DI-524 and Cantenna

Click your PC's wireless Icon in the icon tray, choose View available networks/Change advanced settings. Click the wireless Networks tab and Add a Preferred Network Also choose appropriate settings in Advanced.

That's the problem ... no such icon on my desktop PC's systray.

I know where it is on my laptop's systray, but my problem is with my desktop PC (connected by the LAN cable to the DI-524). How do I make the desktop PC aware that it (theoretically ... at this point) has wireless capability via the DI-524 ? It's like the desktop is missing some program (that the laptop has), that generates that Available Networks icon.

-RS-

Under Control Panel / Network Connections, there is just an icon for my dial-up connection and my LAN or High Speed connection ... nothing about a wireless connection here.

-RS-

Thanks. But it does't appear there. It's just a router ... why would it appear in Device Manager ?

"RS"

Is that the crux of my problem? Do I need a wireless adapter of some sort ... as well as the wireless router? Is it the case that the wireless router cannot act as a wireless adapter ? The list of comaptible divices that comes with the Cantenna includes the DI-524 ...

-RS-

That's the point I needed clarified, I guess ... Either that or someone to explain how the wireless router (DI-524) can dish-out a signal ... containing webpages and data that is on the desktop ... and receive back data from the laptop ... wirelessly ... yet the desktop cannot see any other wireless devices / networks ... except my laptop ?? Why is that ? At the same time the laptop is aware of other wireless networks in the area.

-RS-

You ARE joking I presume?!

-RBS- wrote:

Simply put:

I have a desktop computer and a Wirless router (D-Link DI-524).

Recently I bought a Cantenna

Thanks,

-RS-

No, not joking ... sadly :-)

Just not good at explaining the problem. Here is what I just wrote to clarify it ... hopefully:

I have a desktop computer and a Wirless router (D-Link DI-524).

Recently I bought a Cantenna

Thanks,

-RS-

Only if you can configure the DI-524 to act as a wireless client. Think of it then as a network card on the end of the piece of ethernet from your desktop to the DI-524.

You won't get any client tools on the desktop though, you're just ethernet as far as that machine is concerned. You'll have to manage the DI-524 via the web interface which are generally lacking in functions for the purpose to which you want to experiment.

David.

That might be an interesting thing to try .. but would not achieve what I want. Thanks for clarifying.

-RS-

As I understand it, yes it would. The DI-524 would be the client connected to the cantenna. The connection from the DI-524 to the PC would be via ethernet. What you would not be able to do is run tools like netstumbler etc. because they need a local network card to communicate with.

If this isn't what you are trying to do, then you'll have to start all over again and state in a different way what you're trying to do! :)

David.

OK, let me try running it like a client and see if I can connect to a variety of unsecure networks. Where do I find the client software for the DI-524 ?

-RS-

There is no client software as such, what it *might* have is an option to let you choose the device mode from choices such as:-

Access point Bridge WDS AP client

AP client on such devices is basic at best, if you're lucky they'll also include a rudimentary ability to browse for networks, some don't and require that you already know that information and enter it accordingly.

It's not the device for doing what you want to be honest.

David.

"RS" hath wroth:

Sounds like you want to do some exploring. The ideal device is the laptop, but those tend to NOT have external antenna connectors. You can install a PCMCIA card or USB wi-fi device in the laptop, and get an external antenna connector, but that might require some soldering or modification.

So, we move on to the desktops. If one of them has a PCI card wireless device, it should work. I'll spare you my opinion of the Cantenna, but it will work well enough for sniffing.

There are two common programs for sniffing. Netstumbler 0.4.0 runs on Windoze 2000 and XP and will detect access points that broadcast their SSID. It will also detect ad-hoc networks. It will NOT detect access points that do NOT broadcast their SSID, broadcast a blank SSID, or have some form of countermeasures installed to prevent detection. It will also not identify client computers. It's an active sniffer, which means it transmits a probe request, and waits for a response. Earlier versions of Netstumbler 0.3.30 runs just fine on W98SE and WinME.

It is not necessary to reformat your hard disk and install Linux to run Kismet. Instead, you download a "Live CD". You boot the CD in your computer, it hopefully finds your PCI wireless card, and you then run Kismet from whatever desktop is provided. The trick is to be sure that the driver for your PCI card or at least the chipset is included. I suggest:

Security Auditor:

There is no way you can use the DI-524 for sniffing.