I eventually had a go at setting up my wireless network but 
it turned out a complete failure and I wound up unplugging 
it all and going back to where I started from.

I couldn't get an internet connection at all on the pc cable 
connected to the wireless router. On the laptop, I could 
pick up a few networks, one of which seemed to be mine as it 
was showing as unsecured whereas the others were showing as 
secured (plus other network stuff unrelated to me). I 
couldn't find any way of restricting the connection on my 
laptop to my wireless router nor could I find any way of 
securing the connection on the laptop - I clicked on just 
everything that seemed likely but no joy. A complete fiasco!

Ted

Ted wrote:
> On the laptop, I could pick up a few networks, 
> one of which seemed to be mine as it was showing as unsecured whereas 
> the others were showing as secured (plus other network stuff unrelated 
> to me). 
First thing is to connect to your router via the cable, login as admin, 
change the password and give your network a name you can recognise but 
which doesnt reveal your name or address  ie dont use "Brownatno10".

You also need to get the internet connection via the router working for 
your pc or laptop via the network cable before trying the wireless.

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:19:09 +0100, robert <robert@invalid.invalid> wrote:

> give your network a name you can recognise but 
> which doesnt reveal your name or address  ie dont use "Brownatno10".

Why is that?  Will someone follow along the radio waves and rob your home?
Will announcing the location of the AP make the network any more hackable?
I read so much paranoid stuff like this that I wonder what is on the minds
of those who spread it and so I am moved to ask.

Tony

Anthony R. Gold wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:19:09 +0100, robert <robert@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> 
>> give your network a name you can recognise but 
>> which doesnt reveal your name or address  ie dont use "Brownatno10".
> 
> Why is that?  Will someone follow along the radio waves and rob your home?
> Will announcing the location of the AP make the network any more hackable?
> I read so much paranoid stuff like this that I wonder what is on the minds
> of those who spread it and so I am moved to ask.
> 
> Tony

With reflection I am converted - but I do not feel comfortable embedding 
more personal details than necessary in email addresses and other 
transmitted information.

However I would also suggest turning off the SSID broadcast.

In article , robert@invalid.invalid 
says...
> 
> With reflection I am converted - but I do not feel comfortable embedding 
> more personal details than necessary in email addresses and other 
> transmitted information.
> 
> However I would also suggest turning off the SSID broadcast.
 
At least change it from the default SSID that probably identifies the 
model of your router.  That could be used to implement a device specific 
hack.  Most manufacturers prohibit logging onto the router's management 
account via the radio to help prevent this but...

Perhaps putting your address in the SSID would allow neighbours to help 
you set up security, if you are not able to find out the method :-)  (I 
wonder who "julie" is around here - I've used that open connection at 
the bottom of the garden rather than go back to switch mine on...)
-- 
John W
To mail me replace the obvious with co.uk twice

On 27 Jul, 23:15, "Anthony R. Gold"  wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:19:09 퍝, robert <rob...@invalid.invalid> wrote> > give your network a name you can recognise but
> > which doesnt reveal your name or address  ie dont use "Brownatno10".
>
> Why is that?  Will someone follow along the radio waves and rob your home?
> Will announcing the location of the AP make the network any more hackable> I read so much paranoid stuff like this that I wonder what is on the minds
> of those who spread it and so I am moved to ask.
>
> Tony

Why would you want to put personally-identifiable info in given the
choice?
Sure, it probably won't hurt, but it definitely won't hurt if you
don't.
I can think of a couple of scenarios - people turning off routers when
they're out or on holiday, for example, might give someone a clue you
weren't at home.  Sniffing ethernet traffic might reveal emails that
did similar.
Just call it something memorable but cryptic.

To the OP: get it working with a cable first, then sort out the
wireless.
Find the IP address of your router by start..run..cmd and typing
"ipconfig /all".  note the gateway address numbers, and in internet
explorer type in http://your.gateway.ip and hit enter.  You should be
asked to login to your router.  Check the username/password settings
and if you're not sure ring up your ISP whilst you're logged in and
ask them.
Once you've got a wired connection working, you can setup the
wireless.  Get it working without encryption and then turn on WPA and
pick a password.

Ric

robert wrote:
> Ted wrote:
>> On the laptop, I could pick up a few networks, one of which seemed to 
>> be mine as it was showing as unsecured whereas the others were showing 
>> as secured (plus other network stuff unrelated to me). 

> First thing is to connect to your router via the cable, login as admin, 
> change the password and give your network a name you can recognise but 
> which doesnt reveal your name or address  ie dont use "Brownatno10".
> 
> You also need to get the internet connection via the router working for 
> your pc or laptop via the network cable before trying the wireless.

I made the various name changes but couldn't get an internet 
connection on the pc when the pc was connected to the 
wireless router by cable. However, I could get a wireless 
connection on the laptop (a few networks!) but I couldn't 
get the connection secured.

Ted

"Ted"  wrote in message 
news:9xFjk.83110$7O1.78126@newsfe12.ams2...
> robert wrote:
>> Ted wrote:
>>> On the laptop, I could pick up a few networks, one of which seemed to be 
>>> mine as it was showing as unsecured whereas the others were showing as 
>>> secured (plus other network stuff unrelated to me).
>
>> First thing is to connect to your router via the cable, login as admin, 
>> change the password and give your network a name you can recognise but 
>> which doesnt reveal your name or address  ie dont use "Brownatno10".
>>
>> You also need to get the internet connection via the router working for 
>> your pc or laptop via the network cable before trying the wireless.
>
> I made the various name changes but couldn't get an internet connection on 
> the pc when the pc was connected to the wireless router by cable. However, 
> I could get a wireless connection on the laptop (a few networks!) but I 
> couldn't get the connection secured.

Can I check: is your first sentence talking about a different PC to the 
second sentence?

If so, it looks as if you have two different problems. Let's consider them 
separately.

1. PC connected to by Ethernet cable. This ought to work without any 
configuration, providing that the PC hasn't been set to use a static IP 
address. Check first that the router has a status light for the port that 
the cable is plugged into (typically the port and its corresponding light 
are numbered 1-4); the ethernet post on the PC may also have a status light. 
If these are not lit, you may have a problem with the router or PC card or 
the cable. Assuming that the lights are OK,  see what ipconfig and ping 
report (see below for details of these tests).

2. The PC which is connected by wireless can connect to the router but you 
are having problems with an encrypted connection. First of all, let me check 
that you understand that encryption is turned on at the *router* not at the 
PC: having gone into the router's config page and enabled (for example) 
WPA-PSK encryption (*) with a suitable neywork key (password), the PC will 
detect that it is now dealing with an encrypted network and will prompt for 
the key to be entered; having done this once, the PC will remember it and 
will not prompt for it again.


Ipconfig/ping tests:

a) Start | Run | cmd - a black window with white writing will appear
b) In that window, type "ipconfig" [press the enter key] (without the double 
quotes). This should display something like

Windows IP Configuration

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

c) In the same window, type "ping 192.168.0.1" [enter] - alter the four 
numbers if necessary to match those listed as Default Gateway in the output 
of ipconfig. This should give the response

Pinging router [192.168.0.1] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),

Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 2ms, Average = 1ms
d) type "ping news.bbc.co.uk" [enter] which should give the same response 
but with address 212.58.226.8; the "time" values may also be larger, around 
15-30 ms.

If these tests fail, post what response you get and one of us will try to 
diagnose the response.



(*) Enabling wireless security

The exact details will vary from one router to another, but typically you 
use Internet Explorer or Firefox to browse to a "web site" 192.168.0.1 
(modifiy this value to match the Default Gateway value given by ipconfig) 
and then go through the menus to find the Wireless menu and then Security. 
Tell us the make of router and we can give more specific instructions.

Mortimer wrote:

Thanks for your input. Comments inline

> "Ted"  wrote in message 
> news:9xFjk.83110$7O1.78126@newsfe12.ams2...
>> robert wrote:
>>> Ted wrote:
>>>> On the laptop, I could pick up a few networks, one of which seemed to be 
>>>> mine as it was showing as unsecured whereas the others were showing as 
>>>> secured (plus other network stuff unrelated to me).
>>> First thing is to connect to your router via the cable, login as admin, 
>>> change the password and give your network a name you can recognise but 
>>> which doesnt reveal your name or address  ie dont use "Brownatno10".
>>>
>>> You also need to get the internet connection via the router working for 
>>> your pc or laptop via the network cable before trying the wireless.
>> I made the various name changes but couldn't get an internet connection on 
>> the pc when the pc was connected to the wireless router by cable. However, 
>> I could get a wireless connection on the laptop (a few networks!) but I 
>> couldn't get the connection secured.
> 
> Can I check: is your first sentence talking about a different PC to the 
> second sentence?

There is only one pc and one laptop. The desired result is a 
wired connection to the pc (as it happens, the pc mobo has a 
wireless connector but it is turned off) and a secured 
wireless connection to the laptop. The router is a WRT 160N.

> If so, it looks as if you have two different problems. Let's consider them 
> separately.
> 
> 1. PC connected to by Ethernet cable. This ought to work without any 
> configuration, providing that the PC hasn't been set to use a static IP 
> address. Check first that the router has a status light for the port that 
> the cable is plugged into (typically the port and its corresponding light 
> are numbered 1-4); the ethernet post on the PC may also have a status light. 
> If these are not lit, you may have a problem with the router or PC card or 
> the cable. Assuming that the lights are OK,  see what ipconfig and ping 
> report (see below for details of these tests).

All the lights seemed to be flashing in the right places at 
the right time so I am reasonably confident the problem lies 
with a software configuration rather than hardware. I 
checked ipconfig but can't recall the output - I didn't try 
pinging anything.

I have another go at setting it up and see what happens. It 
is time consuming and laborious to access the cabling at the 
back of my pc due to the tight space in which it sits - 
moving it in and out doesn't do my back any good either!

> 2. The PC which is connected by wireless can connect to the router but you 
> are having problems with an encrypted connection. First of all, let me check 
> that you understand that encryption is turned on at the *router* not at the 
> PC: having gone into the router's config page and enabled (for example) 
> WPA-PSK encryption (*) with a suitable neywork key (password), the PC will 
> detect that it is now dealing with an encrypted network and will prompt for 
> the key to be entered; having done this once, the PC will remember it and 
> will not prompt for it again.
> 
> 
> Ipconfig/ping tests:
> 
> a) Start | Run | cmd - a black window with white writing will appear
> b) In that window, type "ipconfig" [press the enter key] (without the double 
> quotes). This should display something like
> 
> Windows IP Configuration
> 
> Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
> 
>         Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
>         IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2
>         Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
>         Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
> 
> c) In the same window, type "ping 192.168.0.1" [enter] - alter the four 
> numbers if necessary to match those listed as Default Gateway in the output 
> of ipconfig. This should give the response
> 
> Pinging router [192.168.0.1] with 32 bytes of data:
> 
> Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
> Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
> Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
> Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
> 
> Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
>     Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
> 
> Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
>     Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 2ms, Average = 1ms
> d) type "ping news.bbc.co.uk" [enter] which should give the same response 
> but with address 212.58.226.8; the "time" values may also be larger, around 
> 15-30 ms.
> 
> If these tests fail, post what response you get and one of us will try to 
> diagnose the response.
> 
> (*) Enabling wireless security
> 
> The exact details will vary from one router to another, but typically you 
> use Internet Explorer or Firefox to browse to a "web site" 192.168.0.1 
> (modifiy this value to match the Default Gateway value given by ipconfig) 
> and then go through the menus to find the Wireless menu and then Security. 
> Tell us the make of router and we can give more specific instructions. 

I think the router ip was 192.168.1.1 but I can't recall if 
that matched the gateway value. I accessed the configuration 
panel via the browser and turned on wpa2. However, when I 
turned the laptop on a connection was showing (a few 
connections actually) but mine was showing as unsecured. I 
couldn't find a way of turning on wpa2 on the laptop (I 
assume that is what is needed to make a secure connection?).

However, as I couldn't get an internet connection on the pc 
through the wireless router, I've now reverted back to a 
standard wired modem connection.

I'll have another go on Thurs afternoon, or failing that, 
Friday morning and see what happens. Again, thanks for your 
input.

Ted

In message , Anthony R. Gold 
 writes
>Why is that?  Will someone follow along the radio waves and rob your home?
It announces that you have a PC or laptop which makes your home worth a 
punt, after all the scrotes use mobile phones to hunt bluetooth enabled 
sat nav and other electronics in car parks. Plenty of WiFi enabled 
mobiles kicking around now so it's just a matter of time if it's not 
happening already.
>Will announcing the location of the AP make the network any more hackable?
Unlikely if it's been configured properly.
>I read so much paranoid stuff like this that I wonder what is on the minds
>of those who spread it and so I am moved to ask.
It's easy, having family in the police force and knowing (reformed I 
might add) people who's prior occupations involved relieving people of 
their possessions, makes you realise that little tips like that are 
worth knowing because it's so simple to fix (if you were daft enough)
>
>Tony

-- 
Clint Sharp

"Ted"  wrote in message 
news:iG0kk.75635$wd5.24858@newsfe17.ams2...
> Mortimer wrote:
>
> I think the router ip was 192.168.1.1 but I can't recall if that matched 
> the gateway value. I accessed the configuration panel via the browser and 
> turned on wpa2. However, when I turned the laptop on a connection was 
> showing (a few connections actually) but mine was showing as unsecured. I 
> couldn't find a way of turning on wpa2 on the laptop (I assume that is 
> what is needed to make a secure connection?).

You don't need to turn on WPA at the laptop. If you've changed the security 
setting at the router - and restarted the wireless access point in the 
router by rebooting if it needs it (*) - then the laptop should see it as a 
secured connection when you rescan for available networks. If it doesn't 
then there's something that you've not done correctly at the router.

Once the connection is secured and the laptop sees this, when you try to 
connect again (you may need to force the laptop to disconnect from the 
unsecured network first) then it should prompt for the WPA that you've 
configured at the router and then reconnect. And it should remember that key 
for the future.


(*) I think Linksys routers do require a reboot (and maybe a save of the 
current config before that) in order to make the change take effect.

> However, as I couldn't get an internet connection on the pc through the 
> wireless router, I've now reverted back to a standard wired modem 
> connection.
>
> I'll have another go on Thurs afternoon, or failing that, Friday morning 
> and see what happens. Again, thanks for your input.

No problem - I'm one of those people who prefers to help people who have 
problems rather than deriding their limited knowledge ;-)

In MsgID<vapE7FDy+5jIFwXN@clintsmc.demon.co.uk> on Tue, 29 Jul 2008
23:54:42 +0100, in uk.comp.home-networking, 'Clint Sharp' wrote:

>>I read so much paranoid stuff like this that I wonder what is on the minds
>>of those who spread it and so I am moved to ask.
>It's easy, having family in the police force and knowing (reformed I 

>might add) people who's prior occupations involved relieving people of 
>their possessions, makes you realise that little tips like that are 
>worth knowing because it's so simple to fix (if you were daft enough)

I learnt in school (courtesy of a teacher I might add) why it's a bad idea
to put your real name on anything online. 

I don't maintain it so absolutely these days, but I kept it up for a good
few years (decade plus) to the extent of not even putting, or at least,
not leaving without wiping, a real name on anything connected or
potentially connected to a public network or BBS.

It makes excellent sense, and *certainly* extends to anything that's
potentially hackable via radiowaves, never mind anything that's going to
be intentionally broadcast!

Never been able to understand why /anyone/ who's not seeking business
would put their real details online. What's the point? The only use it
could ever be is to allow a total stranger to knock on your door. Crazy
idea.

Dave J.

Mortimer wrote:
> "Ted"  wrote in message 
> news:iG0kk.75635$wd5.24858@newsfe17.ams2...
>> Mortimer wrote:

> You don't need to turn on WPA at the laptop. If you've changed the security 
> setting at the router - and restarted the wireless access point in the 
> router by rebooting if it needs it (*) - then the laptop should see it as a 
> secured connection when you rescan for available networks. If it doesn't 
> then there's something that you've not done correctly at the router.
> 
> Once the connection is secured and the laptop sees this, when you try to 
> connect again (you may need to force the laptop to disconnect from the 
> unsecured network first) then it should prompt for the WPA that you've 
> configured at the router and then reconnect. And it should remember that key 
> for the future.
> 
> (*) I think Linksys routers do require a reboot (and maybe a save of the 
> current config before that) in order to make the change take effect.


Well I had another go and the result this time is that:

1) the wireless - pc connection is ok (unlike last time - 
maybe it just needed a reboot as I didn't change anything)

2) no connection to the laptop at all (which is the object 
of the exercise). Last time I had a few wireless connections 
on the laptop but now it says:
- Wireless LAN Enabled
- Wireless Network Interface Disabled

The wireless card in the laptop is an Atheros AR5008 
Wireless Network Adapter which shows as working ok in the 
device manager but it won't let me configure anything (not 
that I am sure what I should be configuring). I can open the 
Atheros Client Utility Manager which shows that nothing is 
configured (all the field values are blank) but all the user 
selection buttons are 'grayed out'. I don't know how to get 
access to it or if there is some alternative to it but it is 
a show stopper at present.

So I've gone from no pc connection but laptop connection to 
a pc connection but no laptop connection.

I hope the neighbours haven't been able to hear the language 
I've been using during my so far futile attempts to sort 
this out :)

Ted