Unsecure wi-fi connection

Science & Technology Information Technology, Gaming, Machines, Gadgets
1

I was at the mall today with my laptop. Had some stuff going on at home due to which I had to be outside for a number of hours. As soon as I booted my laptop I noticed there are two available wireless networks. However, one was secure while the other wasn’t.

I connected to the non-secure one and I was connected. However, I couldn’t get MSN or the IE running.

I’m sort of interested to find out why I couldn’t use the Internet although it did show me as connected.

2

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

perhaps due to encryption, you may pick up signal but an undecodable one..

3

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

may be the signal strength was very low

4

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

Abdullah K, there was no encryption on that wireless connection.

Mr Genius, I believe the strength was low. May be that's why it didn't work. Oh well...

5

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

if the network wasn't encrypted, then, a couple of ideas:

  1. the network admin would have an Access-List on the router/bridge which allows computers connecting to it to go out to the Internet - this is actually a basic security feature... I use it all the time in addition to WEP. You can register MAC addresses of legitimate computers so that other can't use your network. They'll still be able to "see" the network though.

OR, why not consider the most basic of all options:

  1. maybe the network you picked up wasn't meant to connect to the Internet. It was only supposed to be an internal local area peer-to-peer network of some sort.
6

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

I dunno if it will help or not but this is something I came across..

There is a Lab in which I am responsible for the Network Infrastructure to be maintained as part of a contract between Lab and company where I work.

The Lab has a secured Wi-Fi … Now there are doctors who use their laptop every now and then but they use their laptops in other wi-fi networks too…

it turned out that many times, even though they were connected with good strength of signal on lab Wi-Fi, they were unable to go on web or even use their outlook for that matter…

What turned out that the IP address that was assigned to them in the previous wi0fi connection was the one that showed up (same IP scheme scenario)

Even disabling and re-enabling of Wi-Fi card did not work many times and literally had to turn off & on the wireless switch on the laptop and hence a correct IP was assigned…

just one of the things that I experienced more than few times.

7

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

Umar Talib, I thought about your #2 suggestion when I couldn't get the Internet working properly. It must've been some sort of intranet or just poor connection.

Anwaar Qureshi, that could've been the reason as well.

Oh well.. I was only at the mall for a few hours and thought I might as well give it a try while downloading a few software.

8

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

There is also a possibility that they could be using a proxy. Also try using a real DNS address rather than letting dhcp decide.....on the other hand like Umar bhai mentioned, the wireless mite only be used for internal purposes.

9

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

happens all the time :-)

10

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

i can almost bet it was not a poor connection. even if you have a poor connection the net stil works so i think umar was right it was most likely a computer to computer connection.

11

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

Its pretty common. If you go on an airport and see WiFi spot and try to connect. It will show an non-WEP WiFi network where you can go on IE... but it will only take you to their main login screen, where you have to purchase a day-pass or something to use the internet. So just because it doesn't show a lock next to it, doesn't mean it allows free use of internet by anyone.

12

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

that sounds just like my network.. I don't have WEP enabled but u won't get an IP assigned even if you log on to it.. i have DHCP set to allocate a fixed number of addresses and they are tied to the MAC address of my computers..

13

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

^ yep, our company does the same. No encription but valid MAC addresses get the connection.

14

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

I have both WEP and MAC filtering, plus i have a software on my server which plays a .wav file if it detects a new MAC trying to connect. Once I forgot the volume on high and the damned thing nearly gave me a heart attack as some stupid war-driver passed by at 3.00 am. I wished I had a gun then, or even a ghulail.

15

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

Tofi u r such a girl :p

16

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

It could’ve been that also.

Anyway, I’m a little upset because I wanted to surf the net while trying to study at the mall. I see malls as a place to shop and probably to relax (at least for women it is), so the least you can do is offer free net.

Oh and the name of the wireless connection was bhotspot or something like that. It got me excited for a moment thinking that I’d have access to free Internet.

Anyway… I never have to go to the malls to study and this is the first (and probably the last) time I took my laptop. So it’s alright. If I ever run into such a problem I can always speak to the mall management to find out why exactly I was unable to connect to the Internet.

17

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

Risky using these free type of internet connections ... usually they are honey or crackpots ... as its name suggested "bhots pot" .... its not "bhot spot".

18

Re: Unsecure wi-fi connection

may b that network was just a lan with no connection to internet

Foil Burqa's