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MikeD · Jan 7, 2010, 12:52 AM

I teach at a high school and have setup a private wifi (Closed/password protected) network that only serves to connect my MBP to speakers. This way, I can use a program called Airfoil to transmit audio wirelessly to the Airport Express (ie with quicktime movies etc)

My IT department found it and confiscated it (I got it back after blasting them and complaining about their tactics of "stealing" - no note left behind etc). I got it back today and they told me that it would 'interfere' with the schools WiFi network. Hey, my iPhone has WiFi on it, I have a bluetooth this and that.. and god only knows the tech these kids pack nowadays... Are they confiscating those too? What do you think? Is my one little airport express that's NOT on their network taking it down? At home, when I go into the airport menu, I see at LEAST 7 wifi networks around me.

Mike

Oisín · Jan 7, 2010, 02:12 AM

Check which channels the school’s network is broadcast on, and then set your Airport Express to broadcast on a channel as far away from that channel as possible. Then you should be pretty certain it won’t interfere with anything.

Simon · 03:42 AM

Many companies and universities have IT policies that explicitly forbid employees to operate their own wifi networks, private or not. I know the university I work for would not allow what you did even if there's no connection whatsoever to the university LAN. I'd check what your school's policy says. If it's not explicitly mentioned, maybe you can reason with your IT people.

Anyway, removing your equipment without even attempting to inform you about it was just plain rude.

ghporter · Jan 7, 2010, 05:57 AM

What Simon said. Your small wireless network was connected to the school network-which probably has some pretty strict approval requirements. Requirements that somewhere you agreed to comply with, whether you noticed that you were agreeing or not. It's THEIR network and anything connected to it has to follow their rules. Now not telling you that they took your stuff was indeed rude, but disconnecting it was probably 100% their prerogative. Note that in some corporate environments, people get fired fired for connecting anything to the network without permission.

MikeD · Jan 7, 2010, 06:05 AM

It wasn't connected to the network at all. Only to my MacBook Pro.

turtle777 · Jan 7, 2010, 06:40 AM

IT departments aren't the smartest. We see it every day. THat they can't distinguish between your own network and connecting to theirs is evidence of that.

-t

MikeD · Jan 7, 2010, 09:58 AM

Next thing you know they'll confiscate my MacBook because I'm not using PowerPoint on their PCs... So in some places, creating your own network (private) and not connected is not allowed? Does anyone know what the reasons are for that? You wouldn't be on their network using up resources. Then that would elimate using personal hotspots right? (ie MiFi).

Connecting to my home computer with cell phone? Same thing? Can they deny me that right too? I'm just irritated at our IT staff and how they handled it. I already voiced my concern and I guess I'm just venting now. I just feel that if I'm not using up resources or interfering, it should be okay... And afterall, it's for the kids!

Since when they took that, I couldn't show what I had to in my keynote file and they missed out. I had other ways though to get them to view the clip (posted to blog) but it involved more work by everyone. No one looks at special circumstances anymore. They couldn't just ask me what it was for or see that I was doing no harm but using it to enhance my students education because their networks and hardware fail at the multimedia I use in my curriculum. Instead, they just yank it and don't say anything until I contact them and cc the boss!

Anyway, I wanted to get a 4g sprint hotspot or get my iPhone to tether but I'd probably get sent to the principal's office....

Simon · 10:34 AM

They're probably worried about interference. Even if you're entirely disconnected from their LAN, your private wifi will be transmitting on a certain channel. One that could possibly be interfering or partially overlapping with theirs. Of course you can use a channel they're not interested in, but my guess is they don't want to have to trust you to do that. It's easier for them to just ban it.

Cell phone tethering is another issue. If they don't ban the use of cell phones, you can probably also tether. I say probably because even there they might have additional restrictions depending on their level of paranoia. An example for that would be if you're only allowed to tether if prior you remove all other network connections to their LAN. A lab I used to work at had such a provision. The fear there was that a compromised machine might be used to bridge into their LAN thus circumventing their very restrictive firewall.

I understand perfectly how you feel. You tried to do something in a sensitive way and they thwarted that without even attempting to discuss. Not a very good way to deal with security. And certainly not a decent way to treat an employee.

I suggest you take a close look at their security policy and then discuss your issue with them. Try to make clear what you want to get accomplished. As IT people it's their responsibility not only to make sure the network's safe, but primarily to assist all employees in getting their work done. A good IT guy will help you find a solution that works for both sides.

ghporter · Jan 7, 2010, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by MikeD

It wasn't connected to the network at all. Only to my MacBook Pro.

I had assumed that the MBP was connected to their network-which would make the express a back door to the network via the MBP.

As turtle says, a lot of IT departments have people that aren't the sharpest screwdrivers in the toolkit. On the other hand, they at least knew what they were looking for and unless they were doing a random "check for odd computer stuff," they probably had noticed something through network monitoring.

The fact that IT took steps to (at least from their perspective) secure their network is not a problem. That they didn't bother to even leave a note that said you needed to go see some office about "your problem hardware" is a really serious issue. Confiscating private property is a Bad Thing, especially when no receipt is given.

MikeD · Jan 7, 2010, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

... unless they were doing a random "check for odd computer stuff," they probably had noticed something through network monitoring.

The fact that IT took steps to (at least from their perspective) secure their network is not a problem. That they didn't bother to even leave a note that said you needed to go see some office about "your problem hardware" is a really serious issue. Confiscating private property is a Bad Thing, especially when no receipt is given.

Actually, it was random. They are switching wireless 'providers' or what-not so they were taking out the access points and supposedly replacing them this past week. So they were in the rooms adjusting computers and such. They were trying to convince me too that the airport unit would interfere with the 'new' wireless network. Sigh... I told him that since they took out the unit, everyone's network access in my wing was better! (That's because since this 'change' this week, the connections have been slower or have been dropped completely). Since they were accusing me that my unit was 'hurting' their wireless network, I simply told the guy, 'Explain why every teacher in this wing is all of a sudden getting poor wireless while you hold my airport in your hand unplugged' He didn't know how to respond to me though and I had to send him off as my class was starting.

The PC repair / microsoft certification course teachers too told me that the IT people were just being 'jerks'. And that me using the airport for just the airtunes feature wasn't harmful to the schools network... esp since I'm off in the far corner of the school anyways. (like a crazy mad scientist perhaps!)

ghporter · Jan 8, 2010, 06:02 AM

Don't necessarily blame the guy doing the grunt work-he gets assigned tasks and has to do 'em to keep his job. And if your AirPort was on a channel used by the installed network, then it could easily have adversely impacted the operation of the installed network. I'm not saying that happened, but it could have happened.

Your beef is with your local IT boss, not his minions. Maybe you should go to that guy and point out how everybody has crap wireless now-after the minions took your device without even leaving a note. (The boss probably doesn't know that your stuff was taken without notice or receipt.)