New to wireless. Bought daughter a laptop and set up the wireless
network. It seems to be working ok, and I have it secured. Being the
control freak that I am, though, I would like to be able to look every
now and again and see who is logged into my network -- just making sure
that she's the only one who can access it. Is there any way that I can
see who's using my network? Thanks!

On 1 Jan 2007 10:33:26 -0800, "golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net>
wrote:

>New to wireless. Bought daughter a laptop and set up the wireless
>network. It seems to be working ok, and I have it secured. Being the
>control freak that I am, though, I would like to be able to look every
>now and again and see who is logged into my network -- just making sure
>that she's the only one who can access it. Is there any way that I can
>see who's using my network? Thanks!

Assuming you have an external wireless access point you can logon to
your access point. Most of the access points can show you the
associated table. This is a list of all the connected computers. My
(Benq) shows only the MAC codes. So you have to know the MAC codes of
the allowable computers. (Most likely you know this because one of the
security measures is to allow only known MAC's to your wireless
network!)

Success
Bu

Go into the router screen and look for the DNS setup page. I assume you have
the router issuing IPs for the wireless clients. Anyway, check the DNS table
and you'll see every computer that the router has issued an IP for,
including your daughter's.

"golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:1167676406.262378.55410@48g2000cwx.googlegrou ps.com...
> New to wireless. Bought daughter a laptop and set up the wireless
> network. It seems to be working ok, and I have it secured. Being the
> control freak that I am, though, I would like to be able to look every
> now and again and see who is logged into my network -- just making sure
> that she's the only one who can access it. Is there any way that I can
> see who's using my network? Thanks!
>

John wrote:
> Go into the router screen and look for the DNS setup page. I assume you have
> the router issuing IPs for the wireless clients. Anyway, check the DNS table
> and you'll see every computer that the router has issued an IP for,
> including your daughter's.
>

I have a LinkSys Wireless G. I have looked all over and do not see any
listing of computers that the router has issued an IP for. I have a
tab for Setup DDNS, and within that, DDNS Services is disabled. I have
no idea what this means.

For security, I have a WPA Pre-shared key set up.

This is like Greek to me! Thanks.

Bu wrote:

> Assuming you have an external wireless access point you can logon to
> your access point. Most of the access points can show you the
> associated table. This is a list of all the connected computers. My
> (Benq) shows only the MAC codes. So you have to know the MAC codes of
> the allowable computers. (Most likely you know this because one of the
> security measures is to allow only known MAC's to your wireless
> network!)
>
> Success
> Bu

Wow, Bu. This is completely a foreign language to me. I don't even
know what you're talking about. It took me hours to get the laptop
wireless access to work. I don't know what MAC codes are. Access
point -- do you mean my router? Thanks!

In news:1167693756.001829.79180@a3g2000cwd.googlegrou ps.com
"golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> John wrote:
>> Go into the router screen and look for the DNS setup page. I assume
>> you have the router issuing IPs for the wireless clients. Anyway,
>> check the DNS table and you'll see every computer that the router has
>> issued an IP for, including your daughter's.
>>
>
> I have a LinkSys Wireless G. I have looked all over and do not see
> any listing of computers that the router has issued an IP for.

Each manufacturer's router has a different user interface (and maybe
each model from a manufacturer), so you're just going to have to look at
the manual for your router to find what information it provides to show
what other machines are accessing it. There's no guarantee that the
information will be available.

If you can find it, it will still most likely only show you the "MAC"
(Media Access Control) address of the network interface on any machines
which are connected. From this, all you'll be able to figure out is who
manufactured the interface; not much to go on if you're really trying to
find out who's using your network.

Better to use the strongest security your router offers, and let it go
at that.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN bert@iphouse.com

"golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net> wrote in news:1167676406.262378.55410@
48g2000cwx.googlegroups.com:

> New to wireless. Bought daughter a laptop and set up the wireless
> network. It seems to be working ok, and I have it secured. Being the
> control freak that I am, though, I would like to be able to look every
> now and again and see who is logged into my network -- just making sure
> that she's the only one who can access it. Is there any way that I can
> see who's using my network? Thanks!
>

If you are a comcast user, check this out http://tinyurl.com/y8q6vc "How to
secure a wireless network".
A comprehensive and easy to follow dialog of the options you should have
checked or unchecked for optimal security - And the author also uses a
lynksys G as the model, though this info can apply to any router as most of
the options will be nearly the same.
{I know this does not answer your question. I read ahead in the thread and
saw the various posts ... Offhand I do not think there is any easy way to
tell who and what is trying or actually is tapping into your signal}.
If you are not signed up with comcast you will not be able to view this
article, as it is in a help section for comcast users, and you must sign in
to view it.
In that case let me know, I could post it here [it is pretty long].

