Who is Using My Wireless Network?

You can go door to door and ask. You might have a shot that way of finding out who it is.

Duane :)

It depends on your equipment

If DHCP is enabled, logon to your wireless access point. You will see how many IP addresses are leased to client PCs.

You are welcome.

airsnare

Go into the wireless access point setup and see if there are other DHCP leases besides yours. If DHCP isn't being used, there should be a screen to show what systems are connected. This will tell you *if* someone else is connected.

As to *who* may be connected that is a much bigger problem. You could use expensive equipment and walk around sweeping the neighborhood while they are connected. Not at all realistic.

If I were you I would secure the connection. If it is unsecured, anyone can intercept your traffic. That may or may not be an issue depending on what you do on the net - if you don't mind your internet use being on public display.

But someone riding on your wireless network can also do mischievous things that will cause you problems. Imagine someone using a free hotmail or yahoo account to send death threats to the president via your network. Whose computer will the secret service be confiscating until it can be shown that the source was a freeloader?

You haven't given us much help. For instance, what AP? What router ? What machines do you have yourself ? Whats the location like? etc etc etc. Heck, for all we know you're running a 900Ghz microwave mesh using FubarIOS enabled routers and directional antennae, located on the far side of the moon.

Describe what you have, so that people can make suggestions which are relevant.

You probably ought to - if they spent a coupla days d/ling kiddy pron or hacking banking websites you could find your collar being felt, with little defence. "I deliberately left the gate open cos I didn't care" won't work that well... .

Users do not affect the signal strength. However, they do use up bandwidth. Without any form of bandwidth limiting, it's conceivable that a random user might decide to run some file sharing program and monopolize *ALL* your available bandwidth.

This would be much easier if you had disclosed the maker and model of your wireless router, router, wireless access point, and possibly DSL/cable/satellite modem. There's no solution that works for every combination of hardware and broadband.

The easiest is to monitor the traffic between the wireless router and the internet connection. If you have an integrated modem/router/wireless, you can't easily do this. I prefer to use SNMP or SYSLOG for the purpose, but that might be overkill for your purposes. Some software and applications worth considering:

1. WRT54G/GS router with DD-WRT or OpenWRT firmware. Monitor the wireless connections. Try my office router at:
   formatting link
   the bottom. Hmmm... no wireless connections at this time.
2. formatting link
3. If you have a Linksys BEFxxx series of router, they supply quite a bit of connection info using SNMP traps. Not only do you get the user count, you also get to see what they're doing. I use:
   formatting link
   Check the list of supported routers first.

Lots of others. If you had searched Google groups before posting, you might have found: |

My thanks to all for the many observations and suggestions. I've been persuaded that I should secure my little wireless network! And that would make my original question moot.

Thanks again.

dejola wrote:

Yeah, and in the "true spirit of usenet" you posted a question without enough detail. Lo and behold you didn't get useful answers.... because you didn't give enough detail. Yeesh, the idiocy never ceases.

And so that makes me an idiot, huh? Lighten up Mr. Kearny. There is no need for insults.

Thanks for your profound insight.

Bill Kearney wrote:

Whoa! Misinterpreting AND mispelling? A two-fer from the pantheon of classis usenet mistakes.

No doubt to be followed by the usual deceased equestrian abuse of a prolonged thread...

Classis?

Ii wouldn't be a spelling flame if it didn't contain at least on spleling mistake.