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Lately we've been hearing horror stories about the number of "wide open" Wi-Fi routers that can be found and exploited just by a hacker driving around town with a Pocket PC, Laptop or WiFi finder. This weekend was my first try at wardriving, and the number of open routers I found just between my house and the local grocery store was astounding . This alerted me that an APB needed to be put out to all my Addict friends and family that you really need to lock down that home router!
Some folks have reported that they aren't encrypting their connections because it's "too hard" or it "takes too much time". Well, sit back and relax. Take a deep breath, we'll have you surfing over an encrypted connection in less than 10 minutes! 8-) Step 1: Open your Wi-Fi router configuration control panel. This is usually accessed via a web interface. Mine is a Belkin router which takes hold of http://192.168.2.1 <-- go ahead and click that link...it just might take you to your router Step 2: Choose your Security Mode. Here you will want to choose 128 Bit WEP. Step 3: On this screen you can see under Security Mode, that you have 128 Bit WEP selected. Now it's time for the part that confuses most people -- the "hard part" You'll see it's not hard at all - but I promise, you can brag to your friends about how hard it is to do and I won't say anything . You need to enter digits and letters into those 13 boxes and hit apply. You can enter them randomly or use the generate function to create one based on a passphrase. I used the generate function and ended up with what you see in the screen below... Step 4: Hit Apply. Step 5: Now is the time to connect your Pocket PC to the newly encrypted connection. Insert your WiFi card, or turn it on if it's an internal card. When the PPC detects the connection it will ask if it should connect to The Internet or to Work. Choose work if you intend to Activesync over WiFi.
Then you will see a "Network Key" request. Step 6: Enter the same key you set on the router and hit "Connect".
Now that you see how easy it is to encrypt your own home Wi-Fi router, is there any excuse not to follow through and do it? Take the 10 minutes and encrypt your connection -- you'll be glad you did.
Any comments?
I've worked with a number of these smaller routers and all of them have similar screens and set up methods, which is why I felt ok about posting the Belkin screens. If anyone is lost, be sure and let us know, hopefully we can help each other.
Wow! Thanks B! I have been needing to do this for a while, but I just saw a nightmare ahead. Your post makes it seem very simple.
BTW, what are you using to wardrive? NetStumbler Lite doesn't work for me.
Wow! Thanks B! I have been needing to do this for a while, but I just saw a nightmare ahead. Your post makes it seem very simple.
BTW, what are you using to wardrive? NetStumbler Lite doesn't work for me.
After some configuration Friday, I got Pocket Warrior up and running like a champ. However, as a dell user, you may want to try Circond's PocketWiNc it seems to have compatibility with most devices.
BK Thanks for posting this. This has to be one of the best tips ever . I finally have my wireless router working the way that I thought it should thanks to this tip. I can't wait to get my e800 and set it up on this 8-) .
Thanks for the walk through. I guess I was just missing a step! Now I can feel secure with my new Axim X3i!
New to PocketPC Addict, new to PocketPC new to wireless networking!
I've been using MAC filtering on my DLink router, mostly becasue I didn't understand how to do WEP. THanks for this tip!
How much difference in security is there between the two? I have been able to tell my router to ignore all computers apart from ones presenting MAC addresses x,y and z. Am I still at risk?
I had been a Palm user up to last week when I decided to switch to PocketPC, as that is the platform that will be suported at work. I chose the Dell 3Xi based on price and features. It was a refurb unit, for $263... hard to beat.
The device is small and light, smaller than I envisoned, once I got my hands on it. The screen is crisp and clear under any lighting conditions. The integrated wireless was a cinch to set up once I got my wireless router and followed your steps. Thanks again.
I am a Mac user at home and use W2K at work. Using PocketMac Pro (pocketmac.net), I am able to sync my device both at home and at work. The PocketMac software is easy to set up and use and except for a few minor glitches, is a great product.