"Bert Hyman" <bert@iphouse.com> wrote in message
news:Xns98ABB37BFA90FVeebleFetzer@216.250.184.7...
> In news:1167693756.001829.79180@a3g2000cwd.googlegrou ps.com
> "golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> John wrote:
>>> Go into the router screen and look for the DNS setup page. I assume
>>> you have the router issuing IPs for the wireless clients. Anyway,
>>> check the DNS table and you'll see every computer that the router has
>>> issued an IP for, including your daughter's.
>>>
>>
>> I have a LinkSys Wireless G. I have looked all over and do not see
>> any listing of computers that the router has issued an IP for.
>
> Each manufacturer's router has a different user interface (and maybe
> each model from a manufacturer), so you're just going to have to look at
> the manual for your router to find what information it provides to show
> what other machines are accessing it. There's no guarantee that the
> information will be available.
>
> If you can find it, it will still most likely only show you the "MAC"
> (Media Access Control) address of the network interface on any machines
> which are connected. From this, all you'll be able to figure out is who
> manufactured the interface; not much to go on if you're really trying to
> find out who's using your network.
>
> Better to use the strongest security your router offers, and let it go
> at that.
>
> --
One of the things you can do is turn off the router when not needed. Makes
it very inconvenient for the hijacker. They typically want a router that it
available full time. If they can't have full time access and cannot predict
when the access point will be on, then they will look for other routers to
hack. (Yes, your router is hackable even with the security turned on. They
can't hack it if the power plug is pulled though.)

"golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:1167693756.001829.79180@a3g2000cwd.googlegrou ps.com...
>
> John wrote:
>> Go into the router screen and look for the DNS setup page. I assume you
>> have
>> the router issuing IPs for the wireless clients. Anyway, check the DNS
>> table
>> and you'll see every computer that the router has issued an IP for,
>> including your daughter's.
>>
>
> I have a LinkSys Wireless G. I have looked all over and do not see any
> listing of computers that the router has issued an IP for. I have a
> tab for Setup DDNS, and within that, DDNS Services is disabled. I have
> no idea what this means.
>
> For security, I have a WPA Pre-shared key set up.
>
> This is like Greek to me! Thanks.
>

The other day I was looking at my father's Linksys Wireless setup and
couldn't find a list of connected computers. I gave up. However, I'm
convinced that there must be a way of doing it and the online manual seems
to suggest that you go to the Wireless Access tab, select Restrict Access,
Edit Mac Address Access List, then click the Wireless Client Mac List
button which should display a list of all connected computers.

See if under STATUS tab in the router screens there is a ROUTER tab choice.
Click that and look for a DHCP CLIENT TABLE button. That's the list of IPs
given to connected computers by the router.

"golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:1167693756.001829.79180@a3g2000cwd.googlegrou ps.com...
>
> John wrote:
> > Go into the router screen and look for the DNS setup page. I assume you
have
> > the router issuing IPs for the wireless clients. Anyway, check the DNS
table
> > and you'll see every computer that the router has issued an IP for,
> > including your daughter's.
> >
>
> I have a LinkSys Wireless G. I have looked all over and do not see any
> listing of computers that the router has issued an IP for. I have a
> tab for Setup DDNS, and within that, DDNS Services is disabled. I have
> no idea what this means.
>
> For security, I have a WPA Pre-shared key set up.
>
> This is like Greek to me! Thanks.
>

On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 20:45:50 +0100, Bu wrote:

