Wireless Access Point
- Thread starter Skibum
- Start date
Squintz
Senior Member
After wiring my house for cat5 i disabled wirelss completely since electron told me he was riding around in his car using everyone elses internet access to transmit data back to his house. Seems like a huge security issue and from what i read even the encryption can be cracked.
I do use a WAP (for my wifes and my laptop when roaming in the house), and I do use encryption. I know it can be broken, but I don't figure I'm a high risk candidate... I believe someone would just move on to the next house that doesn't have any encryption before spending the time breaking mine...
Skibum
Senior Member
For the record, at home my wireless is open.
Has anyone other than me done any real wardriving? In my area I am seeing that maybe 30% of all the access points I find are open, and usable.
In fact, when I am waiting to catch the UPS guy on his way into town (for that early delivery) I have a place that I sit, and login with my Pocket PC, and use X-PRO to make VOIP calls.
:lol:
Has anyone other than me done any real wardriving? In my area I am seeing that maybe 30% of all the access points I find are open, and usable.
In fact, when I am waiting to catch the UPS guy on his way into town (for that early delivery) I have a place that I sit, and login with my Pocket PC, and use X-PRO to make VOIP calls.
:lol:My WIFI is Open
Why
Unless they have a great ant. there not getting anything.
The laptop won't get a connection outside. I know I could extend the range but I don't bring the laptop outside. It barely reaches the far rooms.
I've tried Wardriving but without much luck. I would need to build a better ant.
Why
Unless they have a great ant. there not getting anything.
The laptop won't get a connection outside. I know I could extend the range but I don't bring the laptop outside. It barely reaches the far rooms.
I've tried Wardriving but without much luck. I would need to build a better ant.
jrfuda
Active Member
I've gone back and forth between using and not using encryption.
However, I always use MAC address filtering, so only the clients I specify in the WAP's setup can connect. I think this will keep all but serious hackers off your network.
I've found that my connectionis a little more reliable with encryption turned-off.
But due to issues with connection losses (bad when you're using ML), I now have what used to be a full-time wireless client (Viewpad) connected via CAT 5, and only use the wireless network to connect my work laptop when I take it home
However, I always use MAC address filtering, so only the clients I specify in the WAP's setup can connect. I think this will keep all but serious hackers off your network.
I've found that my connectionis a little more reliable with encryption turned-off.
But due to issues with connection losses (bad when you're using ML), I now have what used to be a full-time wireless client (Viewpad) connected via CAT 5, and only use the wireless network to connect my work laptop when I take it home
I have a wireless access point that is sometimes turned on, sometimes off. I use what security I can. I have needed to broadcast SSID a few times to get some devices to connect, but it's usually off. Most of my networking is wired so I don't care too much about throughput on the wireless.
I live in an apartment and I'm sure there are neighbors who could connect to my system.
As far as wardriving goes, I've driven around with my PDA's WiFi active and running wififofum. Between work and home one day (20 miles or so), I picked up about 50 networks as I drove by - sometimes at 40-45 mph. These were from homes and businesses. Only about half had WEP enabled. Many of them had SSIDs like LINKSYS or BELKIN or numbers that looked like sequential installations from a cable company or something.
I would never assume that things like MAC filtering are sufficient - or I have a different definition of "serious hacker." While I don't think people are necessarily going to search for my network and expend a little effort to crack my WEP and MAC filtering, it's not hard for them to do. I think more about the bored teenager who thinks it's cool to break in to someone's network. I'm sure there is stuff you can download from the net that runs for a little while with no interaction and delivers the necessary information to break WEP and spoof a MAC address. With the proliferation of wireless networking offered by the ADSL and cable internet companies, more and more kids (or others) are going to have access to the hardware and see this as a fun thing to do. With enough traffic on your network, it only takes a couple hours to crack this stuff - and they don't need to do anything except sit back.
I'm not too concerned about people piggy-backing onto my network to get to the internet. While I don't want them using the bandwidth that I'm paying for, at least it's not a security risk. But I don't want them accessing the machines on my network (or controlling my apartment, for that matter). This would let them know things about when I'm home, who calls me, etc. This kind of information can be valuable to many people who I wouldn't necessarily want to have it. Also, I have a lot of media files (music, recorded video, etc.) on hard drives. All of this is stuff that I purchased or recorded under "fair use." But, if someone gets into my network and starts copying or playing them, then I may technically be distributing these files and violating copyright laws - something I'd rather not do.