How much difference in security is there between the two? I have been able to tell my router to ignore all computers apart from ones presenting MAC addresses x,y and z. Am I still at risk?
I'd say you are pretty well locked down I'll be posting part two of this Tip of the Week tomorrow -- however it's Mother's day and I have two Mothers to visi so it may be delayed -- but in a nutshell, I think it's going to be difficult to break in.
You may want to not broadcast your SSID. It will make your router invisible.
This isn't strictly true. Not broadcasting the SSID will prevent the router from showing up in lists for auto-connect purposes, but the SSID is still available to any device that "asks" for it using a tool like MiniStumbler or PocketWarrior, and is included in all traffic so it can't be hidden from packet sniffing apps either.
Also, some PPC devices will have trouble connecting if the SSID isn't being broadcast. Turning off SSID broadcast will only stop casual "hackers". Anybody who wants to get in won't be slowed down by doing turning it off.
I've been using MAC filtering on my DLink router, mostly becasue I didn't understand how to do WEP. THanks for this tip!
How much difference in security is there between the two? I have been able to tell my router to ignore all computers apart from ones presenting MAC addresses x,y and z. Am I still at risk?
WEP is encrypting the traffic so people can't see things like passwords unless they crack the WEP key. MAC filtering prevents anybody with an unknown MAC address from associating (connecting) to your router. Using both is a good idea, and will definitely stop casual hackers and wardrivers, but neither is fullproof:
1. Cracking the WEP key is trivial once you've gathered enough packets. This can take from hours to weeks depending on how much traffic is on the wireless network, but it is possible. If you see somebody parked outside your house for a long time, be worried.
2. It's also trivial to "spoof" (fake) the MAC address in several popular wireless cards used in laptops, so MAC filtering isn't totally secure either.
That being said, most people don't have to worry about real hackers - they just need to stop wardrivers and such, and doing what you are doing is all you need to prevent that. I use a D-Link with WEP and MAC filtering as well.
Hey got my Axim X3I for $166 plus sales tax and shipping, it was like $180 total, $50 off instant this week and techbargains.com had a $50 coupon and it was a refurb unit. Can't beat that, now I just need to learn to use one of these.
I've been using MAC filtering on my DLink router, mostly becasue I didn't understand how to do WEP. THanks for this tip!
How much difference in security is there between the two? I have been able to tell my router to ignore all computers apart from ones presenting MAC addresses x,y and z. Am I still at risk?
Do both; you can't be "too secure", and neither is hard or a big performance hit. In theory, someone COULD duplicate your MAC address.
The best advice is to narrow the entry gate as much as possible: don't broadcast your SSID unless you have to, use WEP or even better WPA, restrict access to specific MAC addresses, use the firewall, etc.
Doug
You may want to not broadcast your SSID. It will make your router invisible.
Whether or not you broadcast your SSID, change it! I have a neighbor who has apparently never done anything but power on his/her box. Sometimes I can see "default" and use it without any malicious intent. In fact, when I first got my AirPort cards for my iMac and my iBook, I was using my iMac in "Internet sharing" mode. Funny thing was, if my iBook was right next to the iMac -- inches away -- I had a lousy signal. To make a long story short, it turned out that my iMac wasn't sharing at all, and the weak signal I WAS getting was my neighbor's! After I got the iMac set up properly, I got max signal anywhere I went inside my house. I just upgraded to the AirPort Express, and now have it set as described in another post - SSID not broadcast, modified SSID string, MAC restricted, WEP 128 (because my PPC doesn't yet do WPA), etc.
Doug
. This alerted me that an APB needed to be put out to all my Addict friends and family that you really need to lock down that home router!
You'll see it's not hard at all - but I promise, you can brag to your friends about how hard it is to do and I won't say anything 
. You need to enter digits and letters into those 13 boxes and hit apply. You can enter them randomly or use the generate function to create one based on a passphrase. I used the generate function and ended up with what you see in the screen below...
