Broadband Extenders

Hi, I'm new to this forum and, although I have had computers since 1983, wireless networking has never been a strong point of mine. My ISP is BT and I obtain a download speed averaging 7mpbs via the router. However, my main computer is located in my study and the signal received there was so weak that I was unable to stream videos or TV programmes. Because of this, I decided to invest in a Simplex GPN2.4A27-Q Wireless extender so I could have a WAP in my study. This is working very well and I am only losing about 1mbps of speed. However, I am totally unable to activate the security settings as I am unable to understand the terminology used in the set-up instructions!. The main questions being asked are as follows:

1 WPA Algorithms � do I select TKIP, AES OR TKIPAES?
2 Where do I find the address of the RADIUS SERVER?
3 What is meant by �SHARED SECRET�?
4 What is the �IDLE TIMEOUT�?
5 Should I disable the �ACCESS POLICY�?
6 Should I add a �STATION MAC�? and if so, where do I find this information.

I also feel that external users are logging on to my network but I don't know how to verify this or how to stop it without applying the security settings.
Sorry if you think I am a 'wally' but I really do need to resolve this so any suggestions would be welcome.
Feel free to respond either here of directly to my e-mail
Thanks
Geoffv39

You have a BT wireless router somewhere in the house. This gives a 7M wireless signal if you use a laptop in the same room as the router. You use the setup instructions on the BT router to set the wifi name, and the wifi password. Normally this comes with a default name/password. If you change this wifi password by logging into the BT router, then you stop anyone else who does not know this password from using your WIFI.

You then take the new wireless extender and use its setup instructions to connect to the BT router wifi name using the new password you set. The extender then acts as a copy of the BT router for wifi.

You can then use your desktop to connect to the BT Wifi name using the new password. The desktop will connect to the wireless extender and the extender will talk to the BT router. thus you have a wifi extension. You do not need to do anything else.

The settings you mention below are to set a 2nd WIFI link up, you do not need that

Keep in mind that Wi Fi signals are extremely weak, so for anyone else to make use of yours, that person and the pirate PC would have to be very close to your premises.

That low Wi Fi signal strength is demonstrated by the very fact that you have invested in the Wi F Extender, to operate within your own premises.

If you have a portable Wi Fi PC or similar, try going outside and around the perimeter of your house, to discover the limits of operation. Probably about 50 feet (16 Metres).

Most present Wi Fi circuits operate in the 2.4 Gbps radio-frequency band, chosen for amongst other reasons as one which is readily attenuated/absorbed by structures and atmospheric water, thus covers short distances only.

Baby monitors, micro-wave cookers etc also operate in this UNLICENCED Band.

I have just checked on my EE/Orange Brightbox Router. It has a section "Currently Connected Devices", there being four at presnt-

My PC Tower (named) by LAN (Ethernet Cable)
My lady-wife's Laptop (named) by Wi Fi
HP Printer ("Unknown Device") by Wi Fi
Samknows Monitor ("Unknown Device") by LAN (Ethernet Cable)

Also given are the local IP Address of each one - but as this is locally generated, it does not convey much; and the MAC Address of each device, which is more significant, but normally of little practical use.

By switching likely "Unknown Devices" Off and then On, you can identify/locate them. This may take a minute or more for each device.

================================

If you download a Wi Fi Monitoring program such as inSSIDer on to a Wi Fi connected PC (typically a Laptop), you will be able to "see" other Wi Fi circuits in the neighbourhood.

This will help supplement your knowledge of how far your own Wi Fi signals can be "seen".

================================

If your Router is also part of the BT FON arrangements and similar then there is a greater chance that others are legitmately logging in via your Router, as that is part of your Contractual Agreement with BT.

https://www.bt.com/wifi/secure/index.do?s_cid=con_FU...

I do not know the full details of that Agreement; nor how those legitimate users show up on your Router, perhaps someone could enlighten us?

Should have been
2.4 GHz Frequency Range

Not
2.4 Gbps

I have been looking further in to Wi Fi power and coverage levels.

Not unexpectedly, the Transmitted Power Level is around 100 mW (milli-Watts) for individual PCs etc, to "minimise" coverage, (battery) power consumption and interference.

So the typical incandescent lamp of 100 Watts is 1,000 times greater, whilst the corresponding CFL lamp is about 200 times greater, both to a first-level approximation.

A closer comparison may be a single LED, of the slightly larger varieties, apparently consumes about the same level, 100 mW.

Imagine such an LED lit, beside your Router in your house, in the middle of the night - How much of the house would it light, even if you open every door etc.

Then how observable would it be from outside, all the curtains open etc, to not obstruct the LED's light from emerging.

It may not be a perfect analogy; but it gives some idea of the likely workable coverage.

If your outer walls are particularly thick and/or their interior faces lined with plasterboard having the typical metallic vapour barrier, this will further contain and/or attenuate the Wi Fi signal.

------------------------------------

So even a legitimate BT FON user would have to be very close to or actually in your house, to be able to make use of the BT FON facilities, if implemented on your Router.

But such FON use should have very little observable effect, if any, on your Wi Fi, as the FON facilities are deliberately restricted to use a small proportion of your Wi Fi facility.

--------------------------------------

I can set up two additional Wi Fi circuits on my Brightbox Router, similar to the FON arrangements on the BT.

Back at Christmas, I brought one in to operation, for the (great-) grandchildren particularly coming for Christmas Lunch etc.

No signs of any problems or restrictions on my main Wi Fi circuit.

I use my neighbours BT Wifi connections and can easily get 50 down and 10 up which is faster than any ADSL connection. BT Wifi appears to be unrestricted.

Just tried my own BT WIFi connection

Wired I get 57/18 and wireless to my own network around 35/16, however changing to BT WiFi it drops to about 3.5/1.8 ... surprised you are getting those speeds.

So are my neighbours

In reply to a post by geoffv39:

1 WPA Algorithms � do I select TKIP, AES OR TKIPAES?
2 Where do I find the address of the RADIUS SERVER?
3 What is meant by �SHARED SECRET�?
4 What is the �IDLE TIMEOUT�?
5 Should I disable the �ACCESS POLICY�?
6 Should I add a �STATION MAC�? and if so, where do I find this information.

Hi, it's difficult without seeing the setup interface, but:

The most important setting you haven't listed. This is the security mode, options should be things like WEP OPEN or SHARED, WPA, RADIUS. Select one that may be called WPA2 Personal or WPA2 PSK or WPA2 Pre-shared Key (all same thing for this purpose). Select AES as the WPA Algorithm and there should be space to enter a passphrase of your choice.

Settings 2 to 4 don't apply for this security method.

Settings 5 to 6 are a MAC address filter - anyone going to the trouble of hacking into your connection can easily get around this, so I wouldn't worry about enabling this.

Interesting.

I suspect that if you are using the FON side, your neighbour will get priority if any local congestion occurs.

On the Brightbox, one can allocate settings-

Bandwidth Control
No. Upstream Downstream
SSID1 Enable 100 KBytes/sec Enable 1200 KBytes/sec (My Primary)
SSID2 Enable 50 KBytes/sec Enable 200 KBytes/sec (Visitor Secondary)
SSID3 Enable KBytes/sec Enable KBytes/sec (Unused at present)

Those in effect, prioritise the traffic.

Note the KiloBytes rather than Kilobits.

There have been no obvious problems.

Also, are those figures from the Wi Fi side only, say a local transfer between his PC/s and yours, so only Wi Fi involved; or are they from, for example, the TBB Speed Test, so inclusive of the onward ADSL or VDSL stream?

Edited by deleted (Mon 17-Feb-14 14:28:14)