Sharing Wireless Broadband

[boots]

can be done

I have an agreement with my neighbor. They provide me with the wireless connection and in return I monitor and maintain the wireless network for them, this has been going on for about two years works great. To date have locked out three neighbors and and four mobile units to steal access. The wireless modem is set to mask the online computers. As long as you have your internet browser and wireless network set up correctly important information is not broadcast over the internet and your computer is not even seen as being their.

 

[Kroeran]

don't uber geeks just stay etherneted direct to the modem for max speed, and to avoid security issues?

are there not a lot of people using wireless, for no purpose?

 

[easysurfer]

Yeah, it shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes to set up the router and a couple of devices if you have someone in the know. Say, what was the address where you keep this unsecured router? Maybe I can stop by and [-]log all your internet traffic[/-] help!

Note..I used the keyword "trustworthy"

 

[FUEGO]

don't uber geeks just stay etherneted direct to the modem for max speed, and to avoid security issues?

are there not a lot of people using wireless, for no purpose?

If you need high throughput over the network, yes, wired ethernet is the way to go. Most consumer internet in the US is slower than typical wireless speeds (assuming decent signal), so internet web-browsing doesn't really matter if it is done wired or wirelessly. I even stream video wirelessly and it comes no where close to maxing out my wireless connection.

 

[Kroeran]

I have an agreement with my neighbor. They provide me with the wireless connection and in return I monitor and maintain the wireless network for them, this has been going on for about two years works great. To date have locked out three neighbors and and four mobile units to steal access. The wireless modem is set to mask the online computers. As long as you have your internet browser and wireless network set up correctly important information is not broadcast over the internet and your computer is not even seen as being their.

isn't Ben F great! and the corrollary, the debt makes more debt, and that more debt makes more debt, and so on! ...life is a knife edge, and you fall to one side or the other, one path to financial liberty, one path to financial slavery.

apart from the ethical issue (which is significant for myself, ...greyer given actual cash is not being exchanged), there does not seem to be any particular way to get caught doing this, right? so it is at the level of downloading pirated mp3s

There is in fact a company out there that runs a website to faciliate a business model for doing this...can't remember name or details

 

[ziggy29]

so it is at the level of downloading pirated mp3s

I'm not sure I'd even say that. "Sharing" a wireless broadband connection may be against the terms of service with the ISP but I don't believe it's explicitly illegal under the law like a copyright violation would be.

I'd say it's more like one person paying for an all-you-can-eat buffet and sharing some of the food on their plate with others who didn't pay for one themselves.

 

[easysurfer]

don't uber geeks just stay etherneted direct to the modem for max speed, and to avoid security issues?

are there not a lot of people using wireless, for no purpose?

Yes, my first router I bought, I purposedly bought a wired one for the very reasons you pointed out -- max speed, avoid possibilty of security issues.

But I've found when friends/family come over with their laptops, they look at me like I've in the dark ages when they can't just flip open their computers and connect wirelessly. To them, that feels so contraining, so being a good host, I have a wireless connection so they can move about and surf as they wish.

 

[Kroeran]

I'm not sure I'd even say that. "Sharing" a wireless broadband connection may be against the terms of service with the ISP but I don't believe it's explicitly illegal under the law like a copyright violation would be.

I'd say it's more like one person paying for an all-you-can-eat buffet and sharing some of the food on their plate with others who didn't pay for one themselves.

well, this is part of my problem...I am only at the second home for a few weeks of the year, and the use is very light...stuff like this forum...no media downloading, and same story for my nieghbours. Hard to justify $40 per month...a party line would make more sense and in the end help the cable company more than not bothering at all, which is what we do.

this then gets into the tricky area of behavior that violates an unenforcable contract, where breaking the rules benefits all parties, including the cable company

 

[samclem]

this then gets into the tricky area of behavior that violates an unenforcable contract, where breaking the rules benefits all parties, including the cable company

Enquiring minds want to know: How exactly does the cable company benefit? They don't have to be bothered with writing you a year-long contract when you'll just be using it for several weeks?

 

[tuixiu]

Put two routers behind the modem, one for each user.

Again this solution relies on trust, just like one router does. Unless you're going into your neighbor's den to check their setup how do you know really know what they have going, or if it's what you agreed to?

You might as well just trust them not to spend their free time snooping router logs.

 

[calmloki]

Info from a non-geek. If a neighbor is hooking up to your network and you don't feel like password protecting it a fun game is to rename your network. Maybe something like "we can hear you having sex", or "where the hells my mower moocher?". For the geekish, here's a list of default router names and passwords:

Default Password List

 

[boots]

instructions

Connecting More Than One Computer to Road Runner Using a Wireless Router | Computing @ USM

 

[Kroeran]

Enquiring minds want to know: How exactly does the cable company benefit? They don't have to be bothered with writing you a year-long contract when you'll just be using it for several weeks?

its more money coming in for the cable company that would not otherwise be coming in, as default is not two contracts combining to one, but rather, zero contracts merging to create one.

rather than spend $40 per month, us part timers just walk over to the condo community centre and use the "free" computers in the library.

the problem with this, for me, is that my lifestyle is to sit with my wireless laptop, doing light duty like this website, on the couch beside DW while she watches So You Think You Can Dance and House Hunters....Barefoot Contessa....

fyi, Comcast does offer seasonal suspension, though I would like to maintain the system to operate web integrated security over the summer

 

[freebird5825]

Timely topic for us...TG dh2b is extremely competent in this area. Some of his w*rk buddies were talking about how easy it is these days to get a wireless signal capture device and cruise a neighborhood collecting info.
Razzafrazza digital Peeping Toms.
He just finished up the job...including turning broadcasting the SSID off,
re-configuration of the wireless router with new ID and key codes tonight. I had disconnect from the old netw*rk, reconnect and enter some data.
Obviously it all w*rked OK. Yet another reason to keep him onboard.

