BleepingComputer.com: wireless i think?

Hi I've posted about this before sorry to bring it up again, my friends are saying my internet is not safe and its not stable it works one day and then it don't for a while.Hi not sure whats happened here?.There is 4 of us using this computer all of us got our own user account click on name put your password in once your in press on Aol icon your login on screen comes up with your name put in your password then you get on the internet once on the net i use firefox 3.5.Now for some reason i can bypass Aol all i do now is login into my user account just click on ff3 and I'm on the net it seams I've gone wireless?,and i don't know how?,because as far as i know i got broadband now my son can play xbox live my daughter gets the internet on her ipod so how comes this has happen?,ALL I've done is upgraded my modem to speedtouch, is my internet safe i ask this because when my son plays on his xbox live he gets a message no security when he first connects on line what should i do.My os is windows xp home got outpost superantispywear Avast Theartfire spywearblaster malwearebytes.All i want to know is my internet safe? why no password so does mean anybody can connect to my internet

Who is providing your broadband?

What is the model of the Speedtouch?

Do you have a router?

It would be the box between the Speedtouch and your PC?

This post has been edited by CaveDweller2: 25 January 2010 - 05:01 PM

Hi my ISP is AOL, my speedtouch Thomson st585 v6 i thought the speedtouch was modem and router were the same thing?,all i got is what aol sent me i changed my package to include my phone,not to good at this stuff sorry does this help?

To answer a few questions: Yes the speedtouch is a modem and router, yes it has wireless, I'm not sure if your kids are connecting to your network, yes you are at a little risk because there is no wireless security turned on and no you didn't go wireless on your desktop unless you bought a wireless card.

Before you got this new modem/router you had to sign into AOL to connect to the net and now you don't, if I am reading what you wrote correctly. I believe the new modem/router makes the connection for you so you don't have to worry about using the AOL sign in.

This is what the user guide I found says about your wireless:

• The SpeedTouch™ is broadcasting its network name (SSID). This default network name (SSID) is printed on the identification label located on the bottom of your SpeedTouch™ and is unique for each device. It consists of the concatenation of the word “SpeedTouch” and 6 hexadecimal characters, without any spaces, for example SpeedTouch123456.
  
• The radio channel number is set to ‘automatically scan for the best radio channel’.
  
• Registration is not activated. New stations are allowed automatically. The Access Control List is open and empty. No wireless client will be denied access to the SpeedTouch™ based on its physical hardware address.

What that means is your wireless is WIDE open to anyone connecting to it.

Gonna try to walk you through setting up wireless security. Read through the steps below, I know its going to look scary but its not that difficult. And as long as you don't click Apply on any page, the settings won't change. This has nothing to do with your wired connection this ONLY affects the wireless.. Having said that, if once you are looking at the pages you realize you are in over your head, pick up the phone and call your ISP. Tell them you just got this new modem/router and the damn wireless is WIDE open you want to get some security. Use WPA-PSK tell them you heard its better which it is.

• Open a browser
  
• type 192.168.1.254 in the address bar and hit Enter
  
• in the main menu select Home Network
  
• click WLAN(wireless LAN)
  
• click Configure or under Configuration(the guide is a little fuzzy here)
  
• on this page look for the Security section.
  
• ignore everything but "Allow new devices" part, there will be a box with an arrow click the arrow and click "Allowed (via registration)"
  
• below that click, beside "WPA-PSK" now I am not sure what will happen. What I am reading sounds like a box will appear for you to type in the pass phrase for it but I am not 100%
  
• WPA allows numbers, letter, symbols and spaces. My advice is use a sentence rather than a single word. Make it something random and silly like "I poke badgers with spoons" or "CaveDweller2 rules all" hehe you get the idea.
  
• Click Apply.

Adding wireless devices - the easy way - type the pass phrase/sentence you setup in the previous steps in the wireless device(the Xbox and Ipod) then on the front of the Speedtouch click the big green button, the wireless light will flash for 1 minute, have your son hit Enter to try to connect the xbox and do the same with your daughter's iPod and they should be connected.

When you click Home Network, you'll see a wireless and wired section. Those things that are connecting to your network wireless will be listed. If you see ore than your Xbox and iPod, people are stealing your broadband. Click Devices on the left, there should be a list of those devices, put a check mark beside all devices you want and click Delete. They'll be disconnected and without the WPA key they won't be able to re-connect.

This post has been edited by CaveDweller2: 25 January 2010 - 07:50 PM

Hi followed your guide got as far as number 9 after that was not sure were to put the password you got a box with W.P.A-PSK Encryption key and a 10 digit number in it i can change it but was not sure and another box with W.P.A click the arrow and get another choice W.P.A2 or W.P.A+W.P.A2 was not sure what to do?

This post has been edited by aliboy66: 27 January 2010 - 12:29 PM

Yeah the guide I was looking at is REALLY fuzzy.

You want the WPA + WPA2 choice. <- that is the most secure. With both selected if a device can only use WPA it can still connect while allowing WPA2 devices to connect as well =)

In that box with the 10 digit number is where you'll type the phrase or sentence.

Hi manged to put password on wireless everything seams ok for now my daughter ipod was quit straight forward my son xbox is at his mates so that should be straight forward so thank you When i went on home networking to see who's on my wireless i found 4 things is this ok, do you want IP Address number

Local Network Devices

Detected Device(s)

The table below contains the list of devices the SpeedTouch detected on your local network. Click on a device name to get more information on a device.


Name IP Address Interface



SpeedTouch dsldevice



Active Desktopfootball

Ethernet Interface ethport3


Inactive DesktopYOUR-

WLAN Interface WLAN


Inactive DesktopUnknown-

WLAN Interface WLAN


Inactive DesktopUnknown-

WLAN Interface WLAN



Pick a task...

The easy way to do this is have your daughter try to connect. On her ipod she should see a list of wireless networks available, she'll want to select the one with your SSID, when she tries to connect it should ask her for a password, this will be whatever you typed in the box that had the 10 digit number in it when you set up the WPA+WPA2 and have her try to connect.

IF that fails and she is sure she typed in the correct pass phrase, have her do it again only this time push the green button on the front of your speedtouch before she hits OK or whatever when she types in the pass phrase. The green button will allow any device to connect as long as they enter the correct pass phrase. You'll do the same thing with the Xbox when he gets it back

Hi yeah daughter is already on shes up and running i just want to know when i look at home networking that's what i see is it ok how would i know its her ipod and xbox?

Just FYI, you might want to change the SSID to something unique so its easy to see. Which I believe you do on the same page you setup the security.

The only thing you are concerned about is the wireless or WLAN. The other stuff has to be physically plugged in, if someone is doing that without your knowledge then you have bigger worries than if your wireless is secure lol.

Well 3 things we are expecting. Your desktop plugged in Ethernet, your daughter's iPod wireless and your son's Xbox wireless. Even if they are inactive now they should show because they were connected.

If she is connected to your network with her iPod it should show up there as active, not sure what will be displayed but it should at least be active. If she is online and its not showing any WLAN connection active, then she is not on your network.

I wouldn't worry about the other things listed because without the pass phrase they can't connect anyway. But when the Xbox is back home, get it and the iPod connected then surf in and delete all that is inactive under WLAN. Again not that it matters because you setup security.

Hi thanks untill next time