*Official*Wireless Stinks, looking for network alternative...

[InlineFive]

OK, I'm seriously fed up with my wireless network. This hacker got into my network and somehow emulated a computer on my wired network! Needless to say I'm seriously fed up with wireless as it is a very flawed standard.

I'm looking at HPNA but I want to know if it's secure and what I need to hook it into my ethernet network.

Any suggestions?

-Por

 

[ApacheXMD]

Were you using WEP? or MAC Address filtering?

-patchy

 

[fs5]

usually this is because a user hasn't secured their network. Here's what you should do:

1) Use WEP 128-bit or better.
2) Use WPA is available on your router
3) Mac address filtering
4) disable SSID broadcasting
5) change your default password on your router
6) change the subnet of your home network, to like 192.168.10.x or something similiar

These should deter amatuer hackers.

 

[InlineFive]

I did all of that stuff, but not WPA because my stuff doesn't support that. Why, is that out yet? Can anyone say anything about it's security?

-Por

 

[buleyb]

What do you want to know? Its much better than WEP (especially if you use AES for your shared key cryptosystem), but still not any guarantee...

WEP is highly fragile, especially if you never rotate or change your keys.

WPA is out, Linksys, Proxim, Buffalo, etc all support it, and its a much better alternative. The rest of those suggestions are essential, especially restricting client MAC addresses, not broadcasting SSID, and placing wireless clients in a DMZ.

what else you want to know?

 

[Tokar]

Originally posted by: PorBleemo
OK, I'm seriously fed up with my wireless network. This hacker got into my network and somehow emulated a computer on my wired network! Needless to say I'm seriously fed up with wireless as it is a very flawed standard.

I'm looking at HPNA but I want to know if it's secure and what I need to hook it into my ethernet network.

Any suggestions?

-Por

HPNA = excellent choice...

ive been running it for 3 or so years now. Stable, reliable, and its WIRED!!!

Currently its only 10mbps which isnt as fast as say, CAT5 ethernet networks or CAT5e. But the new Version 3.0 should be out sooner or later. Version 3.0 promises 128mbps and beyond (as high as 240mbps i believe). I recently e-mailed an HPNA rep and he said that right now V3 products are undergoing field tests and we should expect to see Version 3.0 products on the market as early as this summer.

-10mbps (Version 1.0 is 1.0mbps, i dont think you can find v1 products anymore. Version 2.0 is 10mbps).
-Supports up to 32 computers i believe.
-Wires act as a hub in and of itself. No additional hardware except the network cards themselves are required.
-CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. You can get a PCI card for like $5 or $10. And USB for a little more. I dont recommend buying Linksys because of the high price. Look at www.shentech.com. The PCI cards they have work in 95/98/ME/2000/XP even though 3com has stopped support for them. Im sorry to say though, that the USB ones from 3com they offer have drivers that work only in 95/98/ME/2000. They create a bluescreen in XP. Note: Ive bought many times from shentech and have gotten stuff within 2 days of purchase, if not 1 day. I have purchased both the PCI and USB 3com cards from them which is why im able to inform you of their compatability.
-Wired.
-No extra drilling, unless you house somehow does now have phonelines.
-All computers have to be on same phoneline (e.g. if you have two lines in your house 555-555-5555 and 555-555-5556, all computers have to be on either 555-555-5555 or all on 555-555-5556).

the way i have my network set up:
Cable Modem -> Ethernet 10/100 card on Windows XP PC -- ICS -- HPNA PCI Card -> Phonelines <- Client Computer(s)
Client computers automatically pick up 192.168.0.XXX IP's thru DHCP.