Comments for How should I share my home network with a visitor?

Comment from avoidz on 2009-04-21

2009-04-22T04:29:41Z

I have a wireless gateway with four ports at the back, so if a friend brings over a notebook or whatever I just hook it up with a length of network cable. Much easier and quicker than configuring the wireless connection.

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A comment on: How should I share my home network with a visitor?

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Comment from Rich Deem on 2009-04-21

2009-04-21T22:13:23Z

I have a DSL Router. The original one died and the computer store people (Best Buy) suggested I replace it with another one from Verizon. It still uses WEP and can't, apparently, use WPA. As a DSL user are we stuck with old technology? What about FIOS fiber optic? If its router dies, can you buy a better one?

This has nothing to do with DSL or FIOS or whatever technology you connect to the internet with. This is all about the router itself, nothing more nothing less. I'd check with your ISP for what your options really are, I can't believe they'd force a WEP-only router on you. In many cases they don't give or specify a router - they provide a modem which you then connect to whatever router you like.

- Leo
22-Apr-2009

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Comment from hkbs on 2009-04-21

2009-04-21T17:42:13Z

Thanks for that info, Leo. May I ask what to look for to obtain a hub/switch.

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Comment from Craig Fisher on 2009-04-18

2009-04-18T22:39:53Z

Leo: thanks for clarifying the pitfall of MAC address filtering.
And point taken about WiFI being broadcast, but the discussion was in the context of allowing friends onto your LAN.

My point about WiFi is that you should not remove encryption simply to allow a guest to connect. If you need encryption, you need encryption.

- Leo
19-Apr-2009

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Comment from Craig Fisher on 2009-04-16

2009-04-17T02:06:49Z

Rahul: Yes, but to spoof a MAC address someone first needs to find a valid MAC address to use.

And your traffic between PCs that are connected via ethernet cable isn't encrypted either.

MAC addresses are not encrypted even on encrypted connections, (technically they're used at a layer below encrypted data), so all one needs to do is sniff the network, pick one of the MAC addresses that are obviously allowed to pass through, and choose that to spoof.

And data on your ethernet cable isn't being broadcast to a 300 ft radius of your wireless connection. :-)

- Leo
17-Apr-2009

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Comment from Rahul on 2009-04-16

2009-04-16T23:12:22Z

Craig - MAC address can easily be spoofed to connect. And without WPA, all traffic between the PCs and router can be openly read by a listener.

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Comment from Craig Fisher on 2009-04-16

2009-04-16T20:46:53Z

Why not just use MAC address filtering on your wireless router. Just add the friend's MAC address to the list of allowed addresses. No WEP/WPA needed.

As other have stated, MAC addresses are NOT secure. It's trivial to spoof them. (And you do want your data encrypted, I think.)

- Leo
17-Apr-2009

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A comment on: How should I share my home network with a visitor?

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Comment from David Redekop on 2009-04-16

2009-04-16T19:52:38Z

Well-explained, Leo. Instead of "additional" hardware, for simplicity I would suggest "replacement" hardware.

Apple truly solved this problem in a very simple way. Guest networking in any new Airport Extreme. Two SSIDs, two separate networks, one device. Brilliant. Done right.

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A comment on: How should I share my home network with a visitor?

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
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