Friends,
I was just wondering?
At times my BT Home Hub gives all the indications of being in operation even when we are not on-line?
The "internet" and "Data" lights are flashing like nobodies business, as if there is something being downloaded!
How can I be sure that we are secure?
Regards, Peter.
Get a decent one ... personally I don't trust the BT offering.
Are you an admin on the unit ? Have you put on the higher level of security, and limited permitted units to those MAC addresses you have personally verified ?
Have you signed up to BTFON whereby you can use BT hubs around the country allowing yours to be used by others?
Quote from: MikeDunn on February 20, 2014, 06:22:19 PM
Get a decent one ... personally I don't trust the BT offering.
Are you an admin on the unit ? Have you put on the higher level of security, and limited permitted units to those MAC addresses you have personally verified ?
Firstly, I cannot afford another unit and secondly we have been loyal customers of BT etc. for over 40 years and despite there abominable help lines they've never let us down.
Am I Admin on the unit??? I do not know!
Have you put on the higher level of security? Where? I cannot access the information for the hub apart from putting the serial number into the PC.
Limited permitted units??? ???
MAC addresses??? ???
I did forget to add that I reside in a semi-detached and I wondered if next door could use the hub?.
Peter.
Quote from: elmo on February 20, 2014, 06:35:12 PM
Have you signed up to BTFON whereby you can use BT hubs around the country allowing yours to be used by others?
BTFON? ???
My wife did the initial sign up for the hub about 7 years ago when we moved up here, so who knows what she agreed to!
Peter.
Just enquired of SWMBO and we are NOT on FON!
Turn your hub off Peter when your not using it.
Quote from: Geoff on February 20, 2014, 06:59:23 PM
Turn your hub off Peter when your not using it.
Geoff, I just had to laugh! :bounce:
I did that only the other day and got an earful of all the reasons why I shouldn't!!! Mainly because she will not listen to me explaining how easy it is to reconnect!
Peter.
I am doing this blind at the moment as i am not on my own computer so bear with me.
At thr bottom right of your screen you will have a home hub icon. Right click on this and you will see a list of potential internet connection hubs, i.g. your home hub plus any neighbours bt hubs that have allowed access. If you have a connection option listed as BT FON then you are allowing public access to use your hub in return for you being allowed to use roaming access on other BT Hubs anywhere in the country that have signed up to BT Fon.
Allowing this use by others does not allow them access to your computer, it simply allows others internet access.
I believe that you can sign in and out of this at any time.
Elmo
Quote from: elmo on February 20, 2014, 07:11:14 PM
I am doing this blind at the moment as i am not on my own computer so bear with me.
At thr bottom right of your screen you will have a home hub icon. Right click on this and you will see a list of potential internet connection hubs, i.g. your home hub plus any neighbours bt hubs that have allowed access. If you have a connection option listed as BT FON then you are allowing public access to use your hub in return for you being allowed to use roaming access on other BT Hubs anywhere in the country that have signed up to BT Fon.
Allowing this use by others does not allow them access to your computer, it simply allows others internet access.
I believe that you can sign in and out of this at any time.
Elmo
Thankyou, very comprehensive reply!
No icon unfortunately! Skype, Volume, Time, AVG and something named "Color" with lots of numbers, but no home hub icon!
Peter.
I am also on BT and I have BT-Fon never had no problems, my connection is unlimited with a connection speed of 70MB I am totally secure and I trust BT the BT-Fon is handy when I am out of town.
Friends,
This is getting complicated!
I think the best course of action is as Geoff suggests, despite the ear bashing and non-co-operation from SWMBO I shall disconnect the power to the hub instead!
My sincere thanks for all your efforts on my behalf!
Warmest regards, Peter.
Sorry to put a spanner in the works but I've always been told that performance is significantly better if the hub is left on permanently.
We used to be with BT (now with PlusNet) but have never experienced any problems with others accessing our accounts etc.
If your PC/laptop is off no one can access your data anyway.
Quote from: port perran on February 20, 2014, 07:50:37 PM
Sorry to put a spanner in the works but I've always been told that performance is significantly better if the hub is left on permanently.
We used to be with BT (now with PlusNet) but have never experienced any problems with others accessing our accounts etc.
If your PC/laptop is off no one can access your data anyway.
I do not think it is about accessing your own personal computer but accessing the BT wireless hub and corrupting it, there is a discussion on the BT forum about this.
The problem could be the BT WiFi finder app for mobile phones. When we first got the app (don't use it now) it would identify up to 7 WiFi Hotspots in our street in a sleepy market town surrounded by open country. Then it would connect us to one of them. They just had to be neighbours home internet hubs which were not password protected.
