Hey, I've been trying to figure this out for a while. Anyone have any advice? The thing is I'm going to try and use my new airport express next year in my dorm to turn my wired dorm connection into a wireless one. The only thing is we're not technically supposed to have wireless networks so i would like to hide it so that other people in the building will not be able to acces it, see it in their list of connections, know it exists, anything. Because if word reaches campus it then I am in trouble. I know about disabling SSID broadcdting, but what other suggestions do you guys have to make my network invisible?
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Hiding a Network
- Thread starter cowinabox302
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As far as I know you can't do this. Wireless is transmitted over radio frequencies, just like the radio. You can no more hide these than you can make a radio station that is invisible to some people's radios. There may be some unsavory way to hack your Airport to transmit on a different frequency, but the FCC is very sticky about stuff like that so you're wading into murky legal waters (not to mention the school's rules). The best you can do is secure your network so no one can get in to it. There may be some short-range wifi devices out there that won't reach to half of your floor, but I havent heard of any.
cowinabox302 said:
I now my Apple Base Station Extreme allows me not to broadcast the network name, that means nobody see my network in there list, it is completely invisible. The only way to trace my wireless is using radio frequency traking devices, and I cannot see people doing that.
You may want to reduce the range of the base station. This might be done simply by putting some aluminium foil around it in the directions you don't want it to go out in. Or you could put a pringles can over the antenae and cut out a window in the direction you want the coverage to go.
Good luck with these techniques. Radio transmittion from aerials is a funky art and an area where even experts fear to make confidient predicitions with oddball setups like yours will be. Trial and error is the only way to get your setup right really.
As long as you hide the SSID and make it so that it will only accept logons from your computer MAC card number, you should be OK.
If with the foil / pringles can you make it so that it can't be picked up outside your dorm, you should be set.
It seems the main reason for banning wireless is to a) avoid security risks from people who don't know enough to secure their wireless network and b) make students pay for their own connections and not share them with other students.
Good luck with these techniques. Radio transmittion from aerials is a funky art and an area where even experts fear to make confidient predicitions with oddball setups like yours will be. Trial and error is the only way to get your setup right really.
As long as you hide the SSID and make it so that it will only accept logons from your computer MAC card number, you should be OK.
If with the foil / pringles can you make it so that it can't be picked up outside your dorm, you should be set.
It seems the main reason for banning wireless is to a) avoid security risks from people who don't know enough to secure their wireless network and b) make students pay for their own connections and not share them with other students.
Well it's not money, because you don't pay seperately for internet, it's more security, but I know that I know what im doing, and know one is going to get onto my network, and hopefully know onw will even see it, so hopefully everything'll be fine. thanks so much for your help everyone!
cowinabox302 said:
Just a warning... You may get into some trouble using a router. A lot of schools dont want you to use them because you are essentially giving out IP addresses, or free internet. Yes you are hiding it and whatever, but the system at both universities I have been at are automated, and when it sees someone with a router, it shuts off their internet connection, and even those of the people in your entire dorm. So.... check into this before doing it and upsetting everyone in your dorm when they cant use the internet.
cowinabox302 said:
Just curious, but what university are you attending.
Yes, turn broadcast SSID off.
Clone MAC address.
And to attempt to circumvent and make sure the network doesn't detect a router, get something like a Belkin 54g plain router from WalMart and enable Access Point mode only.
Eluon said:
I can't tell whether that was sarcastic or not. I'm going to assume it's not and that you're glad that we're helping people.
benthewraith said:
Butler University in Indianapolis. I worked at the Computer Help Desk all four years.
And now, University of Louisville just starting my second year of my masters degree.
Both degrees in music.
I remember at the begining of each semester at butler, getting lots and lots of calls from new students who call in and say "my internet isnt working" so I check out their account, see they have a router... and then after I tell them they cant use it, the would get pretty mad, and yell at me. But rules are rules.
Edit... Hmm I just noticed that that question wasnt for me. Oh well. Im keeping my answer.
Butler Trumpet said:Butler University in Indianapolis. I worked at the Computer Help Desk all four years.
And now, University of Louisville just starting my second year of my masters degree.
Both degrees in music.
I remember at the begining of each semester at butler, getting lots and lots of calls from new students who call in and say "my internet isnt working" so I check out their account, see they have a router... and then after I tell them they cant use it, the would get pretty mad, and yell at me. But rules are rules.
Edit... Hmm I just noticed that that question wasnt for me. Oh well. Im keeping my answer.
That's neat. Good luck on your masters. I'm going to college to be a lawyer. Start out as an Assistant DA, then eventually becoming a defense attorney. It's better though to start out as an ADA because you get to know the system (the judges, what they believe in (conservative or liberal) etc).
that's interesting about the router deal, I plan on using an airport express, how do you think that'll work? is it actually a router? any thoughts on that butler trumpet?
Precisely. The office providing the connection to your residence halls (ResNet, in most cases) will be able to tell that your computer is not connected to the network via direct connection. At my university, they will call you when they see that, if they see it again, they disconnect you for the rest of the semester. At most universities, it's explicitly against the rules.Butler Trumpet said:
I did it when I was in undergrad, but that's just when they were figuring things out. Not worth getting blocked by your own school. Invest in a really long cable.
RedTomato said:
You could also just go into the settings a reduce the range with the little slider... granted I guess the aluminum foil also conceals it...
cowinabox302 said:
heh... for a bit I thought that "butler trumpet" was some sorta new insult I wasn't aware of... guess it's a persons user name...
it is an airport express, does that mean the admin people won't see me connecting to a seperate router and it will be cool?
SilentPanda said:You could also just go into the settings a reduce the range with the little slider... granted I guess the aluminum foil also conceals it...
Beat me too it. You can adjust the power output to reduce your range with a feature in Airport Admin Utility.
also i can detect "hidden" wifi points rather easily and freely. its not that hard. but if you dont tell anyone keep it hidden and possible buy a cheap wirless b off ebay with horrible range ratings you should be good to go. also removing the antennas on my router makes the range like 10 feet my linksys.