[hserus]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Sorry if this is really silly, but - why this kolaveri di? Why so much security?
a. Are you a target for attacks, that you felt the need for such security!?
b. Or are there constant attacks on home networks that us mango people are too clueless to be aware of?

I'm really curious - why so much effort!

Well yes - there are plenty of attacks on home networks but mostly of the "break into a wifi router and compromise it to use as a bot" variety. The other common variety is where windows (mostly!) devices on the home network get malware and so start sending out tons of junk.

Beyond that his setup would be very good practice for a corporate network for say a 100..150 person company. A touch overkill for a home network but hell, it isn't too unknown for tbhpians to invest in ecu mods, k&n air filters (etc those are just for starters) for their rides, this is similar.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Sorry if this is really silly, but - why this kolaveri di? Why so much security?
a. Are you a target for attacks, that you felt the need for such security!?
b. Or are there constant attacks on home networks that us mango people are too clueless to be aware of?

I'm really curious - why so much effort!

Not a silly question at all! Glad you asked.

Here are the reasons:

a) Previous incidents of virus attacks courtesy members of the family downloading things when they should have exercised better judgement before clicking the download button. The AV solution stops it but leaves me to cleaning up the damage.

I am paranoid of trojans and ransom ware. This coupled with drive by hack attacks over Wi-Fi made me realise I needed to do something about better network security other than switching on the basic SPI firewall in the wi-fi router, using strong passwords, MAC address filtering etc. These are only a start but are not much of a deterrent.

b) I have plenty of personal & professional data plus media content. It is over 5 TBs worth and dates back to 1996. It is something I'd hate to lose, ever.

c) Having dabbled in network security, system administration in my career back in the 1990s, this is stuff that helps me keep in touch with networks including OSes like Linux & FreeBSD.

A great deal of my effort can be put down to a matter of personal interest and enthusiasm.

Originally Posted by hserus

Beyond that his setup would be very good practice for a corporate network for say a 100..150 person company. A touch overkill for a home network but hell, it isn't too unknown for tbhpians to invest in ecu mods, k&n air filters (etc those are just for starters) for their rides, this is similar.

Couldn't have said it better.

It is probably overkill for a standard home network as you correctly point out. This setup (excluding internet bandwidth) can easily serve the needs of a 150-200 strong organisation using up to about 200-500 Mbps leased lines and VPNs. Faster bandwidth will require upgraded firewall hardware.

But then as TBHPians we aren't satisfied with run-of-the-mill ordinary things.

Just as we add accessories to cars to improve performance, safety, in-car entertainment etc, (when there's absolutely no compulsion or need to do so) this is essentially 'hardening' of my network against attacks. With performance and throughput improvements to come later.

[lambuhere1]

Originally Posted by Rahulkool

TI disabled WPS in his router and then the app was not able to connect.

I have kept WPS and DHCP off in my router, i will suggest everyone to switch off WPS in their routers.

Can you kindly guide the steps to disable WPS and DHCP ?

I am new to Airtel Broadband. Heck, infact, I got the installation done last week. Do not know where to start the configuration settings and all. Still have a lot of work to do.

Have to look at parental lock options also. Anyone using Airtel broadband can help me out please.

Btw, router received was Dlink one, forgot the model number. Will update the same to you.

[gtonsing]

Not sure if this is the right question for this post but here it comes.
I have a small problem too. I used to have the BSNL provided Huawei WIFI Modem and router (ADSL). I had changed that to Netgear D1500 recently. While the Huawei wireless signal was weak unless you were in the same room as the router, the signal was pretty stable. Not so much with the Netgear ADSL Modem - Router. The speed with the netgear is pretty fast and my home LAN is easily accessible. However, signal drops completely, frequently. I thought it was a signal reach issue and borrowed a signal booster to see if that solved the issue. But it didnt. When the WIFI is down, even Intranet/other devices are unavailable - meaning the router is not routing. This usually happens in the afternoon - around 3/4 pm. And no, my microwave is not being used and I dont have a cordless phone in the house (is this still a problem?).I live in a 1100 Sq Feet house and airtel is my ISP (It was Airtel even with the earlier modem/router.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by gtonsing

signal drops completely, frequently.

