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You are here: MacNN Forums > Enthusiast Zone > Networking > Want to stay open, but know "who" is using bandwidth

Want to stay open, but know "who" is using bandwidth
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macndave
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Mar 8, 2004, 08:44 PM
 
I've had an open airport network set up in my townhouse for some time now (a couple years). A developer built more townhomes behind us and over the months I've noticed that the cable box and airport activity light as really gone up. I want to keep the airport connection open but i would like to know who is using it (even if just a MAC address or computer name) and how much bandwidth is being used. I don't mind that others are using the connection to surf the web or listen to interet radio, but I don't want people using it as an ftp server or worst a a peer-to-peer server (aka Limewire or Grokster).

Is there software available for OS X (panther) to monitor (and if necessary restrict) users, while leaving the connection open?


1.5Ghz AlBook G4 + 20" Cinema Display
Cable Modem via Airport Express
iSight Enabled @ dmwilsonh
     
car1son
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Mar 8, 2004, 10:34 PM
 
What brand is your WiFi router? Apple? Airport Monitor might help.

You could probably do a pretty good job frustrating would-be file sharers using Port Mapping to send the ports of popular file sharing protocols to non-existent IP addresses (the great bit-bucket in the sky) - or sending all ports to your own Mac (and turning on the firewall) so no-one runs a server but you.
     
macndave  (op)
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Mar 9, 2004, 12:00 AM
 
Originally posted by car1son:
What brand is your WiFi router? Apple? Airport Monitor might help.

You could probably do a pretty good job frustrating would-be file sharers using Port Mapping to send the ports of popular file sharing protocols to non-existent IP addresses (the great bit-bucket in the sky) - or sending all ports to your own Mac (and turning on the firewall) so no-one runs a server but you.
I've one of the original graphic Airports. The Airport Monitor software looks interesting, but my Airport is not supported. I've been thinking of password protecting, but want to "share the love."


1.5Ghz AlBook G4 + 20" Cinema Display
Cable Modem via Airport Express
iSight Enabled @ dmwilsonh
     
John Strung
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Mar 9, 2004, 09:55 AM
 
You might be sharing more than the love. If you have file sharing turned on on any of your computers, you are leaving yourself wide open to malicious hackers.

If I were you, I would go the whole hog on security if your older Airport supports it:

1. Turn off SSID broadcast
2. Change the default SSID
3. Use WEP
4. Use MAC address filtering.
     
Scarpa
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Mar 9, 2004, 08:01 PM
 
Don't "share the love" unless you're willing to take liability for whatever people are doing with your connection.

You wouldn't want the RIAA or FBI knocking on your door for pirating or kiddie porn would you?
     
macndave  (op)
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Mar 10, 2004, 12:18 AM
 
Originally posted by Scarpa:
Don't "share the love" unless you're willing to take liability for whatever people are doing with your connection.

You wouldn't want the RIAA or FBI knocking on your door for pirating or kiddie porn would you?
Wow...That last sentence was an eye opener. Though, I don't have file sharing turned on and I a firewall is running and all client computers, I think I will turn on the various protections and password settings.

Thanks for opening my eyes.


1.5Ghz AlBook G4 + 20" Cinema Display
Cable Modem via Airport Express
iSight Enabled @ dmwilsonh
     
John Strung
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Mar 10, 2004, 10:17 AM
 
In Toronto a few weeks ago, someone was arrested for "war driving". He was driving down the street with a laptop computer downloading child pornography from wireless networks in houses he was passing. Apparently he was not wearing pants.
     
ice
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Mar 10, 2004, 02:43 PM
 
Originally posted by John Strung:
In Toronto a few weeks ago, someone was arrested for "war driving". He was driving down the street with a laptop computer downloading child pornography from wireless networks in houses he was passing. Apparently he was not wearing pants.
Thats just disturbing... there are some messed up people out there... I wonder how they caught him?!
     
ReefHobbyist
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Mar 10, 2004, 03:54 PM
 
Originally posted by ice:
Thats just disturbing... there are some messed up people out there... I wonder how they caught him?!
I doubt he was actually driving down the street. Base stations don't "hand off" connections like cell phones do. He was probably parked on the street sitting in his car for a while (suspicious) and a cop came up and caught him with his pants down

I doubt the FBI (or Canadian equivalent) caught him from the internet side. It would take some effort to identify his network traffic and IP, get a warrant (What are the Canadian rights?) for the ISP to give out the info, and the drive over to the house and catch him. He would have been long gone and the unfortunate people living in the house would have been spending some time in jail while they inspected their computers and found nothing.

Lock down your network. It's not worth sharing.

Scott
     
OB1
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Mar 12, 2004, 12:27 PM
 
Good for you for sharing your excess bandwidth macndave.
I just think that's an incredibly cool thing to do.
     
   
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