Somebody stealing my WLAN?

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Deman
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Somebody stealing my WLAN?

Post by Deman » Mon Nov 17, 2008 2:40 pm

For this last couple of days, I haven't been able to connect my laptop to the net (I'm writing this from my desktop). I can connect to my router and the signal strength is "excellent" but the speed is usually 1 to 5Mbps. It should be as high as 54. This morning, I used my laptop to scan for other wireless connections and I found another one (unsecured) and tested if I could connect to the net through it... no problem, even though the speed was only 11Mbps and the signal was weak. My router is "appartently" secure as it says "Security Enabled Wireless Network (WPA)" but I get the feeling that someone else is using it. Also, my N95 finds the router but cannot make a network connection through it.

So, if somebody is stealing my WLAN, how can I find out?

Is my network really secure? I used a 30 digit password when setting up the Secure Network but when I have to enter the Network Key the password is only about 8 digits long and already in the Network Key entry box.

It would be great if somebody could advise me on what to do as this is really starting to annoy me.

Thanks in advance.



Somebody stealing my WLAN?

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raamv
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Re: Somebody stealing my WLAN?

Post by raamv » Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:36 pm

Deman wrote:For this last couple of days, I haven't been able to connect my laptop to the net (I'm writing this from my desktop). I can connect to my router and the signal strength is "excellent" but the speed is usually 1 to 5Mbps. It should be as high as 54. This morning, I used my laptop to scan for other wireless connections and I found another one (unsecured) and tested if I could connect to the net through it... no problem, even though the speed was only 11Mbps and the signal was weak. My router is "appartently" secure as it says "Security Enabled Wireless Network (WPA)" but I get the feeling that someone else is using it. Also, my N95 finds the router but cannot make a network connection through it.

So, if somebody is stealing my WLAN, how can I find out?

Is my network really secure? I used a 30 digit password when setting up the Secure Network but when I have to enter the Network Key the password is only about 8 digits long and already in the Network Key entry box.

It would be great if somebody could advise me on what to do as this is really starting to annoy me.

Thanks in advance.
You can log into your wlan router to go through some statistics on "Allocated" IP addresses and MAC addresses. If your router allocates an IP address for a MAC that is not your laptop's MAC, then some other computer has connected to it and got an IP ( which means got access to your Wlan).
A 30 digit passowrd is used to calculate the WPA Hexadecimal key. So in essence, if someone is scanning a wlan to steal, they also have the wpa cracker which can essentially crack wpa easily.
The best way to prevent this is to use MAC FILTERING with (either static or dynamic) IP address allocation ( keying in your MAC address of mobile computers and statically allocating an IP address for them).
i.e. start with allowing only the MAC address of your PC and laptop.
Another way to prevent this is to limit the size of your DNS allocation ( allocated pool of dns addresses e.g. 192.168.0.33 to 192.168.0.34)
( Supernetting and masking can also be used, but not given here since it requires subnet/supernetting knowledge).
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neil
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Re: Somebody stealing my WLAN?

Post by neil » Mon Nov 17, 2008 11:19 pm

Deman wrote:So, if somebody is stealing my WLAN, how can I find out?
Has anyone switched on an 802.11N AP in your vicinity? They can kill 802.11G signals. And it also sounds like there is a lot of WIFI where you live.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiFi#Channel_pollution
Channel pollution


...Wi-Fi pollution, or an excessive number of access points in the area, especially on the same or neighboring channel, can prevent access and interfere with the use of other access points by others, caused by overlapping channels in the 802.11g/b spectrum, as well as with decreased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between access points. This can be a problem in high-density areas, such as large apartment complexes or office buildings with many Wi-Fi access points. Additionally, other devices use the 2.4 GHz band: microwave ovens, security cameras, Bluetooth devices and (in some countries) Amateur radio, video senders, cordless phones and baby monitors, all of which can cause significant additional interference. General guidance to those who suffer these forms of interference or network crowding is to migrate to a Wi-Fi 5 GHz product, (802.11a, or the newer 802.11n if it has 5 GHz support) because the 5 GHz band is relatively unused, and there are many more channels available. This also requires users to set up the 5 GHz band to be the preferred network in the client and to configure each network band to a different name (SSID). It is also an issue when municipalities,[6] or other large entities such as universities, seek to provide large area coverage. This openness is also important to the success and widespread use of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
Neil

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Deman
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Re: Somebody stealing my WLAN?

Post by Deman » Tue Nov 18, 2008 12:34 pm

I live in a low density area in Naantali. On one side of the house is forestry, I live in an OKT and there's a row of RTs across the road. The problem is not so bad now but at the weekend it was totally impossible to connect.

I find sometimes that if I unplug the router and then some minutes later replug it in, then I get connected only to lose my connection again 5-15minutes later.

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raamv
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Re: Somebody stealing my WLAN?

Post by raamv » Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:06 pm

If you want to increase your wlan signal, try the Pringles can antenna .. I ve done it and it worked like a charm for a 802.11b (old format) before.
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/anten ... ngles.html
and
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448

http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html
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Here's a similar guide:
http://flakey.info/antenna/waveguide/





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zam
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Re: Somebody stealing my WLAN?

Post by zam » Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:08 pm

Deman wrote:I find sometimes that if I unplug the router and then some minutes later replug it in, then I get connected only to lose my connection again 5-15minutes later.

I had the same problem with my Linksys wlan router. It did not get fixed until I bought a new one. A friend of mine thought that there was something wrong with the buffer of the router and that it was retiring time for the router... :-D

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Karhunkoski
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Re: Somebody stealing my WLAN?

Post by Karhunkoski » Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:20 pm

Check latest firmware for router and DL if needed

Same with driver for wireless card.
Political correctness is the belief that it's possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.


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