Do you password protect access to your wireless router?
 

If so, why?

Why wouldn't you?

I did until my wife started bringing her laptop home from work. Because I didn't want any leet haxxors on my network -

Oh gee, I dont know, maybe I dont want someone sharing seeding CP torrents using my internet pipe?

Or maybe, because I live in a densely populated area and I broadcast my signal at full throttle... so if I didnt I'd probably have to fight with 300 people at a time for bandwidth?

Oh wait! I know! Maybe its because I dont want people on my private network, dumping shit to my network printers, stealing files or deleting things!

I win! What do I get?

Umm, duh.

I dont - and I have few nieghbours that dont as well - so if one of us goes down we always have some access.

Makes for good community relations, and so far nobody has taken the piss.

i live in a building, ofcourse i pw protect it.

You realize you can prevent access to your pc without blocking access to the net, right?

Of course, but why in the HELL would I want to do that? People can buy their own damn internet service. Its not a right. Its a privilege for those who can afford to pay for it. I have the most expensive commercial DSL plan AT&T offers. Do you think I want a bunch of fucking leeches taking all my bandwidth up? FUCK NO.

Nope, but i only allow connections based on MAC Addresses. I should probably do both, but seems pretty secure considering none of my friends are able to log into my network unless i add them...

MAC addresses are very easily spoofed. If I wanted to, I could get on yours with little effort knowing that, might take some time but it wouldn't be hard at all.

Yes. Because I don't want to be slowed down by someone else using my connection.

I have a question for you if you don't mind answering it. Over the past few months more people in my area have popped up as having wireless networks, some are secured, some aren't. Mine is secure, but for the last few weeks has been slow as all hell. Even though I'm secure, could there be interference from other networks slowing me down? And if so, is there a way to fix it?

Come on dude, I can't believe you run a hosting company, and don't even have a basic sense of security... some kid could be parked right outside your house with a laptop and a pocket sniffer, stealing all credit cards, logins, icq conversations, etc...

I hope this was just a rhetorical question...

I doubt it - but check out new electrical equipment - it happened to me and it turned out it was our new microwave!

It killed evything in a 200 meter radious everytime we turned it on......

My VHS player gave us problems as well, but not as bad.

Possible, though not likely. Some routers have an option to change the channel that the signal is broadcast on, might want to play with that. Have you rebooted your router recently? Also, if you are running a highly encrypted connection then some high throughput things may lag due to the processing required.

Why would you want a leecher leeching from your bw?

Hell yes I pw my router.
I'm always amazed by how many unsecured 'linksys' signals I get on my laptop whenever I go on vacation and am looking for a free internet connection, not that I'm complaining, but just can't believe how many fools leave their computer open to everyone like that.

I changed the channel. Let's see if that might help. I haven't reset my router in quite sometime.

Thanks. :)

What he said..

Mine is password protected. My primary issue is that my TiVo only supports WEP, so I have to downgrade my network to WEP. I did lower the power output also. I also have the problem that some of my neighbors started adding wireless networks, so I'm having to change the frequency periodically.

There was an article about the FBI being able to crack a WEP network within 2 minutes using popular software that is easy to find.

FBI can crack ANY consumer grade encryption scheme within minutes... :2 cents:

how do you setup to password protect it ???

You have to pay for the b/w you use? It isn't just a flat fee?

Do you have DSL? This seems to be a common issue with DSL during prime usage times.

Leaving your IC open is not the same as leaving your PC open.

YARGH! What I think he means (and this just be a guess :winkwink: ) is that as more people leech his open connection he pays for it in reduced speed for himself.

At least that's the way I took it. :1orglaugh

Possibly . . . personally, I never notice any decrease in speed when I have people here with their laptops.

Many plans (mine, for example) have caps. If I download more than 20 GB per month or upload more than 10 GB a month, I have to pay extra. So if someone got on my network and started downloading a gig a day, I'd pay for a lot of overages. Also, if someone started seeding/downloading torrents, it could significantly slow down my upstream and downstream speeds.

Speed and cost aside, you're responsible for whatever happens on your internet connection. Imagine someone sits outside your place in their car and emails a few CP photos to the FBI. Guess who'd be held responsible.

Asking why people password protect their router is almost akin to asking why people password protect FTP access to their server.

Yes,Yes and...Yes!:)

of course I do... LOL

I have lan router but it is password protected one way or another.

If your plan is like that, I can understand why you might be concerned if others "leach" on your connection.

Maybe in Canada, but an Oklahoma Court recently rejected that argument (last week).

I am going to venture to say that your definition of "almost" and mine are significantly different.

definetly do.

I dont want someone to log in and change the passkey (wep or wpa) or mess with the settings if they can get access. chances are small, but im willing to take the extra step.

why wouldnt some protect themselves????? its a gateway on your network any two bit hacker can gain access.

wait... your talking about password protecting the admin to the router right (192.168.1.1 or whatever your config is), NOT the actually WEP or WPA key?

don't be giving people bright ideas baddog, i haven't paid for internet in over a year....

password protecting the router is more important. u cant protect the wep authentication, as it is a authentication protocol. its like having a password for a password.

I always use WEP. Fuck my neighbors.

yes. do not want anyone using my stuff.

girl, i wold sooo utilize your stuff. booya...

Not the point... the line is probably capped at 10mbps down, and if two people are using it, that means you now only get 5mbps, which sucks.

It's not even the downloading part so much, but more the uploading. Cable and DSL upload-to-download ratio is notoriously disproportionate. You might be able to download at 16mbps (in my case), but the upload is only 1mbps. 1mbps is easily used up, and then once it's running full-pin, websites and IMs take forever to load.