Did you try a firmware update? That should usually solve this sort of issue.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by gtonsing

However, signal drops completely, frequently. I thought it was a signal reach issue and borrowed a signal booster to see if that solved the issue. But it didnt. When the WIFI is down, even Intranet/other devices are unavailable - meaning the router is not routing. This usually happens in the afternoon - around 3/4 pm. And no, my microwave is not being used and I dont have a cordless phone in the house (is this still a problem?).I live in a 1100 Sq Feet house and airtel is my ISP (It was Airtel even with the earlier modem/router.

Check the Wi-Fi bands the router operates on. It may be interference from other Wi-Fi routers in your building or neighbourhood. Most routers default to Channel 6 which is the most crowded. Change over to 'Auto' or channels 1,2,3 or even 11.

See here:

https://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/29396

https://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/23783

and here

https://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/25182
Also upgrade your firmware.

[gtonsing]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Check the Wi-Fi bands the router operates on. It may be interference from other Wi-Fi routers in your building or neighbourhood. Most routers default to Channel 6 which is the most crowded. Change over to 'Auto' or channels 1,2,3 or even 11.

See here:

https://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/29396

https://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/23783

and here

https://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/25182
Also upgrade your firmware.

Thank you both diyguy and R2D2. My modem is of the latest firmware - no updates available. I did switch to channel 3. I didnt check with any tool and I just guessed. It was on Auto before I changed it. Lets see how this one works. Going to do trial and error with the channels and see what suits best. Thanks again

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by gtonsing

I did switch to channel 3. I didnt check with any tool and I just guessed. It was on Auto before I changed it. Lets see how this one works. Going to do trial and error with the channels and see what suits best. Thanks again

No need to do trial and error

I assume you have an Android phone. Use this utility to find the least congested band.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...analyzer&hl=en

[Jaeger]

A lot of gossip and information is available on internet about the Reliance Jio sim and JioFi (WiFi portable devices with free Reliance Jio sim).
I am interested in JioFi device, Since the offers seems to be lucrative.

Any idea\thoughts\review about this device from the fellow T-BHP members?

Is it really worth buying this device at 2899 INR ? Will I be able to connect my android phone (with no 4G support) to this device ?

[binand]

Originally Posted by Jaeger

I am interested in JioFi device [...]
Is it really worth buying this device at 2899 INR ? Will I be able to connect my android phone (with no 4G support) to this device ?

If I read it correctly, this device has 4G on the WAN side and 802.11b/g/n on the LAN side. For the same purpose, I have this device:

http://www.amazon.in/dp/B00634PLTW

With an Airtel 4G datacard. I got the datacard as a free upgrade from their 3G version; so I'm not sure how much a fresh connection costs. The monthly fee for 10GB data is about Rs. 1000 I think.

The key difference seems to me is that the Jio device has a backup battery. Mine needs to be connected to USB or wall socket. Plus mine is actually a combination of two devices whereas the Jio one is a single compact package.

I routinely connect upto 8 devices with no degradation.

Edit: Seems like Airtel, Idea etc. shares have nosedived and perhaps even hit the lower circuit limit today. :-)

[sukhoi]

Hello folks,

Am currently using TP Link Wireless Modem router TD-W8968 model. Have been using this along with Airtel broadband connection for more than 3 years now and it has been working fine. Since day before yesterday evening though, all of a sudden it has developed strange problems:

1) The WiFi signal is not available or at times is detected on the mobile devices but in saved state, unable to connect.
2) After re-starting the modem, it works fine for some time and then again signal drops.

As first steps, upgraded firmware hoping that it might fix the problem but alas that has not helped much. While updating firmware, I had taken a back up of the settings and post update, did a factory reset (advised in the manual) and restore using the settings conf file.