I live in an apartment and I'm sure there are neighbors who could connect to my system.
As far as wardriving goes, I've driven around with my PDA's WiFi active and running wififofum. Between work and home one day (20 miles or so), I picked up about 50 networks as I drove by - sometimes at 40-45 mph. These were from homes and businesses. Only about half had WEP enabled. Many of them had SSIDs like LINKSYS or BELKIN or numbers that looked like sequential installations from a cable company or something.
I would never assume that things like MAC filtering are sufficient - or I have a different definition of "serious hacker." While I don't think people are necessarily going to search for my network and expend a little effort to crack my WEP and MAC filtering, it's not hard for them to do. I think more about the bored teenager who thinks it's cool to break in to someone's network. I'm sure there is stuff you can download from the net that runs for a little while with no interaction and delivers the necessary information to break WEP and spoof a MAC address. With the proliferation of wireless networking offered by the ADSL and cable internet companies, more and more kids (or others) are going to have access to the hardware and see this as a fun thing to do. With enough traffic on your network, it only takes a couple hours to crack this stuff - and they don't need to do anything except sit back.
I'm not too concerned about people piggy-backing onto my network to get to the internet. While I don't want them using the bandwidth that I'm paying for, at least it's not a security risk. But I don't want them accessing the machines on my network (or controlling my apartment, for that matter). This would let them know things about when I'm home, who calls me, etc. This kind of information can be valuable to many people who I wouldn't necessarily want to have it. Also, I have a lot of media files (music, recorded video, etc.) on hard drives. All of this is stuff that I purchased or recorded under "fair use." But, if someone gets into my network and starts copying or playing them, then I may technically be distributing these files and violating copyright laws - something I'd rather not do.
Squintz
Senior Member
The reason for me is so people cant send terrorist threats to the president from my network connection. I could give a crap less if someone connects to my connection for free but I don't want some illegal action to be tracked back to me just as electron said.
Not to mention that if i were to go wireless people could hack into my PC perhaps and view all my cams and get sesitive information. Sure the chances of that are slim but it could happen and I dont even want to chance it.
It only took me about an hour to drop down a cat 5 cable in the return air duct and fish down the wires to my bedrooms. The cable its self is about $40 for i think 500 or 1000 feet from HomeDepot. To be honest now that I have a wire in every room including the bathrooms I cant see why anyone would ever want to use wireless. The performance of a wired system is so my better.
If I were going to use a WAP it would only be for a carPC and I would set it up so that password encryption is needed and the internet is not available at that Access Point. Only the local network would be available. I dont see any need to access the web from my car when my PC is only a few feet away.
Not to mention that if i were to go wireless people could hack into my PC perhaps and view all my cams and get sesitive information. Sure the chances of that are slim but it could happen and I dont even want to chance it.
It only took me about an hour to drop down a cat 5 cable in the return air duct and fish down the wires to my bedrooms. The cable its self is about $40 for i think 500 or 1000 feet from HomeDepot. To be honest now that I have a wire in every room including the bathrooms I cant see why anyone would ever want to use wireless. The performance of a wired system is so my better.
If I were going to use a WAP it would only be for a carPC and I would set it up so that password encryption is needed and the internet is not available at that Access Point. Only the local network would be available. I dont see any need to access the web from my car when my PC is only a few feet away.
Skibum
Senior Member
You guys must live on the other side of the tracks or something... or just plain paranoid.
You all don't wear tin foil hats to ward off aliens do you? :lol:
What about:
Your Mailbox
Your Telephone Line
Your plastic credit cards
un encrypted email
cell phone calls
the power line
your rfid gas wand
fake police
offensive drivers
your drivers license
You all don't wear tin foil hats to ward off aliens do you? :lol:
What about:
Your Mailbox
Your Telephone Line
Your plastic credit cards
un encrypted email
cell phone calls
the power line
your rfid gas wand
fake police
offensive drivers
your drivers license
