IT Legends – Tech in Connecticut

So I was helping my friend Keith (a.k.a 4-eyes) with some weird wireless router thing.  Every time he tried to put a password on his wireless network, it would stop working for wired and wireless connections.  It was just weird.  So, here’s what we did to fix it:

1. Verified he had the latest firmware for his router (Linksys WRT54G version 2.2)
2. Established wireless security for WPA2 Personal (TKIP + AES) – (don’t use WEP – it doesn’t truly secure anything)
3. After this, his wired PC wouldn’t work anymore – at least it wouldn’t do DNS anymore.  So I changed the router to assign OpenDNS servers to the machines.
4. Changed the wireless channel from 6 (default) to 1 – there are a lot of people in Keith’s neighborhood that are on channel 6.  Take a look at my post about wireless routers for information on why this causes a problem.

Anyway, he was able to use wireless if he didn’t put any security encryption on it.  The danger of this is that anyone with a little bit of know how (easily found on Google search) could potentially read all the traffic his laptop would send to the router – this is just how radio works (actually, this is possible with WEP encryption, too.  So use WPA or WPA2 with a strong password).  People could then use the information to get access to his online banking site, paypal.com, or any number of other things he may not want them to have access to.  The potential danger is pretty high.  The likelihood of Keith getting attacked is, let’s be honest, small in his neighborhood.  However, its like leaving your home without locking the door.  If you get robbed while you’re away and there are no signs of forced entry, you are going to feel like a tool.

Also – you’re paying for your connection.  Not having your connection secured means anyone that can pick up the signal can use your Internet.  They might slow you down or make you liable for illicit activity on your network that you had nothing to do with.  They aren’t helping you share the burden or the responsibility, why should you make it available to them?

OK, so if you program your GPS’s home feature to your actual home, you’re just giving thieves a better chance to know when you’re not around.  Consider yourself in the commuter lot, they might know you’re gone for about 8 hours at least.  Perfect time to smash and grab your GPS and “go home” to take your things.  Or maybe not the commuter lot, but a busy mall parking lot during Christmas season, or a stadium gaming event.  If you want to enter your home address, list it as a favorite with a different name, like your dog’s name or better someone else’s name entirely.  I was thinking Leroy Jenkins would be a good name.  It can also lead to identity theft if they don’t want to steal your stuff, just your finances.  Take a gander here.

Sorry if any of you were trying to contact me via the contact form.  There was an issue with my WordPress being able to email me over at Google Apps.  I’ve worked it through with my excellent web host and all is well now.  So if you used my contact form in the past and I never responded – its because I never got the message.  Very sorry!