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mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 05 9:47 pm Post subject:
Are you running WEP, locked it down to MAC address and shorten you IP range Oh I hate wireless

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 05 10:09 pm Post subject:
It might not work anyway, if he walls are too thick. Got the download working in the end, but haven't figured out my other mouse problem. Any ideas. also, how do you enable Java scrip and cookies. I can't see it in IE advanced.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 05 10:24 pm Post subject:

mrutty wrote:

Are you running WEP,

Turning on Wireless Encription Protocol would need to be done on the base station, and (I'd guess) in your Windows Control Panel. (Airport in the Mac OS9 Apple Menu.)
This should prevent outsiders *evesdropping* on all your network traffic. But I think its not very secure, and there's something better but not generally available yet?

Quote:

locked it down to MAC address

You can (usually) restrict base stations to ONLY talk to specific devices. All network hardware devices (like the wireless thingy in your laptop have a unique ID - called a MAC address - which is a long string of letters and numbers. (Hexadecimal, but that doesn't matter.)
This should prevent anyone else *joining* your network - which is surprisingly easy... Stumbler?

Quote:

and shorten you IP range

I think this is suggesting leaving no free IP addresses on your own, internal network. This involves changing the "subnet mask" in the base stations setup for the internal network...
If there's no room on the network, there's no room for an interloper?

Quote:

Oh I hate wireless

... because it is not exactly secure, even if it is cool and convenient!
I heard that some bright sparks (well hopeful fraudsters) were setting up "spoof" hotspots (public wireless access points) specifically to capture (and inspect) folk's traffic... An interesting double twist to identity theft.

And remember that someone with a more focussed directional aerial can operate on your network from further away than you can with an omnidirectional aerial buried inside your laptop

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 05 10:36 pm Post subject:
Is "evil twin" hotspot spoofing a hype of a ridiculously obvious risk? https://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1754306,00.asp

mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 10:41 am Post subject:

dougal wrote:

And remember that someone with a more focussed directional aerial can operate on your network from further away than you can with an omnidirectional aerial buried inside your laptop

32km for recieve in a striaght line, to respond it is a little closer, but you have to be careful not to swamp the node. Also doesn't work in a thunder storm.

mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 2:30 pm Post subject:
Does anyone what me to trawl through my paperwork and find a securing wireless document?

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 3:20 pm Post subject:
Now the computers are in their places it isn't working anyway. Too far from each other me thinks. If I have to get them joined up how do I go about it. We want to be cheapskates and have one internet broadband account, and both be able to get online.

Guest

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 6:38 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

Now the computers are in their places it isn't working anyway. Too far from each other me thinks.

If I have to get them joined up how do I go about it.

We want to be cheapskates and have one internet broadband account, and both be able to get online.

Cheap ADSL router and cable it is the answer IMHO.

Try raising the basestation to ceiling level to increase the range. Can you change the power settings or swap antenias?

mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 7:02 pm Post subject:
Oops that was me

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45420
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 7:03 pm Post subject:
Would a Cisco 760? be any good? I think I've got a spare one.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 7:43 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Would a Cisco 760? be any good? I think I've got a spare one.

I don't know what that is.

I think cabeling is the way to go. We have really thick walls here, and I was dubious, the signal would get through, but she wanted to try that way first.

Where does anyone get their bits and pieces like cable and ends from.

I am thinking of going in this order.

pc - router - short cable - box on wall - cable round the house - box on wall - short cable - other pc.

Is there any reason why this wouldn't work

(our outside walls are about 20" thick - too thick proberbly?)

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 8:46 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

...

pc - router - short cable - box on wall - cable round the house - box on wall - short cable - other pc.

Is there any reason why this wouldn't work

Err, **today's** ethernet ("10 or 100 Base T") is a cabled as a "star" - there's a central (powered) box (a "hub") and each pc, networked printer, router, whatever, has its own cable to the hub.

It could be a single loose cable. A "flylead".
Big offices are wired with cables linking pairs of sockets. One of each pair would be in the "wiring closet", where a flylead would link it to a "port" on the hub. Another flylead would link the paired socket to a pc. Such a system is called "structured cabling", and the fixed cabling can be used equally well for phone extensions.
You could put a hub by each machine, but that's a pricey way, and you shouldn't 'cascade' more than 3 hubs like this.
You can get routers with an integral ethernet hub.
Unless you intend passing loads of data between the pc's you don't need 100 base T hub(s). (They carry data faster - and of course you'd need to ensure you have 100 on each pc) 10 and 100 can talk to one another, at 10 of course.
10 base T is faster than ADSL.
The cable is identical for 10 and 100...

A Gotcha: the cable for wiring hub to hub is wired differently from the ordinary hub to pc cable! So if you are planning multiple hubs, one useful thing is an "uplink" port on the hub, which uses a standard cable to go hub to hub. This might be presented as one 'port' on the hub having either two (alternative) sockets, or a changeover switch.

BTW **yesterday's** ethernet was cabled as a chain, using coaxial cable. Don't go there.

If you are looking for an alternative, you might investigate "powerline" networking where the electricity mains cables carry the network signal - like some baby alarms. I've never *had* to investigate it properly!

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 10:21 pm Post subject:
Is there much cost extra these days to a 100mbs switch, compared to a 10mbs hub? I use a linksys 4 port router, and an 8 port switch providing 10 ports in total, the wires go through the loft, round the house, and one even down the garden jema

mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 10:41 pm Post subject:

Get a netgear ADSL router, comes with four ports. Cable to each PC. Leave the printer on one PC and use Windows networking.

Wait until tomorrow and I'll put up a network diagram, parts and price list on two3five. I'm currently do a few of these fits for people. A MasonMaster is about 10" long and a 13mm one gives enough room to get a made cable through it so no need for making your own. I would only run a max of 25mtrs of cable between the two. You could extend further, but I'd not be happy. You could run 25 mtrs and then add your wireless kit fo the last bit.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 05 10:59 pm Post subject:
You are a darling, thank you

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