> On 1 Jan 2007 10:33:26 -0800, "golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net>
> wrote:
>
>>New to wireless. Bought daughter a laptop and set up the wireless
>>network. It seems to be working ok, and I have it secured. Being the
>>control freak that I am, though, I would like to be able to look every
>>now and again and see who is logged into my network -- just making sure
>>that she's the only one who can access it. Is there any way that I can
>>see who's using my network? Thanks!
>
> Assuming you have an external wireless access point you can logon to
> your access point. Most of the access points can show you the
> associated table. This is a list of all the connected computers. My
> (Benq) shows only the MAC codes. So you have to know the MAC codes of
> the allowable computers. (Most likely you know this because one of the
> security measures is to allow only known MAC's to your wireless
> network!)
>
> Success
> Bu

Great tip. I have a Linksys Wireless Access Point(WAP) connected to a
wired Linksys router. The WAP has a tab in the Security Section where you
can select "Access Restriction" and set a MAC address filter to either
prevent or permit PCs to connect. I just added the MAC addresses of my two
wireless notebook computers, one a Sony VAIO and one a DELL Inspiron. When
I set the WAP to permit only certain MAC addresses to connect, neither
notebook would connect to my wireless network until their MAC address was
entered in the MAC filter section.

For the OP, in order to find the MAC address of your computer's wireless
network card, in Windows XP choose Run from the menu, type cmd and then
type ipconfig/all at the prompt in the box that pops up. Look for your
wireless card and the physical address listed below it is the MAC address.
It's 12 characters sometimes separated by dashes.

HTH.

Patty

Can you give us a user name and password so we can log in and read the
article?





On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 08:00:16 GMT, Your name <com@net.com> wrote:

>"golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net> wrote in news:1167676406.262378.55410@
>48g2000cwx.googlegroups.com:
>
>> New to wireless. Bought daughter a laptop and set up the wireless
>> network. It seems to be working ok, and I have it secured. Being the
>> control freak that I am, though, I would like to be able to look every
>> now and again and see who is logged into my network -- just making sure
>> that she's the only one who can access it. Is there any way that I can
>> see who's using my network? Thanks!
>>
>
>If you are a comcast user, check this out http://tinyurl.com/y8q6vc "How to
>secure a wireless network".
>A comprehensive and easy to follow dialog of the options you should have
>checked or unchecked for optimal security - And the author also uses a
>lynksys G as the model, though this info can apply to any router as most of
>the options will be nearly the same.
>{I know this does not answer your question. I read ahead in the thread and
>saw the various posts ... Offhand I do not think there is any easy way to
>tell who and what is trying or actually is tapping into your signal}.
>If you are not signed up with comcast you will not be able to view this
>article, as it is in a help section for comcast users, and you must sign in
>to view it.
>In that case let me know, I could post it here [it is pretty long].

cbx <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in
news:fl1qp29ui9k8ji43g43vq6d7lp4mnhffob@4ax.com:

> Can you give us a user name and password so we can log in and read the
> article?

lol no, do not think it would be a good idea to have anyone on the usenet
be able to log into my comcast account [you can do anything with your
comcast service on the net, including changing/delting/viewing email addys,
change/cancel you cable/internet service service ... And use the help
forums].
I'll go ahead and post it now what the hell, its not all that long and not
exactly top secret. Here it goes:


Credit to " Baric,
Home Networking Expert"

Router Configuration
To change these router options, we're going to be using the WRT54G's Web
based Setup pages. Most routers have a tiny built-in webserver you can just
point your favorite browser at, login, and make whatever changes you need.
On my router, I simply use http://192.168.1.1 (which is just the router's
LAN side IP address). This is pretty standard on most Linksys routers.
Other manufacturers might use http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.2.1, for
example. Consult your pesky documentation for what you should use on your
router. Once connected, you should be presented with a login dialog that
looks similar to this. Enter the router's administration password and press
OK. The default password on Linksys routers is usually "admin" with no
userid. You should then see your router's home page. Take a few minutes,
poke around and familiarize yourself with the way your router's website
works and where the various pages and options are. One important thing to
note with Linksys routers, once you make a change to an option, be VERY
CERTAIN to click on Save Settings at the bottom of the page or you will
never actually turn that option on. So anywhere I say change an option,
remember to hit Save before you continue to another page or the change will
be lost. You have been warned .

Now let's get right down to the security changes:

1. Change the router's administration password. Strictly speaking this
option has nothing to do with the wireless function itself but since it's
such basic security, it bears repeating. Your router comes with a default
password, but everyone knows what this password is, so it's no protection
at all. Change it to something only you know. On the WRT54G, go to the
Administration --> Management page, enter the Router Password and confirm
it. Then press the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page. You will
be presented with a logon dialog again, just use the new password.

