Any value in installing this free software?

5000 have and you can always unload it............

"Alex Flaherty" hath wroth:

Read the web pile:

sets up a "captive portal" usually used to administer a wireless hotspot. There are multiple versions, which I'm having difficulties untangling: one that I find interesting is the "Free Zone" for $4/month. Not exactly free, methinks.

You decide if you need it, want it, and which version. I also found it difficult to determine how it works because the screen shots are small and blurry.

There is a free version. Not for Hot Spots. But, for personal LAN.

Blocks Freeloaders from using your WIFI network to access the internet. Creates a log. Creates alerts. Looks in a "whitelist" which you create and edit as required. Select any one of four authentication methods - IP, MAC, Both or None.

I installed it and it works. Would probably stop the casual WiFi snoop like myself.

I gather the MAC address could be spoofed, from my reading.

Not smart enuff to know if the IP address could be spoofed.

Comments?

Yep. Runs on a PC. If you want to leave a PC on all the time, that's fine. For such apps, I prefer AirSnare:

Yep. Easily sniffed and spoofed.

IP is a bit trickier. If there are no IP address filters, then it's just a matter of assigning a static IP address to the client. If there are IP filters in place, then the attacker has to guess the IP address block being used and which IP addresses are allowed. Since the aformentioned software is designed for unencrypted networks, it's easy enough to sniff the and spoof an IP address. If the network is encrypted, then extracting the IP address is a bit tricky as it's part of the encrypted packets. Of course that would require first cracking the WEP/WPA encryption key.

My router does all that.

Sorry about the blurry screen shots. Our Wifi blocking software is free and is the same client-side application needed if you want to subscribe to our captive portal services, of which there are several flavors.

The FreeZone is a captive portal service for WiFi site owners that don't want to charge visitors. Visitors get a customizable splash screen which requires them to agree to terms of use before gaining access.

BTW - myWIFIzone has an embedded DHCP server and does not allow an intruder to set a fixed IP address. That's why it will work on any PC connected to the WLAN.