Your router is the place to look. Everytime your router grants access thru DHCP, a log entry is made and stored in a file on the router. This will tell you when and how often any device is connected. The log file is your key.
Now, what you want to do is watch the DCHP entries that are active and have "fun" with them. Most newer routers have the ability to filter access so say if you had two machines of your own, I would give them a static IP address with unlimited surfing potential and block all other addresses from Ports 21, 80, 81, and 443.
Or...just use a storng password for the router access and encryption and forget the hassle, becasue....YOU...are responsible for what gets downloaded over your connection.
What he was suggesting, Rim Shot, would cause certain connected systems to not be able to use FTP or web pages, which would make them think they were connected but having a network problem on their computer. Very mean: I like it (for any unauthorized 'users' of my network).
In simple terms, watching the router status page will show who is connected to the router and will usually give you (at least) the IP address assigned by the router, the (Windows) computer name and the MAC (hardware) address of each connection. Using that information, and knowledge of the computer names and MAC addresses of your network cards, you can easily tell whether or not people are using your router without your permission.
In the advanced configuration of most routers there is a MAC address filter that you can use to both allow and deny access to specific MAC addresses (basically, network cards). The advanced settings also allow you to specify, or reserve, IP addresses for certain connections (which is what Steve was suggesting).
I'd recommend reading through the advanced section of your routers user manual, and actually looking at the web configuration pages for those sections. If you have questions on any of the terms used, feel free to post back here as there are a number of people that can quickly answer them for you (or you could Google for the definitions).
jmwills
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12K Posts
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October 13th, 2008 02:00
Your router is the place to look. Everytime your router grants access thru DHCP, a log entry is made and stored in a file on the router. This will tell you when and how often any device is connected. The log file is your key.
Now, what you want to do is watch the DCHP entries that are active and have "fun" with them. Most newer routers have the ability to filter access so say if you had two machines of your own, I would give them a static IP address with unlimited surfing potential and block all other addresses from Ports 21, 80, 81, and 443.
Or...just use a storng password for the router access and encryption and forget the hassle, becasue....YOU...are responsible for what gets downloaded over your connection.
Rim Shot
2 Intern
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395 Posts
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October 13th, 2008 09:00
Larry R
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1.7K Posts
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October 13th, 2008 18:00
Oooh, Steve likes to fight back dirty. :D
What he was suggesting, Rim Shot, would cause certain connected systems to not be able to use FTP or web pages, which would make them think they were connected but having a network problem on their computer. Very mean: I like it (for any unauthorized 'users' of my network).
In simple terms, watching the router status page will show who is connected to the router and will usually give you (at least) the IP address assigned by the router, the (Windows) computer name and the MAC (hardware) address of each connection. Using that information, and knowledge of the computer names and MAC addresses of your network cards, you can easily tell whether or not people are using your router without your permission.
In the advanced configuration of most routers there is a MAC address filter that you can use to both allow and deny access to specific MAC addresses (basically, network cards). The advanced settings also allow you to specify, or reserve, IP addresses for certain connections (which is what Steve was suggesting).
I'd recommend reading through the advanced section of your routers user manual, and actually looking at the web configuration pages for those sections. If you have questions on any of the terms used, feel free to post back here as there are a number of people that can quickly answer them for you (or you could Google for the definitions).