Wireless Networking

[Atom]

I have a Dell desktop PC hardwired to a Motorola surfboard cable modem through a Belkin F5D-7230-4 (version 1000) and a Dell D505 laptop with a Belkin F5D7010 PCMCIA card. Both running XP pro.

I'm having a minor problem with the wireless connection, and also, I'd like to setup a network.

The wireless problem is that after loggin in on the laptop, I cannot connect to the internet until I manually connect by double-clicking the status icon (green screen) on the taskbar and then clicking on connect.

I have to do this even though the status icon is green and gives an indication of excellent signal strength when floating the pointer over it (like this).




Part 2: Setting up a network:

I've been using the above setup for about 2 years with the only functionality being that I can get on the internet from the laptop wirelessly. Now I have files saved on the laptop, and files saved on the desktop, and of course it's a pain to find what I'm looking for. I'd like to use the desktop as a server and keep all the files there. I'd like to know how to access folders/files on the desktop, from the laptop, and vice versa. Also, I'd like to be able to print to the printer which is connected to the desktop, from the laptop.

One last thing, I'd like to leave encryption off network, so it's easy for visitors to connect, but I want to make sure my files are safe from outside snooping or attack.

[bhopkins]

Are you running service pack 2? You really need to encrypt your data with a WEP key at least.


Bruce

[Atom]

Yes, I'm running SP2. I used to have WEP setup, but then I was having connection problems, so I took it off. What are the dangers of running without WEP? What specifically could someone see or mess with? If I logged into online banking on the laptop, could someone get my username and password?

[Adam]

Without WEP, yes, anyone can get the information that you send across the network... Even encrypted bank information, if you don't examine SSL certificates closely.

The common sense approach is, do not use a password that you want to keep private when connected wirelessly, even if you have encryption like WEP set up on the wireless connection. If you do research on a concept called DNS poisoning, as well as a "man in the middle" attack, you'll see why. The best security is still physical security, which is something that wireless is lacking.

Another problem with wireless networking, which WEP and MAC filtering takes care of for the most part, is that there is a chance of people gaining full access to your computer... Very rare, but not pretty.

[fourthdan]

1) Click on advanced, and find a checkbox that says "Let windows controll your wireless networking" and make sure it is checked. it looks to me that dell's fancy wireless app is trying to control things... it's just a middle man, you don't need it. Windows will allow you to connect directly into any wireless network it knows about already
2) the wireless gateway you specified has an RJ45 socket. You will have to buy either an ethernet adapter (network card) and plug in via cable from desktop to Belkin... or buy a USB wireless adapter (much easier) and put both machines on the network.
Once you do that, check if you have static or dynamic addressing on the network. (my hunch is - you're using DHCP) If so here's a quick and easy solution that sort of doubles as security alarm - limit the DHCP scope to 4 IP addresses (eg. 192.168.1.1 -> 192.168.1.4)
out of these two only 1.2 and 1.3 will be used. Nobody else will even get a place on your network should the crack the WEP. If they are successful at both, you'll know instantly cos your access from desktop or laptop will be cut off.

anyways, once you manage connectivity between laptop and desktop, the next step is access. I always recomend using a personal firewall, but it puts a bit of a strain on the peer-to-peer possibilities. I just temporarily bring down the firewall on one of them and do my copying from the other (network downtime if you will )

hope this made sense

[Baltar]

Originally Posted by Adam

Another problem with wireless networking, which WEP and MAC filtering takes care of for the most part, is that there is a chance of people gaining full access to your computer... Very rare, but not pretty.

Just a FYI: WEP is not secure, it's pretty easy to crack. MAC filtering won't save you either. People can spoof a MAC address that matches one of your machines by examining the packet traffic. If you want true security you need to use WPA2-PSK with a 63 character random string for the key, and AES encryption (it's better than TKIP from what I understand). This makes it impossible for someone to break into your network. A weak (short, non-random) WPA key is susceptible to a dictionary attack. WEP can be cracked within minutes. Here's some useful info about WiFi LAN security:

The six dumbest ways to secure a wireless LAN
How long does a WPA key need to be?

He says that an 8 character random string is enough to secure WPA, but I prefer the maximum security provided by 63 characters. There're a whole bunch of random key generators available to make your life easier, like this one.

[Atom]

Thank you for the responses. I have to admit that a lot of it is going over my head, but I suppose that is just an opportunity for learning At the very least I will try to get the security back on. I don't know if WPA will work, but I know I had WEP working at one point. I will also make sure to do any secure work from the (wired) desktop only so I'm not broadcasting any sensitive info. I'm concerned about the file-sharing security, but I will make sure that I don't have any sensitive info. on my desktop before I set that up. I'm sure I will be back with more questions once I get working on this. Thanks again for the responses.