Peter,
Are you running Windows 7 or Windows 8. If its 8, go to the bottom right and the bar
will appear where you normally turn off on settings. On settings you will also find the
part listed (in my case) 'Network 2'. Click on that and it will show a list of WiFi connections,
one of which will be yours. (Normally top of the list). If there is a shield with a ! in it, the
message will say, Other people may be able to see information over this network.
HTH
Roger
Quote from: ParkeNd on February 20, 2014, 11:52:00 PM
The problem could be the BT WiFi finder app for mobile phones. When we first got the app (don't use it now) it would identify up to 7 WiFi Hotspots in our street in a sleepy market town surrounded by open country. Then it would connect us to one of them. They just had to be neighbours home internet hubs which were not password protected.
Our BT hub can only be used by others if they have the security password/number. Without this it is totally secure'
Roger
Quote from: Oldun on February 21, 2014, 12:05:33 AM
Quote from: ParkeNd on February 20, 2014, 11:52:00 PM
The problem could be the BT WiFi finder app for mobile phones. When we first got the app (don't use it now) it would identify up to 7 WiFi Hotspots in our street in a sleepy market town surrounded by open country. Then it would connect us to one of them. They just had to be neighbours home internet hubs which were not password protected.
Our BT hub can only be used by others if they have the security password/number. Without this it is totally secure'
Roger
Ours too. But you would be surprised how many WiFi Hotspots it finds that aren't secure. Anything commercial like Waitrose and M&S Simply Food are a mile away and out of range so they have to be at private houses.
Quote from: Oldun on February 20, 2014, 11:58:05 PM
Peter,
Are you running Windows 7 or Windows 8. If its 8, go to the bottom right and the bar
will appear where you normally turn off on settings. On settings you will also find the
part listed (in my case) 'Network 2'. Click on that and it will show a list of WiFi connections,
one of which will be yours. (Normally top of the list). If there is a shield with a ! in it, the
message will say, Other people may be able to see information over this network.
HTH
Roger
Neither of those, my stepson loaded XP since he had the disc and the licence!
Thanks anyway, Peter
Download a program called SSID
You can then compare your own WiFi signal to those also within transmission area
If there is overlap, consider changing the router channel number, this very often improves performance
Next, once you are logged into the router
Take a look at all the connected devices
If you see any suspicious MAC addresses and/or device ID, then change the password
I recently performed this for a relative, as there were about 40 routers all within the transmission area
The change of channel number was a vast improvement, equally it showed many people were using the default settings
Changing the password also stopped someone we suspected of visiting the property and copying the password (printed on the side of the device)
Quote from: port perran on February 20, 2014, 07:50:37 PM
Sorry to put a spanner in the works but I've always been told that performance is significantly better if the hub is left on permanently.
Not true from my experience. I'm with Plusnet and turn off my router/access point when it's not in use and have had no change in performance. The same's true for a friends Virgin box.
Happy modelling.
Steven B.
Shouldn't make any difference really. The routers do have to tune to the ADSL line properties but that doesn't normally take very long.
If it's showing lots of traffic when you are not using it then it may well just be your PC or other devices doing background updates.
Alan
Issues of router security usually seem to be mostly based on people keeping default settings for admin passwords, wireless passwords and other settings which makes life easier for someone wanting to sneak in.
My router has a setting to switch of the wireless between set times, or you can easily do it yourself whenever you want.
Friends,
I have spent some time on the blower to BT and after being sent to 8 different people (Most of whom I understood, strange that!) I can rest assured that my home hub is NOT being used by a third party!
I became heated, just a little, and eventually spoke to a gentleman of English extraction who guided me through a password configuration that guarantees the security.
My warmest thanks and regards for all the comments etc.
Peter.
Guarantees is a bit strong.... but it'll ward off any casual leechers.
I have just read a crime thriller where the initial main suspect sits outside the same persons house every night in a van. Turns out he was not trying to abduct anyone - he was just sitting with his laptop using the householders WiFi connection.
If you are still concerned about this you should be able to enter a list of MAC (Media Access Control) numbers for your own computer(s) into your modem/router and set the modem/router so that it will ONLY communicate with computers whose MAC numbers are on this list.
Each computer has a unique MAC number.
Having said that I think this is a bit over the top - just make sure you have a good password.
Neil
Passwords can be broken; and it's not too difficult.
You're best off hiding the SSID, using the highest level encryption your systems can use, changing the password on a regular basis, and setting up MAC addressing only. Few people bother with all this, however ...