2. Disable the ability to get to the router's web setup pages from a
wireless system. This is probably of minor usefulness, but I like to be as
thorough as possible. Disabling this option means you have to use a system
directly connected to the router (or through the Internet, more on that in
a minute) in order to make changes to the router. A couple of caveats here.
If you only have wireless systems, leave this enabled or you won't be able
to control your router! Also, if you're doing this procedure from a
wireless system, you'll need to move to a wired system to complete further
changes. So think about your needs before clicking here. On the WRT54G,
this option is "Wireless Web Access" on the Administration --> Management
page. Don't forget Save Settings to lock the change in.

3. Disable the ability to control to the router from the Internet. By
default this option ("Remote Management") should be disabled and you should
leave it that way unless you have a specific need to allow this. Valid
reasons include: you're away from home and need to adjust the VPN
passthrough settings, or you want someone on the Internet to help you do
some troubleshooting, etc. Bear in mind that you have no control over WHO
on the Internet is allowed to connect, other than controlling the password.
Think long and hard before enabling this option. If you do, consider using
HTTPS so that information going back and forth to the connected user is
encrypted and protected from prying eyes. You will find this option on
Administration --> Management page.

4. Disable UPnP. This is just plain evil and allows a program to configure
the router without your knowledge. Unless you have some very specific need
for this, disable it. Again, on the Administration --> Management page.

5. Disable SSID broadcasting. By default, most wireless routers sit around
constantly shouting to anyone in range who can listen "HELLO OUT THERE! I'm
RIGHT HERE AND MY NAME IS ! COME USE ME!". Not very secure. What you want
is an access point that sits there quietly and unobtrusively until someone
comes along who already knows the access point is there AND knows its name.
In order words without foreknowledge, the access point is mostly invisible.
Now the more knowledgeable among you might be saying "Hold on, that's not
true!" and you'd be technically correct, but this will prevent the majority
of ne'er-do-wells from finding you, and that's a good thing. It's true a
really smart and determined hacker will still know you're there, but that
requires smarts and effort which is severely lacking in your typical
script-kiddie. Now when you do this, the onus is now on you to specifically
configure your various wireless clients with the proper (case sensitive)
SSID for your wireless router. Since the router is no longer broadcasting,
you can't bring up the XP wireless client (for example) so you can see your
router. You have to add it by hand. This is a simple process, just see the
instructions for your wireless client on how to do this. Change this option
with Wireless SSID Broadcast set to Disable on the Wireless --> Basic
Wireless Settings page and press Save Settings.

6. Change the default SSID (or Service Set Identifier) to something unique.
A wireless access point has to have a name associated with it called the
SSID. All the access points (there might be more than one, but in our setup
there is only one, the wireless router itself) in a single wireless network
will share the same name and the same security setup. Most routers come
with a default value here. For example, all Linksys wireless access points
have a default SSID of "linksys" (original, huh?) You want to give your
router a unique SSID that only you know. The SSID must be no more than 32
alphanumeric characters and it IS case sensitive, so that "charlie" is
different and distinct from "Charlie". Supply your chosen SSID in the
Wireless Network Name field on the Wireless --> Basic Wireless Settings
page.

7. Enable Wireless MAC filtering. Please do not confuse MAC (media access
control) address with the Apple Macintosh computer, they are two totally
different things. Each wireless adapter has a unique hardware address that
can be used to identify that particular wireless connection. The router has
the ability to accept or deny connections based on this MAC address. You
can set this up to deny or allow access to a list of specific MAC
addresses. I use the more restrictive of the two, which is only allow
access to MAC addresses I have listed. On the Wireless --> Wireless MAC
Filter page, select Enable for Wireless MAC Filter, select Permit only,
press Save Settings, then press Edit MAC Filter List, enter your wireless
adapter's MAC address in the list, press Save Settings and you're done. To
find your adapter's MAC address, on XP/2K /ME, use the command ipconfig
/all and find the Physical Address field for the wireless adapter. On
95/98, use winipcfg and select the wireless adapter, you're also looking
for Physical Address. On Linux, use /sbin/ifconfig and you're looking for
"HWaddr". On the Mac, ifconfig also works in the Terminal, and here you're
looking for the "ethernet" field which is kind of misnamed, or you can also
use Applications:Utilities:Network Utility and on the Info tab select the
wireless adapter (on my PowerBook, it's en1) and you want the Hardware
Address.

