Dumb wireless network question

[Sxotty]

OK, so my router an asus wl500g uses a different nomenclature than windows for wireless security. And it is generally a PITA to set it up, kind of like guess and check.

Anyway can I just make it so only a specific mac adress can connect? I mean, I know I can, but I also hear people can spoof a mac adress. So the question is, how will they know what mac adress to make? If they have to guess obviously they will never get lucky.

It is somewhat important b/c I have the HDD on the media computer shared, and shuffle video, music, and documents through it from other pc's. Thus I don't want a neighbor to delete the contents of the hard drive you know.

Anyway it is not really that big a deal, but I was just curious on how much security is offered by doing that.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Spoofing a MAC address is easy, though I'm not sure how to collect a MAC address from someones MAC filter (without being connected to the network). They probably grab the address from a computer on the network somehow, or some other way (maybe some application thats specifically made for it, that used with Wardriving) .

I currently have just a MAC filter setup on my Router (no WPA or WEP). Reason being, is that i'm sure of the fact that no one lives near me that has knowledge on how to collect a MAC address and how to spoof a MAC address.

EDIT:

I just wanted to add to this. I just found a post on a forum that stated.

Anyone who has ever packet sniffed, can tell you the mac address is VERY available.

Thats probably the way that a MAC address is acquired on a private (wireless) network. I've messed around with software that has this "packet sniffing" abiilty. All you would need is to intercept any info being relayed from the computer you want to acquire the MAC address from.

 

[Frank]

Just install Oleg's new firmware from here. It allows you to specify whatever you want and don't want through the web menu, like who is allowed to access what. And you can even run a full Debian through that, with all the bells and whistles, if you would like.

 

[Sxotty]

Ok, thanks for the info. I am relatively sure that no one around me knows much about it either. I can access 3 networks from my house, and 2 out of the 3 are not protected in anyway, in fact at first it was a pain b/c my computer would connect to others networks and have a slow crappy connection and at first I did not realize wth it was doing

I had wpa-tkip set up before, but my network speed was incredibly slow. I thought perhaps the encryption made overhead that slowed things down. When I say incredibly slow I mean it was not approaching 1MB/s now if I am getting a big file it approaches 40MB/s which is more like it. I just don't want to bork it up as the speed is more important if streaming a video than the security...

DiGuru, thanks I will take a look there, I just don't know how reliable it is etc...

 

[_xxx_]

I am relatively sure that no one around me knows much about it either. I can access 3 networks from my house, and 2 out of the 3 are not protected in anyway

Same thing here, I can access two totally open networks

 

[Frank]

DiGuru, thanks I will take a look there, I just don't know how reliable it is etc...

I think most of them areat least as reliable, if not more, as the factory firmwares, as long as you take one that has been around for some time. Or read the forum. But think about this: only the few people who have problems will post them there. The many people for which it works flawlessly will in general not bother to post that.

 

[nutball]

Same thing here, I can access two totally open networks

Yeah me too, which is great because I have a fail-over option when my cable modem goes down (my neighbours are on ADSL from a different supplier).

They also haven't changed the admin password on their router, so if I was inclined (which I'm not) I could shut them out totally.

On a serious note ... honestly I think people should need a license to own and operate a wireless broadband router.

 

[Frank]

On a serious note ... honestly I think people should need a license to own and operate a wireless broadband router.

Seconded.

Or have the manufacturers get together and make something that isn't "(un)useable out of the box".

 

[Sxotty]

Seconded.

Or have the manufacturers get together and make something that isn't "(un)useable out of the box".

Yeah that is a great idea! Wait they have already tried that a few times and those products usually don't sell that well