Subsequently I connected a network cable and my laptop to find that on the Wireless network tab, the wireless radio button was set to disabled. Turned it on to enable and things were good but short lived. After some time it would again cause problems and today morning when I again connected my laptop (only one laptop at home currently, my office one which is available morning & evening only), the wireless network was again set to Disable (Wireless --> Basic Settings). Mode is set as 11bgn mixed, channel & Channel Width are set as Auto. SSID Broadcast is enabled (checkbox ticked) and WDS is not. Changed it to Enable and it worked for few minutes and then again bust.

I do not think it is a problem with the Airtel broadband since with network cable the net was working (though that too took a hit once wherein the computer icon was there but with the yellow exclamation mark on it. Am planning to connect the Airtel provided modem (should be lying around the house somewhere) and double check the Airtel signal. Need suggestions on what else could be tried or thoughts around whether the device is fried.

Also, we would have the device turned on 24x7, is that something which should be avoided and could have caused damage or reduced life span of the device maybe?

Found this link online which suggests that others have also suffered from this but no solution.

Any suggestions/inputs/thoughts please on what else could be tried. If I should move to a different device, any suggestions on what brand and model should be considered (we have 5 devices connected at parallel maximum as of now). With the ongoing sales might get a good deal.

TIA,
S

[hserus]

You may be facing channel interference with a nearby wifi device such as a wifi enabled printer (which has an access point) or with your neighbour's wifi routers.

Try to set the channel manually in the settings and experiment on where you get a strong and uninterrupted signal.

[Su-47]

Originally Posted by R2D2

....arrival of my firewall appliance early this year and installation of the open source pfSense firewall plus Snort (IDS/IPS) and PfBlockerNG (ad culling and country/IP range blocking).

The final step was to enhance the already satisfactory Wi-Fi security to further defend it from hacks and unauthorised use. I installed and configured a RADIUS server over this weekend. It is being tested and should be in action from tomorrow or Monday.

Curious - what's your HW config like? Radius server and firewall on different machines, or VMs on a single HW?

With so many devices, users, and their general belief that internet is mostly safe, the thought of putting a proper firewall did cross my mind, but the effort and HW involved plays a dampener. And, I never thought one would put a radius server at home.

It could very well be that I don't know how to do it, so would be great to have some pointers.

[prasadee]

Originally Posted by Su-47

With so many devices, users, and their general belief that internet is mostly safe, the thought of putting a proper firewall did cross my mind, but the effort and HW involved plays a dampener. And, I never thought one would put a radius server at home.

I setup RADIUS servers at work for Wifi certification testing related to authentication, but not at home. At Home, the Internal authentication WPA2-psk done on the AP is good enough. In terms of encryption, you can enable 4 way handshaking to be done on the AP. If a thousand users try to get authenticated at once, having a backend Radius server database would be useful. If you are paranoid, you can setup AP to filter out based on mac addresses.

Instead of RADIUS server, I would setup a high performance AP. 11ac 4x4 ready MU-MIMO capable AP preferably with a fast dual core processor.

I am not a security expert, but I am speaking from a practical point of view. I have a PC free home, and I dont want to spend the electricity, and space to run a server Everything we have is on WLAN. Security cameras, Network attached storage, Solar power monitoring, AC thermostats, printers, TV/Streaming devices, Home automation (Garage opener, lights, etc). All this apart from the usual mobile phones, tablets and laptops. If anyone should be paranoid about security - it should be me.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by prasadee

Everything we have is on WLAN. Security cameras, Network attached storage, Solar power monitoring, AC thermostats, printers, TV/Streaming devices, Home automation (Garage opener, lights, etc). All this apart from the usual mobile phones, tablets and laptops. If anyone should be paranoid about security - it should be me.

The lack of security of "Internet-of-things" devices seems to be the big issue today. How do you ensure your security? For a short time, a couple of years ago, I had a camera watching a birds' nest. I changed its default passwords, and did not set up any mechanism for communication except on my LAN.

Now, I don't have any such thing (not even a camera to watch a coffee machine ) but I suppose it is only a matter of time before I find some gadget irresistible. It's a growing market, but its regard for simple security matters seems to be declining.