Over the top ? Depends on whether you want to give free internet access away or not - especially as you are responsible for anything d/loaded on the connection ...
But is it so much of a problem? Anybody with a 'mobile device' walking past my place is only gonna pick up one thing....
:NGaugeForum:
:D :D ;D
Quote from: Bealman on February 24, 2014, 09:28:12 AM
But is it some much of a problem? Anybody with a 'mobile device' walking past my place is only gonna pick up one thing....
:NGaugeForum:
:D :D ;D
The hubs are multi-user devices. I can be on the internet on the iMac whilst my wife is looking at BBC News on her iPhone. Anyone connecting to the internet via your hub can be watching porn videos in HD and blow your 10 Gb limit on your broadband leaving you to either increase your monthly charges or get blocked until the next month starts.
The "intruder" is not just watching what you are watching.
Shows ya what a boring neighbourhood I live in, then.
You do know that BT has full access to your router.
They use this to 'tune' your internet connection and connect when you're having problems.
They could have been running diagnostics or something.
And the router is a little computer itself, presumably it's like a mobile phone, constantly send little yoo hoo! messages to remind them it's still there and that...
Quote from: NeilWhite on February 24, 2014, 08:06:33 AM
If you are still concerned about this you should be able to enter a list of MAC (Media Access Control) numbers for your own computer(s) into your modem/router
Anyone with technical clue can set the MAC address of their wireless. You'd be amazed how many open wireless network logs are full of entries like
C0:FF:EE:C0:FF:EE
8)
For those interested in updates?
SWMBO was left high and dry by the hub and since she pays the bills (I merely contribute) she has ordered another new hub!
And so it continues!
I only hope it comes with FULL instructions because according to SWMBO I "am the one who knows all about these things!" :dunce:
regards, Peter.
Peter, for what it's worth, it's perfectly safe to leave your home-hub/router left on. There are on occasion, useful updates that are applied by your ISP for security & performance reasons.
I notice that most home broadband routers these days have at least some encryption set on the WiFi Access by default. It is of course technically possible to access your router admin portal from the internet side, but unlikely, as it'll be protected by the firewall. All the same, it would be in your interest to log on to the device as an admin and change the default password, which will of course be well documented on the big bad internet! (usually 'admin' or some such).
Hope this enables you to sleep easier in your bed?
Andy
P.S It's also a good idea to turn it off/on every now and then to clear out the cache, and apply updates!
Our WiFi has been running 24/7 for two years without probs.
Quote from: Bealman on March 01, 2014, 09:21:42 AM
Our WiFi has been running 24/7 for two years without probs.
Ooh, that'll curse it!
Quote from: Only Me on March 01, 2014, 11:50:38 PM
Enable 64bit wpa encryption if you are worried, very easy to do.. I also recommend to my comrades on this forum that you dont keep turning your routers/adsl boxes on and off all the time. We design them to be on at all times to accept updates and perform line checks... A problem is more likely to occur if you keep turning them on or off as matey above rightly says... BT and SKY also advise in their Ts and Cs not to turn them off...
OK, thankyou. BUT why provide an on/off switch?
Peter.
I'm pretty sure our BT Homehub doesn't have an on/off switch.
Our gas boiler does - but I don't power it down every night just because it has one. A work colleague of years ago bought a music centre from a sister company through a work scheme. He kept blowing the speakers listening to Black Sabbath. The sister company kept changing the speakers but eventually got fed up and stopped. We used to listen fascinated to his complaining phone calls in the office. His best high volume rant was "Playing it too loud? What do you mean Playing it Too Loud? If it wasn't meant to be be played that loud the knob wouldn't go round that far would it".
If you have managed to talk to a real person at BT or even email them you will easily install a new hub. Anyone who can beat their automated phone system and pre-programmed limited range of reasons for contact options without getting an automated response to what your call might have been about is already a genius.
Quote:- If you have managed to talk to a real person at BT or even email them you will easily install a new hub. Anyone who can beat their automated phone system and pre-programmed limited range of reasons for contact options without getting an automated response to what your call might have been about is already a genius.
My wife is consistent in getting someone to talk to and has now got unlimited broadband usage for our old tariff! She also finds parking spaces that are just where she needs them and Red traffic lights seem to take fright as she approaches.
I keep my mouth shut!
Peter.
Oh folks get a life, funny as all this is. ;D ;D
Quote from: Bealman on March 02, 2014, 09:15:39 AM
Oh folks get a life, funny as all this is. ;D ;D
I get all my information about real Australian life from trusted sources - Neighbours and Home and Away. And hanging onto your life seems to be the real challenge of the day - let alone getting a life.
:wave: