a legal issue assumption: Could you not plead the "Oh sorry, I naturally assumed that it was my computer upstairs that I was opening ports on, given no-one else should've been on the network"-kinda thing?

On one hand, you could be right. It's my network, so why shouldn't I be able to do anything I want to the computers connected to it?

On the other hand, if the network is unsecured, others could somewhat safely assume that this is a free to use, open WIFI hotspot, like those you find in cafes, hotels, airports, etc.

If the person who connects to your network, somehow finds their computers/files have been tampered with, they would first need to locate the house that the network is in, before they could do anything about that. Not so easy to do.

Overblood

PaddyTheNth wrote: »

Identify which ones are not in your house, then use QOS to restrict them to a download speed of something like 20 kb/s...slow enought that it's just baaaarely useable, but will still piss them off:pac:

It's funny the way we think that 20kb/s is barely usable, but does anyone remember dialup?:pac:

I remember being in my mates house and the both of us waiting for songs to download at 4kb/s. It used to pop up to 5 or 6kb/s sporadically and we'd look at eachother going "wooooow did you just see that? so fast!.":D

PaddyTheNth

Overblood wrote: »

It's funny the way we think that 20kb/s is barely usable, but does anyone remember dialup?:pac:

I remember being in my mates house and the both of us waiting for songs to download at 4kb/s. It used to pop up to 5 or 6kb/s sporadically and we'd look at eachother going "wooooow did you just see that? so fast!.":D

True enough. The web has changed since then though...there's so much high def content being served up now. The flash ads you find now on so many sites, media ones particularly, would paralyse a dialup connection now for tens of minutes.