Open WiFi question...

[Cienja]

If your WiFi was open and I connect to it via my pc or my iPhone, would you know? I'm talking about the basic home owner setup that doesn't have it secure. If I connect, would they know? I'm also considering opening my WiFi for some neighbors that can't afford the Internet. Would I know that they are connected?

I have a Linksys WRTG54 router and know I can look at who is connected through the admin app, but is there another way to be "notified" when someone connects?

Thanks

 

[spidey07]

Yes, and all your data is wide and open and I could capture it all, hack your stuffs, etc. Secure your wireless with WPA2. As far as telling who is connected you can easily keep track of who's on by just looking at the frames.

Also sharing your connection is against your terms of service, not a good idea.

 

[kevnich2]

Well, most people don't even know how to get into the admin panel, much less to look at who's connected. Secondly, the admin panel is best way to tell. You can try running a network scanning program to see what other devices are on the network but that's pretty much it. Why would you need to see who's connected anyway if you want it to be open?

 

[Cienja]

Just my curiosity. My network is secure, but some around me are not and I wondered. I thought about the terms of service issue when it comes to sharing, so I'm not going to do that. Also, my iPhone lights up every now and then with a network to connect to, but I always select not to connect. So, just curious.

 

[spidey07]

If you're curious google "802.11 management frames". It will show you what goes on under the hood and how it would be very easy to tell just by listening to the channel.

 

[MustISO]

Must router admin panels will show you all the machines who are connected and getting an IP.