Wireless Lan info needed

[xssiveone]

Anyone familiar with wireless lan setup? I've currently got a wired lan setup and am thinking about changing to wireless so I can share my hi-speed connection with my neighbour.

What is the best way to prevent someone from hacking into my system? Firewall? Encryption?

And, what is the range of the wireless? Can it traverse concrete? Dirt?

Thanks in advance

[beechfront]

if you are just talking next door neighbor should be no problem.

the best way to go is to limit access by hardware address.... you can limit access to any computer you want.


to find the physical address on a windows box click start, run.. then type cmd.

at the prompt type:

ipconfig /all

your hardware/mac/adapter/phsysical address - whatever you want to call it should be there. it's a 12 digit alphanumeric number.

this is a unique number to each network adapter (supposedly ever made)


PM or email me if you need help with anything.

[Czekus21]

I doubt if your wireless connection will make the trip through concrete or a solid surface. Aprox range with minimal obstructions should be in the area of around 600 feet. This is plain Jane out of the box. I'm sure you could beef it up but just how much do you want to spend?
Also. I work in the communications field dealing with high speed broadband internet every day. I'll tell you that a lock just keeps an honest person honest. Same goes with security on the internet. If a hacker is bright enough, and he want's to get in, He will. Whether or not you are wireless or not, I know that wireless you are deffenitly more vunerable. look what happened to our site a short time ago. I hope that the updates that JP did will keep the S.O.B. out forever.

[xssiveone]

Thanks for the replies.

Beechfront:That is what I was going to do, lock everything down via mac addresses. Not worried about my neighbour as she knows very little about computers... just uses hers to play online games. Just looking at saving both of us some coin.

Czekus21:Yes, I realize that any security system only keeps an honest thief out, but if there is some protection in place they might just decide to go "down the street" to an unprotected system. My concern with the transmission thru concrete or dirt is my wired router currently sits about 2 feet above the ground and approx. 15 feet away is her computer.. sitting right on the floor of her basement, about 4 feet below ground, so the signal would have to pass thru dirt at it's present location.

I'm going to set it up and then take my laptop next door and set it on the floor next to her computer and see what happens. I'm pretty sure I will have to relocate when I install the wireless router. Not a big deal, just mildly inconvient.

[Dhost]

Wireless?

Don't know much about wireless but it sounds like the info you are getting on this site is pretty good.

If you don't have wardrivers in your neighborhood, I wouldn't worry about local intrusion.

For the best long-term protection advice, I would recommend using old windoz gurus for stayin' current with the latest hack attempts, etc. Especially when they're free!

Here are a few: www.langa.com, karenware.com & blackviper.com

Another ol fart, Brian Livingston's latest rant is mind boggling and actually quite depressing; but of course, a 'must-read' since it covers the 'must-have' levels of protection: http://www.windowssecrets.com/040923/

Wishing you the best!

[tommystinson]

Ive got a dell 2300 broadband router (802.11b/g) that worked fine in the old house. The "new old house" is a different story. Plaster walls, etc. 2 rooms away and it dies. Also, anything in the 2.4 GHz band (cordless phones, microwave ovens) can screw up the connection. Put the router in front of a window, maybe? I'll trade you my router for XS parts if you don't have one yet!

[xssiveone]

I'll trade you my router for XS parts if you don't have one yet!

I don't have one yet, so what parts are you looking for?

Of course, I have plaster walls as well so it might not work here either...

[tommystinson]

Radio performance is hard to predict. It also depends on the receiver. My laptop wireless is internal, I.E. no stubby external antenna. I guess I'm looking for all kinds of stuff. E-mail me at gpslaser@yahoo.com and I'll give you a short-list.

[xssiveone]

Bought a wireless router yesterday, as well as a wireless adapter for my laptop. Got a good connection between the laptop and the wireless router.... and that's where the pain and suffering starts.

The current plan is to keep my existing wired router in place, currently located in the basement, and mount the wireless router at a higher point for greater coverage. I can't get the 2 routers to talk to each other. They can see each other as evidenced by the lights on the front panels.

I'm starting to pull my hair out over this and those who have met me can attest to the fact that I don't have too much to spare!!

