[Coco] thingy finds an unencrypted network

[Roger Taylor]

At 01:51 AM 7/16/2007, you wrote:
>Stephen H. Fischer wrote:
>>>(To my surprise when I booted it the wireless network thingy finds an
>>>unencrypted network to connect to?)
>>Do not be surprised. Twice I have activated my computer with MS before I
>>could configure my Private Wireless network. (Four Computers and growing)
>>
>>If you want to have some fun, download "Netstumbler" and drive around.
>>
>>Most people are clue less.
>Just be carefull if you are going to do this, someone was recently 
>prosicuted in the UK for unauthorised access to someone's wireless 
>network. Mind the person in question, was sitting outside the house 
>of the person who's network he was accessing for several hours at a stretch.
>
>Remember just because you can access it doen't make it right (or 
>leagal) to do so.
>
>I have to admit I tend to turn off my wireless access point when I'm 
>not actually using it....even though it's secured, I think it doen't 
>harm me to be carefull.....



Still, the latest thing just happens to be what you are describing, 
from "war driving" to tapping into the closest open network you can 
see, and even a lot of the wireless products on the market include 
some kind of slogan on the boxes or ads, saying something to the 
extend, "share your connection with the neighbors" or "create a 
neighborhood network", etc. which is sort of promoting the idea of an 
open wireless world.  Ofcourse, this is the cable and DSL provider's 
worst fears that the neighbors will get a free ride off of somebody's 
single connection.  The minute I bought my wireless router I secured 
it.  Change the password often, though, because there are tools that 
can probe the security doors until it guesses the password.  It takes 
sometimes millions of tries, but when you notice your bandwidth 
dropping to dial-up speed sometimes when you're not doing anything it 
kinda makes you wonder if someone is doing just that.  There's also 
the measure of using the directional antennas, like the Cantenna, for 
a good purpose, of helping keep your signal focused inside of your 
house in a beam instead of escaping in a huge radiation globe for all to see.

Secure your network.  Go into your router (usually 192.168.1.1) and 
simply enable the security feature.  This should keep your neighbors 
and war drivers out of your system, and even then use the firewall 
and sharing priveledges under Windows/Linux, etc. to keep intruders 
out of your files, even if they can somehow tap into your internet 
connection if the router is open.



-- 
Roger Taylor