40Tech » Networking

Find the Best Channel for Your WiFi Network With WiFi Stumbler

Evan Kline — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I’ve recently started having issues with my WiFi network, such as dropouts and slowness. One of the first steps I’ve taken to address the problem is to try to determine if I’m getting interference from other networks. To see nearby networks, and what channels they’re using, I’ve found WiFi Stumbler to be valuable.

WiFi Stumbler is a web app, in the form of a java applet. It works by scanning for nearby networks, and then listing their MAC address, radio type (B, G, N, etc.), channel, signal strength, manufacturer, and security used. As signals drift out of range, they are grayed out in the list.

Using WiFi Stumbler, I picked an unused channel for my network that had the least amount of interference based on number of connections, nearby busy channels, and signal strength from surrounding devices on those nearby channels. My WiFi connection is much better now, although I still have a few more tweaks to make.

As an aside, what surprised me the most about WiFi Stumbler, and perhaps taught me a bit about how WiFi signals travel, were the number of networks at home versus at my office. I live in a fairly rural neighborhood, with houses that aren’t too close together, yet WiFi Stumbler picked up a total of 17 networks. Two of those were unsecured, and three were using the insecure WEP standard. I work in a downtown area, and assumed that I’d pick up even more networks, yet WiFi Stumbler detected only four WiFi signals, one of which was unsecured and one which was using WEP.

So, color me curious. Head on over and try out WiFi Stumbler, and let us know in the comments how many networks you pick up, and how many are unsecured or using WEP.

WiFi Stumbler

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Use a Linksys Router? You’ve Got Security Problems

Evan Kline — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

One of the bigger security-related stories over the past week concerns a vulnerability in WiFi Protected Setup (WPS). WPS is designed to be an easy way for inexperienced users to set up a secure network, using methods such as inputing a PIN from your router into your computer or other device. The problem is that the PIN, which is 8 digits long, is susceptible to brute force attacks. In fact, a free tool named Reaver can crack that PIN in just a few hours. This vulnerability exists regardless of the kind of security you’re using on your network, so even WPA2 is at risk. This means that the kid next door could get Reaver running, go off and watch a movie, and a few hours later he is in your network. The solution? Turn off WPS. Unfortunately, you can’t do this with modern Linksys routers.

Most Linksys routers have a setting to switch WPS to manual. Testing has revealed, though, that this switch doesn’t disable WPS. You only have a few solutions to secure your network if you have a vulnerable Linksys router:

Completely disable WiFi on your network, and go with only wired connections;
Get another (non-Linksys) router;
Install a third-party firmware on your router, such as DD-WRT or Tomato, if your router supports it.

Other methods, such as MAC address filtering (a way to restrict access to your network to predesignated devices) or hiding your SSID don’t really protect you, as a MAC address can easily be detected and spoofed, and even an invisible SSID can be detected.

I have a Linksys E2000. I was going to install Tomato, as I used it on a previous router and thought it was great. Unfortunately, Tomato doesn’t have a user interface that allows you to easily set up a guest network. As a result, I installed DD-WRT onto my router. Even that required a bit of tweaking to get a guest network set up.

Do you have a Linksys router? What are you doing to secure your network?

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How to enable Telnet on Windows 7

Guest Poster — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:00:46 +0000

Editor’s note: If you run a web server, or like to mess around with networking gear, then you might be familiar with Telnet and SSH. Only the truly geeky need apply. Today, 40Tech is pleased to present you with a guest post from James Sudbury of Netzen Solutions Ltd. James takes a look at how to get up and running with Telnet on Windows 7.

Telnet is an old outdated protocol that is used for remote command line administration on various devices such as Cisco routers. I would recommend the use of SSH over Telnet in any circumstance; however I still find the Telnet command useful for testing mail servers and for checking open TCP ports. The ability to use Telnet might not be obvious on Windows 7, but it can be done.

Follow these instructions to enable Telnet on Windows 7:

Click the Start Button
Click “Control Panel”
Click “Programs and Features”
On the left you should see “Turn Windows features on or off”, Click it.
Tick the box for “Telnet Client” and click ok

You should now be able to access telnet via the Windows 7 Command Prompt.

This article is written by James Sudbury, the Managing Director of Netzen Solutions Ltd, an IT Support company in Bristol , U.K., with 10+ years of experience in the IT sector working with Windows, Linux & Mac operating systems.