 

[Kroeran]

poking around, or maybe someone mentioned this in the thread, I stumbled on this ..CE Compass
http://www.cecompass.com/usbskypevoiptopstnrj11phoneadapter.aspx

which permits dual use land line and skype on house system regular phones

for $20, I thought I would give it a try and ordered it

I think I will try Magic Jack as well...just in case it works well with my equipment

 

[oldtrig]

I could connect to many wireless connections where I live but I choose to pay for my own and make sure mine is secure. Not securing a wireless
network is a good way to have a slow internet connection. I can guarantee someone close will connect. The default setting on most routers is not set secure. I will bet you 75% of the people that buy routers never take to time to secure them.

How To - Secure Wireless Router Set Up
YouTube - GetConnected - How To - Secure Wireless Router Set Up

 

[youbet]

This thread reminded me of the super whammy mark III headache I got setting up my wireless router. (I'm a little challenged in that regard.) Took me hours. Fortunately, it hasn't done anything but work in the almost 2 yrs since.

I just went and looked at what I did and even dug out my notes. Yes, security is on and yes I changed the default name and password.

I also see that there are now five other wireless signals available but all are also "locked." So I guess there is no other signal I could mooch off of if my own crapped out for some reason.

 

[utrecht]

I looked up my router manual online as suggested. The instructions say to type the IP address in the web address bar, which I did. I get a password screen. Its says to enter "admin" in the user name box and leave the password box empty and hit <next>.

I do that and nothing happens. D'oh !!!

It does say to enter the correct IP address if it has been changed from the default address, but I couldnt have changed it because I wouldnt have the slightest idea how to do it.

 

[ERD50]

I looked up my router manual online as suggested. The instructions say to type the IP address in the web address bar, which I did. I get a password screen. Its says to enter "admin" in the user name box and leave the password box empty and hit <next>.

I do that and nothing happens. D'oh !!!

It does say to enter the correct IP address if it has been changed from the default address, but I couldnt have changed it because I wouldnt have the slightest idea how to do it.

There usually is a reset procedure (depress a switch while you power up or something), and that will set everything back to factory defaults. Just in case. Sometimes places will sell something returned by a customer, and they may have fiddled with settings.

-ERD50

 

[oldtrig]

utrecht, I believe you have that backward. Leave the username blank and type admin for the password. ot

 

[steve88]

I am still on dial up. For those of you who pay for their high speed connection and leave it open, when someone logs into your high speed can you guys see what site they go into?

 

[utrecht]

utrecht, I believe you have that backward. Leave the username blank and type admin for the password. ot

It doesnt work doing it either way.

 

[Rustward]

Some use 'admin' for the username and 'password' for the default password -- without the quotes.

 

[calmloki]

It doesnt work doing it either way.

Did you check the link i posted up a few that had router user/password defaults for a whole bunch of different routers?
No joy?

 

[utrecht]

I just got finished playing around with it some more. The default username and password are NOT what it says they should be on the website posted, but I finally used every combination of the standard words and got in, but couldnt figure out how to set up a secured network. It wouldnt accept my passwords.

After much frustration, I decided to buy a new router.

The new router software had me plug my computer directly into the router. I have a desktop and 3 laptops and all of them are wireless so nothing is normally wired into the router.

Anyway, I plugged my newest laptop (1 week old) into the router and ran the software for the new router. When I was done, all my wireless connections worked fine, but when I unplugged my laptop from the router, I couldn't for the life of me get it to connect to the internet. I had wireless internet on 2 laptops and my desktop and wired internet on my new laptop but couldnt get wireless on my new laptop.

Plan B.....return router and buy a better one.

Plan B went down in flames. The better router didn't work at all. I couldnt get anywhere. When I ran the software, it told me the computer was not connected...but alas it sure was.

Plan C.....go back to original router and forget about having a secure network. I got it hooked up and was explaining everything to my friend, I figured out why it wouldnt accept my chosen password. It only accepts letters A-F...very strange.

So I got the password accepted and got the secure network up and running. I logged onto the internet with my new laptop...entered the password (or security key or whatever they call it) and it worked perfectly.

However....neither of my other laptops will connect. I search for available networks. I see my network and try to connect but it nevers asks for a security key. It just denies me access.

When I try to connect toi one of my neighbors password protected connections, it asks me for a password (which i dont have of course)....but when I try to access my own connection, it never asks for a password....I just get denied access.

VERY FRUSTRATING !!!

So after 4 hours of work and 2 trips to Best Buy....Im back to the drawing board and still need to go back to Best Buy to return router #2.