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!

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