Airport Questions

edited July 2007 in conversations
Just curious:

Does the owner of a wireless network receive any notification, or discover, if and when someone else joins that network?

If the answer to that is yes, then what information about the connector can the owner learn?

Comments

  • edited 12:11PM
    Sure. Depending on your router, there's probably a status page where you can see all of the wireless clients connected. It will also list their computer's name, and the IP address that the router assigned them. It will also list their MAC, or hardware, address...good for blocking the person, if you'd like. The MAC address is unique to every network card, wired or wireless (though worth noting, it can be spoofed).

    As for being notified, I'm sure it's possible (with lots of tweaking), but I don't know of any routers that do that out of the box.
  • edited 12:11PM
    Hmmmm. That means that if I connect to someone's wireless network using Airport, and my computer happens to be named, My Name's Computer, then the owner of that network gets my name?

    Hmmmm. Without major intrusion to my drive, can I change the name of my computer?
  • edited 12:11PM
    Yep. In System Preferences, then Sharing, name it whatever you'd like.
  • edited 12:11PM
    using someone else's WiFi is bad, mmmkay?
  • edited 12:11PM
    Yeah, I can follow that.

    But if they really didn't want it used, why not protect it with a password? That's really simple, and I'm not going to try hacking in.

    Rather like having my fan blow air - you shouldn't come into my yard to benefit from it, but what's to prevent you from standing outside my boundary and enjoying? If I don't want you to do that, I redirect it or put up a fence.

    Not the best analogy, but somehow I don't really feel guilty about using something that someone is obviously making available.
  • edited July 2007
    If the logs are turned on in the router.. They will see your mac addy, log in time etc.. They can also use kismac to scan the router and see traffic. Since its an open node they don't seem to care.. Yes, you can be seen. Other apps like Henwen can be set up to do a pop up when the network is joined.. At this point relax.. but do not heavily use the bandwidth.. ie bittorrents , etc.. Their ISP might notice that and send them a warning..


    And remember chickens rule "using someone else's WiFi is bad, mmmkay?"

    :wink:

    Oh and if your laptop is part of your home system.. TURN SHARING OFF BEFORE JOINING A WIFI NETWORK!!! I can't count the times in a wifi cafe full of macs they were wide open.. Also go the the terminal and run this..

    defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.AppleFileServer guestAccess -bool false

    It turns off Guest Access, Which by some strange reason is always left open....
  • edited 12:11PM
    As a reminder, in many states, unauthorized use of computer networks (even unsecured) is a felony. This is the case in some other countries as well. Before using somebody else's wireless, you may want to take a gander at the local laws.
  • edited July 2007
    Biff:As a reminder, in many states, unauthorized use of computer networks (even unsecured) is a felony. This is the case in some other countries as well. Before using somebody else's wireless, you may want to take a gander at the local laws.
    I agree with Biff.. You should always be legal and moral... You don't want to go to jail and be roomies with "Tyrone who is doing 2 years for crack" :nausea:
  • edited 12:11PM
    Hello, Tyrone!!

    Not using it much, just kinda discovered it all setting up my laptop.

    I *always* have File Sharing OFF.

    I am relaxed, and if whoever owns this network objects, I guess they can make the effort to find me, but that sounds like a greater effort than simply putting in a password to use it.

    Don't really know what the spefic law about using somebody else's wireless is, but as it's not really much, I'll relax.

    Thanks, guys.
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