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[Reader Survey] How Many Devices Are Connected To Your Home Network?

Evan Kline — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:00:41 +0000

As technology increasingly creeps into our lives, we have more devices that require Internet or network connectivity. In the past, many of us had a computer or two on our networks. Now, we have gaming consoles, DVR’s, streaming devices, and more. In my house, I count 10 devices that regularly connect to my network, not counting my smartphone. How many devices are connected to your network? What types of devices are connected? Let us know in the comments.

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Wi-Fi is Radiation Too

Bobby Travis — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 06:32:28 +0000

According to a Dutch study, our beloved Wi-Fi — the stuff that large populations of the planet now use in their homes, their workplaces, where they shop, where they drink coffee, and pretty much everywhere else they go — may be killing our trees. Or at least contributing to it. The researchers of Wageningen University say that more analysis is required to reach a solid conclusion on the matter, but so far, it looks like the particular radiation that is Wi-Fi is not at all interested in becoming a tree-hugger.

The tests were done in urban areas, where the high Wi-Fi and mobile phone network concentrations battle it out with other not-so-nice-for-trees elements such as fuel and other particle emissions. This leads to an obvious question about whether the trees’ sickness is more a result of other side-effects of urban sprawl, but the researchers feel they have a pretty good case against Wi-Fi. This is unfortunate, as Wi-Fi has become more and more a part of our daily necessities. Either way, something that is in the air in areas of major and connected human cities is causing the upper and lower layers of leaves to die, leaving behind a “lead-like shine” — and apparently inhibiting the growth of corn cobs.

This news, while not entirely proven true, may mark down one more in an ever-growing list of our human comforts and advancements that may actually be harmful to our immediate environment.

What do you think?

Study: Wi-Fi Makes Our Trees Sick [Read Write Web (via PC World)]

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Blacksheep Protects You From WiFi Hackers – Sort Of

Evan Kline — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 02:00:15 +0000

By now, you’ve probably heard of Firesheep, the Firefox plugin that makes it trivial for someone on an unsecured WiFi network to hack user login info for many other social networks. Yesterday, ZScaler Security released BlackSheep, a Firefox plugin to alert you if someone is using Firesheep on your network. This is promising, but can also lull you into a false sense of security.

BlackSheep is based upon the Firesheep source code, and reuses the same network listening backend, as well as the same list of sites and corresponding cookies. The problem is that Firesheep was but one way (albeit the easiest way) for someone to exploit you on an unsecured wireless network. There is nothing in the description of BlackSheep to suggest that it will protect you from other types of hacking attempts.

The real way to stay safe on a public WiFi network? Connect only to secure networks (in which case even other people on the same network can’t hijack your traffic), connect only to HTTPS sites, or connect via a VPN.

So . . . fess up- have any of you tried Firesheep, or seen it in action? Or maybe you have a horror story about being hacked? Let us know in the comments.

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Are the Days of Remote Access Software Numbered?

Evan Kline — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:00:19 +0000

Are we approaching the day where remote access software will be meeting its grim reaper – the cloud? A few months ago, we compared LogMeIn and Teamviewer, two popular choices for accessing your PC when away from home or the office. How often do you need to access your PC remotely, though? Futurelawyer discussed this recently, pointing out that we now live in a cloud-based world, where we let third parties manage our data.

That got me to thinking about my usage of remote access software. While I’ve never been a heavy user, there once was a time where I would connect to my home PC about once a week, often to retrieve a file. Aside from playing with different remote access options, though, I can’t remember the last time I connected remotely. Thanks to my comprehensive backup solution, my documents get synced to Google Docs, and my files are backed up online to Carbonite. I can always reach them. Both my work and personal email are accessible via web apps.

Some people worry about the security and reliability of their information in the cloud. We’ve previously addressed these concerns as well. The bottom line – if you use a service that makes sure that you have local copies, your information will always be available to you. And, no offense, but if you’re not dedicated to keeping your system secure, your data is more secure in the hands of many online services than it is on your PC.

How has your usage of remote access tools changed over time?

