Am I leeching off of someone else?

Kabz · Post by **Kabz** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 4:49 pm

I have a linksys wireless-b router

my card is an 802.11b internal wireless card....

now I recently found a second connection that has been acting through my connection at 54mbps

now at first I thought it was a neighbor, and it was just a fluke.....

but when I saw my downloads increase by 100kbp/s I was a little shocked.
I moved my laptop right next to my router to make sure, because my signal sucked even though my downloads were super-fast?? whats going on?
I went closer to my wireless-b and the signal was 100%..but it was 100% on both connections available...
so here I was a week ago.....struggling to get an even 11mbps recieve and transmit rate, and now I have a really week signal but at 24mbps!
Was it because I enabled Turbo-G mode?

I was thinking of not going wireless and adding a second cable modem for my laptop, but now I'm not so sure with this connection I am getting.

Can anyone explain how and why this is happening....
someone was saying my router is picking up the neighbors signal and channeling it to me.....I have an interchangeable channel between 1 and 11 and it randomly changes.....

replies are appreciated

FunK · Post by **FunK** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:35 pm

unplug the power from your router... If you stay up and are getting blazing speeds you're doing through a different access point.

You can also look at your wireless connections and look for the name (SSID) of the gateways that you can connect to. It's possible that you are getting a better signal from another source and windows is using the other connection.

In order to use only your connection you would need to tell your OS not to look at other sources and ONLY connect to your router..

Kabz · Post by **Kabz** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 4:25 pm

well..

I don't want to cut off this fast connection.

both SSID's are linksys so....

Matt615 · Post by **Matt615** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:02 pm

you could rename the SSID on your connection, in the router setup, and then you would be able to tell the difference between the two of them and see which one you are actually connected to.

Blisster · Post by **Blisster** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:23 pm

Kabz wrote:well..

I don't want to cut off this fast connection.

both SSID's are linksys so....

you might now WANT to be cut off from the connection, but if it does turn out to be someone elses, it would he highly unethical to continue to leech off of them without telling them. Hell, When I moved into my new house I could see 4 networks with my laptop, 2 of which were wide open as I figured out whos each was I made it a point to show them how to lock it down so others couln't leech.

Kabz · Post by **Kabz** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 1:27 am

they are interchanging constantly....

ethics or not...
I am still paying the cable company my money.....so I'm not doing anything wrong here.
Just because I am in the know if it, does it make it wrong?
To anyone else, they would have no clue.....but why should I deny myself the speed whereas I get a weak signal from my own router just from my location in the house?
Like I said.....I get a 54mbps out of my wireless B when I am right next to it......
so thats what made me excited....

anyways.....

Noevo · Post by **Noevo** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 12:50 pm

BAH! Decided to do some self-censorship. But seeing how I can't delete the post entirely... In a nutshell; Yes it is wrong, especially if you know. UNLESS you find out the source and it happens to be a public hot spot. Look at your thread title. Does that sound like a positive thing? You know it's wrong but want help justifying it.

FunK · Post by **FunK** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 2:00 pm

I agree with the folks above. It's wrong. Then again, I've connected and used other folks connections when I'm out and about.

The point is though, you need to know which one you are using. Hell, you're connection may just be the faster of the two. If your computer is swapping between the two, who is to say that your neighbor's isn't as well?

Perhaps it is YOU that is being leeched off.

Now, rename the SSID and figure this whole thing out.. BTW, turning off your router isn't going to change anything. You'll still be able to leech off your neighbor... I'm guessing that really doesn't matter though..

Moral implications be damned. If you choose to use someone else's connect and not your own, that's on you. Be ready for any ramifications. You're here to learn what is happening. We've answered. Choose to use the info if you like. let's not turn this into a moral debate. Let's just keep to technical stuff. BTW, you need to lock down your own conection if you haven't already..

Blisster · Post by **Blisster** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 2:40 pm

well said FunK

Kabz · Post by **Kabz** » Fri Oct 08, 2004 11:27 pm

thanks for the replies....

how exactly can I lock down my connection....

this is becoming frustrating because the connections switch on and off.

one second I'm at 11/11....the next I'm at 18/11, or 18/18, then 24/18, then 18/2, then 5/2...

I'm about ready to just ditch the router and get another cable.

How can I secure my own connection so it is only for my comp?

also how do I change my SSID....I do it directly in my wireless utility, and then it can't find the network, so I'm guessing from the hardwire computer is where I need to change it?

BaLa · Post by **BaLa** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:53 am

http://forums.speedguide.net/showthread ... ss+network

the SSID needs to be changed through the web interface of the router, as long as SSID Broadcast is enabled it shouldn't have a problem finding it.
And as long as you have WEP enabled I wouldn't worry about disabling SSID Broadcast..

Kabz · Post by **Kabz** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 1:26 am

thanks