"Jeff Liebermann" <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote in message
news:va6hn392l048t6nfblm7qc0kohpv5i29br@4ax.com...
> "dwacon" <aunt.jemima@pancake.box> hath wroth:
>
>>The other thread (about security and MACs and sniffers and etc) got me
>>thinking.
>
> Ummm... I never stop thinking. I can't even stop thinking if I try to
> stop thinking. How do you start and stop thinkin? What's your
> secret?
>
>>I can be working on my laptop and notice my wireless connection will go
>>from
>>excellent to low to good... and I'm not moving, and the antenna hasn't
>>moved.
>
> Yep. You're not moving and neigher is the router. However, all the
> other junk in the house is moving around. Reflections and multipath
> are a fact of life in wireless. They come, go, move, change, and
> drive me nuts. Depending on modulation scheme, such frequency
> selective fading can have a big effect on signal strength.
>
>>Does this mean that someone is connecting and sucking up my bandwidth?
>
> Umm... Bandwidth isn't something that you pour out of a glass and
> consume. Nobody is going to deplete your bandwidth without your
> knowledge. Just watch the flashing lights on your unspecified model
> wireless router. When they're furiously flashing, there's somone on
> your system. If you have WPA or WPA2 encryption running with a
> decent encryption key, I wouldn't worry about someone breaking in.
>
>>I'm considering getting some high-powered intrusion detection tools... not
>>that free stuff. Or, would I just be wasting $$$ ???
>
> Sigh. I have no idea what you're trying to protect or why you
> apparently consider WPA encryption to be insufficient. I've used IDS
> (intrusion detection systems) such as Snort for trapping evil bad
> guys. I think my false alarm rate was something like 100 false alarms
> to every valid attack. Most of the attacks were just scripted probes.
> If you're still interested in buring money, methinks you should read a
> bit on IDS system configuration and operation. Otherwise, use WPA or
> WPA2, or perhaps setup a VPN, and be done with it.
Maybe I'll go to school and get a CISSP...
--
I made magic once. Now, the sofa is gone.
http://dwacon.blogspot.com