8. Turn on wireless encryption. This is the single most important thing you
can do to secure your wireless router. There are two main encryption
methods in use at this point, the older and not very secure WEP, and the
newer, more secure WPA. Unless you have some overriding reason to use WEP
(like your adapter driver won't support WPA), stay far away from it. It's
easily cracked and there are open source programs that do this. Last resort
use only and then you must change the keys OFTEN (once a week at least).
Always use WPA whenever possible. To activate WPA, go to the Wireless -->
Wireless Security page, select WPA Pre-Shared Key for Security Mode, TKIP
for WPA Algorithms (you can also select AES if you prefer, just remember
which for when you setup your client), and some phrase for the WPA Shared
Key. The key phrase must be between 8 and 63 characters long. Press Save
Settings to save the changes.


He then goes on to explain "Mac OS X Wireless Client Configuration", which
I will not include unless someone requests it.
Once again, thanks goes to Baric, this is not my work, I am only reposting
this.


> On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 08:00:16 GMT, Your name <com@net.com> wrote:
>
>>"golden042620000" <q46@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
>>news:1167676406.262378.55410@ 48g2000cwx.googlegroups.com:
>>
>>> New to wireless. Bought daughter a laptop and set up the wireless
>>> network. It seems to be working ok, and I have it secured. Being the
>>> control freak that I am, though, I would like to be able to look every
>>> now and again and see who is logged into my network -- just making
>>> sure that she's the only one who can access it. Is there any way that
>>> I can see who's using my network? Thanks!
>>>
>>
>>If you are a comcast user, check this out http://tinyurl.com/y8q6vc "How
>>to secure a wireless network".
>>A comprehensive and easy to follow dialog of the options you should have
>>checked or unchecked for optimal security - And the author also uses a
>>lynksys G as the model, though this info can apply to any router as most
>>of the options will be nearly the same.
>>{I know this does not answer your question. I read ahead in the thread
>>and saw the various posts ... Offhand I do not think there is any easy
>>way to tell who and what is trying or actually is tapping into your
>>signal}. If you are not signed up with comcast you will not be able to
>>view this article, as it is in a help section for comcast users, and you
>>must sign in to view it.
>>In that case let me know, I could post it here [it is pretty long].
>
>

In message <Xns98A355E7DA40ewrfdgrstnet@140.99.99.130>, Your name
<com@net.com> writes
Snipped....

One problem that I've encountered is that if you don't broadcast your
SSID you're far more likely to get others parking on your channel.

--
Tony Morgan

In message <Xns98A355E7DA40ewrfdgrstnet@140.99.99.130>, Your name
<com@net.com> writes
>5. Disable SSID broadcasting.
Snipped....
>
>6. Change the default SSID (or Service Set Identifier) to something unique.
Snipped....
>
>7. Enable Wireless MAC filtering. Please do not confuse MAC (media access

The above recommendations DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO PROVIDE SECURITY.

NetStumbler will read both SSIDs (whether broadcast or not) of all
wireless networks in your vicinity together with the MAC addresses of
devices on those networks. It also identifies on what channel each
wireless network is parked on. Sometimes another wireless network is
parked on the same channel that you are on, but if their SSID is not
broadcast then you are (without Netstumbler) unaware of channel
double-parking - this is often the cause of slow and unreliable wireless
networks.

Netstumbler is a free program available from here:
http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/

The only effective way of ensuring security on a wireless network is to
enable and use WPA - and use a long passphrase (key - the longer the key
is, the more secure). The maximum WPA passphrase that you can enter is
63 characters, but because this is reduced by hash function reduction to
32 characters - a 32 character passphrase will give you the maximum
security with WPA.

Ideally, the passphrase should not use identifiable words. There's an
on-line password generator at:
http://www.winguides.com/security/password.php

If you subscribe as a WinGuides.com premium account (at the above
address) you can download a password generator onto your machine which
allows you to cut-and-paste passwords/keys/passphrases, eliminating the
possibility of miskeying/misreading the passphrase.

--
Tony Morgan