Will Cloud Computing Make Remote Access Software Obsolete? [Futurelawyer]

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How to Extend the Range of Your Wireless Network Using a Spare Router as a Wireless Access Point

Evan Kline — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:00:31 +0000

If your wireless router doesn’t give you the coverage that you need, or if you want to broadcast your Wireless N and Wireless G signals from different devices for speed purposes, then you should consider setting up a wireless access point. You may not need to purchase additional hardware, as a spare wireless router sitting around your house may do the trick.

Photo by webhamster.

Here’s a look at how to set up a wireless router as a wireless access point using Tomato, an open source firmware that can be run on certain routers. If you’re not using Tomato, you can still use this tutorial, although the screenshots below won’t replicate your settings exactly. For purposes of this tutorial, we’ll refer to your main router (the one that you’re using now as your only router) as the “primary” or “main” router, and we’ll use the term “secondary router” or “access point” for the router that you want to use as an access point.

This tutorial also assumes that you have an Ethernet jack somewhere else in your house, near where you want the access point to sit and be available for wireless connections. If you don’t have such a jack, then you could try to find a router that can be used as a wireless repeater. A repeater doesn’t need a wired Ethernet connection. Fewer routers support this, though, so this tutorial will focus on setting up a wireless access point.

1. Write Down Some Info From Your Main Router

To begin, you’ll need to sign into your primary router, and take note of a few settings. These settings are found are found in your router’s admin page, but are found in different places on different routers. As a result, we can’t give you specific instructions as to where to look.

Here is the info that you’ll want to make note of from the primary router:

Your security passphrase (if you’re smart, you are using at least WPA encryption);
The IP address of your main router (often found in the LAN settings section of your router). For example, 192.168.1.1, as show in the first entry of the image below:

The starting and ending IP addresses used by your router when assigning addresses to devices on your network (sometimes found under DHCP server settings, and known as DHCP Server Range). For example, 192.168.1.2 through 192.168.1.150, as shown below:

2. Connect to Your Access Point

Don’t connect the secondary router (the one that will become an access point) to your network yet. Instead, connect your computer directly to the secondary router by plugging into a LAN (not WAN) port on the router, and typing in the IP address of the secondary router. You may need to find your router’s default IP address online, as it can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you changed it and don’t remember what it is, most routers can be reset to factory defaults by inserting the end of a paperclip into a small “reset” hole on the back of the router, pressing in for 20 seconds, and releasing.

To get this connection to work, you may need to reboot your PC. You also need to make sure that your PC is set to receive an IP address automatically (Linksys has some instructions for this for Windows XP and Mac OS, and Windows 7 works much the same way as XP).

One you are logged into your access point, there are a few settings that you’ll need to change, as set forth in the following steps.

3. Turn off DHCP on the Access Point

Turn off DHCP on the access point. DHCP is what a router uses to assign addresses to devices on your network. You only want one router assigning IP addresses, and we’ll be using the main router to do that.

4. Assign the Access Point an SSID, and Turn on Encryption

In the access point’s settings page, give your access point a name that you’ll remember by filling that name into the SSID field. Then, turn on WPA or WPA2 encryption. For ease of use, give the access point the same passphrase that you used for your primary router.

5. Assign an IP Address to the Access Point

Assign the the access point an unused IP address that is on the same subnet as the main router, but outside the range that you wrote down in the step 1, above. For example, if your main router assigns addresses in a range of 192.168.1.2 through 192.168.1.150, then assign the access point an address of 192.168.1.250. You’re keeping the access point on the 192.168.1.x subnet, so that you can still log in to it from your computer once you’re finished setting it up. Make sure that the address you assign isn’t already used by a device on your network.

6. Change the Channel

For best results, you’ll want to make sure that your primary router and access point use channels at or near opposite ends of the channel range, to minimize interference. For example, if you set your primary router to operate on channel 2, then you should set the secondary router to operate on channel 11.

7. Connect the Access Point to Your Network

You are done configuring the access point, so unplug it from your computer, and connect it to your main router. Do this by connecting an Ethernet cable from a LAN port on your router, to a LAN port on the access point. Don’t plug anything into the access point’s WAN port. Make sure that your computer is now connected back up to your network, and then try to connect to the access point over the network. Do so by opening your web browser, and typing the address from step 5 into the browser’s address bar. The admin page of the access point should appear.

That’s it! Test it out by trying to connect a wireless device to the access point. Did it work? Let us know in the comments. Or, if you have a better or easier way to get it working, or notice any glitches in our instructions, let us know that, too.