DHCP has been turned off on the wired router and IP addy's manually configured. Mac address and ip address of the wireless router has been added to the wired router's list of acceptable connections. I've set the default gateway of the wireless to the ip of the wired, put in dns numbers, and nothing has worked.

What am I missing to make this work? Is it a simple matter of turning the DHCP function back on? I "should" be able to get it to work by manually configuring it I think?

Brian

[TopCatGr58]

More Wireless fun!

Hey there Brian,

I remember seeing this thread a while back, and after we acquired a new laptop for the wife/house/trips, I wanted to be able to use it wirelessly vs. the rest of the house that IS Hard Wired!! The laptop came with a "free" b/g 54mbps wireless adapter! I then learned about something called an Access Point! I already had a 4 port router, and one line running downstairs to the kitchen area. I picked up the Access point at CompUSA.

First connected to a computer with hard wire to run the setup program, installed the Mac Address that I read off of the Laptop's adapter, and then activated WEP, typed in an access name and it generated a security key. Then I connected the WAP to the kitchen line, turned on the laptop and activated the wireless network, typed in the security access key, and it connected! And I was using DHCP!!

Was able to keep my hardwired network, and add wireless access as well, relatively cheaply, vs. replacing ALL of the network adapters and router that comprised my little home network(mostly just to share internet access)!

So, I'm wondering if you didn't really need another ROUTER, vs. just adding an Access Point!? Hope you got it figured out! Was wondering why you couldn't just run a hard line across the yard, bury it slightly to keep it from getting damaged!?

[rneal55555]

TC,
Wireless is the Bomb. Of course I found it before I went to the trouble of wiring the house. I do have a big roll of cat5 wire I never used hanging arouns though if he wants it.

[Dennyz]

I just set my daughter up with Wireless "G". I purchased an "Access Point" that hard wires to my switch (which hooks to my router) and broadcasts to a USB receiver that she plugs into. Her room is up stairs and one room off of the location of the "Access Point". It seems to be working OK. I tried moving around the house and found that I can only get about one room away.

Connecting two routers is going to be a problem.

[xssiveone]

Re: More Wireless fun!

Originally posted by TopCatGr58
Hey there Brian,

I remember seeing this thread a while back, and after we acquired a new laptop for the wife/house/trips, I wanted to be able to use it wirelessly vs. the rest of the house that IS Hard Wired!! The laptop came with a "free" b/g 54mbps wireless adapter! I then learned about something called an Access Point! I already had a 4 port router, and one line running downstairs to the kitchen area. I picked up the Access point at CompUSA.

Essentially what I ended up with TC. It's simply amazing how much information is available on the manufacturers web site. LinkSys has a "how to" section that describes exactly how to set things up with 2 routers, turning the wireless router into an access point. Things are working great here.

As for the hardwire across the lawn, that was discussed but I couldn't talk her into it. I ended up getting her a USB wireless adapter that I could sit in her window sill... it puts it about a foot above ground level and gives her about 60% of a full G connection.

[xssiveone]

Originally posted by rneal55555
TC,
Wireless is the Bomb. Of course I found it before I went to the trouble of wiring the house. I do have a big roll of cat5 wire I never used hanging arouns though if he wants it.

If you weren't so far away I'd take you up on it. Wireless is OK, but I'll still take hardwired over it anyday.

[xssiveone]

Originally posted by Dennyz
I just set my daughter up with Wireless "G". I purchased an "Access Point" that hard wires to my switch (which hooks to my router) and broadcasts to a USB receiver that she plugs into. Her room is up stairs and one room off of the location of the "Access Point". It seems to be working OK. I tried moving around the house and found that I can only get about one room away.

Connecting two routers is going to be a problem.

That's the main thing that I don't like about wireless.. the signal loss. I went the usb route first with an adapter plugged into my laptop. Mind you, it was only a "B" instead of a "G" but I still felt it was pretty bad. My neighbour has a usb adapter on her desktop, but it has a wire on it so she can move it to get the best connection.

As for the two routers, it wasn't that difficult... once I read the FAQ on Linksys site on how to set it up. My wired router is a Dlink and the wireless is a Linksys. The Linksys is just operating as an access point now, with everything(IP,security, etc) being controlled by the Dlink.