how to set up a wirless hotspot tips please

[grasmere]

My daughter lives in an apartment block and rather than her costing approx £20 a month for broadband I thought I might try setting up a simple wireless hotspot to share with eg a couple or 3/4/5 of other occupants.

I've got some info and done some searches but most seems to be about a US 'pay' cafe type systems and equipment.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions please, or any articles they know of. I am guessing that its like setting up my home wireless network with WEP/MAC security ?

 

[Seamster15]

exactly the same as your home wireless. You limit access to mac address's this would stop anyone else unless they "really" wanted to access. This wouild then give you the ability to deny "non" payers access also.

 

[machasm]

My daughter lives in an apartment block and rather than her costing approx £20 a month for broadband I thought I might try setting up a simple wireless hotspot to share with eg a couple or 3/4/5 of other occupants.

I've got some info and done some searches but most seems to be about a US 'pay' cafe type systems and equipment.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions please, or any articles they know of. I am guessing that its like setting up my home wireless network with WEP/MAC security ?

Pretty much yes.
If you intend to share with a few occupants beware that wifi doesn't penetrate through walls very well!
The power output for the wifi routers is limited in the UK to 22mw (I think) which is pretty futile at penetrating brick or concrete.
a few tips would be.
1) Try to postion the wifi router below all the occupants so that it radiates upwards.
2) You could find a product which will allow you to attach an external aerial. (this should improve the coverage).
3) There are some products that you can find firmware hacks that allow you to boost the power output to around 90mw (linksys WAP54G) although this would contradict FCC regs and possibly interfere with other wireless users in the building!
4) you could put WAP points between the furthest users and the router to act as a bridge.

Hope this helps.
Mac.

 

[grasmere]

cheers guys, I've been there with a laptop and wirless card 'looking' for other users but nothing seen so presumably no other 'wireless' users anyway.

Thanks for the tip ref power output etc, I'll see what I can find

 

[Spinal]

Just my tiny 2-pence worth...

WEP won't go too far with keeping "others" out. I would reccomend a Firewall/Routing table based on MAC addresses. If your MAC address is in the table, you can get to the internet... If its not, you get redirected to a page that tells you to pay up...

Gets around some ready-made WEP cracking programs that way as WEP won't be what keeps your bandwidth yours...

 

[AJTHOMAS]

A lot of home router equipment has a built in 'Clone MAC address' feature.

Typically used with cable broadband connection where the TV set-top box expects to see the computer used to first register with the service. It can make connecting to MAC filtered Access Points quite straightforward.

May be best to stick to an encryption / password system where determined effort is required to gain access.
Simple and quick to rotate passwords and make life difficult for leachers.

If your reselling business bandwith the ISP can offer software to assist.

If your planning to resell consumer bandwith then you can't really complain if someone steals the bandwith from you...

 

[PJH]

Just my tiny 2-pence worth...

WEP won't go too far with keeping "others" out. I would reccomend a Firewall/Routing table based on MAC addresses. If your MAC address is in the table, you can get to the internet... If its not, you get redirected to a page that tells you to pay up...

Gets around some ready-made WEP cracking programs that way as WEP won't be what keeps your bandwidth yours...

BBC insideout programme.

 

[sparkyspost]

You could try this router, a bit more expensive, but if it does what it says on the tin (box) then should be just what you need:
Netgear Wireless RangeMax Bundle W/Router WPN824 +W/USB WPN111
https://www.aria.co.uk/productinfocomm.asp?ID=21266&SpecialStatus=1
£115 + postage.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Sparky

 

[machasm]

Just my tiny 2-pence worth...

WEP won't go too far with keeping "others" out. I would reccomend a Firewall/Routing table based on MAC addresses. If your MAC address is in the table, you can get to the internet... If its not, you get redirected to a page that tells you to pay up...

Gets around some ready-made WEP cracking programs that way as WEP won't be what keeps your bandwidth yours...

It is true that WEP is hackable however, it should prevent the large majority of freeloaders who will just hop on the netwrok for free internet access.
Most routers now employ WPA1 or 2 which is a much stronger encyption algorythm. The point I am trying to make is that any of form of encyption is better than none at all.
Mac filtering should be used as well as NOT broadcasting the SSID which should stop most opportunists.
Mac.

 

[Mozzer]

Where do I find the MAC addreses for my laptops so I can just limit useage to me and the better half ?

 

[Shude]

Where do I find the MAC addreses for my laptops so I can just limit useage to me and the better half ?

run "ipconfig /all" from the command prompt

It is listed as the "physical address" for the network card, for example:

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-B0-D0-BA-43-7B

 

[machasm]

run "ipconfig /all" from the command prompt

It is listed as the "physical address" for the network card, for example:

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-B0-D0-BA-43-7B

Assuming you are using windows 2000 or XP
If you are using 98/95 the command is winipcfg
Also please ensure that you quote the correct adaptor/s as it is likely, if using the wireless, that you will have at least 2. One for your wired connection and one for the wireless connection.
Mac.

 

[Shude]

My router makes a note of MACs and respective windows network names so you can allow/deny machines in one of the security config menus, pretty useful really

I forgot I had the MAC filtering on and it took me ages to realise when trying to get a new laptop to connect

 

[Mozzer]

My router makes a note of MACs and respective windows network names so you can allow/deny machines in one of the security config menus, pretty useful really

I forgot I had the MAC filtering on and it took me ages to realise when trying to get a new laptop to connect

Nick thanks for the help (again) I'm all MAC'ed up now - had a bit of a problem when I set my access point up to "deny access only" to all of my MAC addresses, but 30 mins later managed to change the setting to "allow only" my kit

 

[Shude]

Nick thanks for the help (again) I'm all MAC'ed up now - had a bit of a problem when I set my access point up to "deny access only" to all of my MAC addresses, but 30 mins later managed to change the setting to "allow only" my kit

Which router is it?