Wireless repeater

builder22 · 15 Mar 2017 at 08:56

is it possible to have an open unsecured network on the main router but have a password protected connection set up on a repeater?

Ie no password needed in the house/main routers range (there's a reason for this) but password needed for in the garden...so passing randoms can't log in.

bledd · 15 Mar 2017 at 08:59

Seems daft to not have a password.

Best way of doing this is having a wireless access point, but connect it to the main router via a cat5e cable.

RoyMi6 · 15 Mar 2017 at 10:03

Adding a wired Wireless access point is the best idea these days given their price/performance ratio.

I'm super interested in the reason for having no password on the main router in the house though!?

builder22 · 15 Mar 2017 at 10:08

sorry, bit more explanation....
it's my parents house, passwords confuse things...I can't remember exactly but I've had their router set up with a password before, when one of their laptops disconnects they cant get it logged back in again, so easiest thing is no password

my objective is to get a signal in the yard/outbuildings without disturbing anything in the house, so was thinking a repeater

bledd · 15 Mar 2017 at 10:19

I have no other recommendation. All other options are temperamental.

Orcvader · 15 Mar 2017 at 11:43

builder22 said:
when one of their laptops disconnects they cant get it logged back in again, so easiest thing is no password

Are they accidentally forgetting the network, maybe under the assumption they need to "turn off" the wifi on their laptop after using it? Usually it should have no problem reconnecting back up unless the signal itself is weak.

I would be tempted to isolate the wireless though with things like client isolation, it's a big security risk having no password.

Some repeaters can do this, they usually have two different settings on the network to connect to and the network to broadcast, so the repeater's wifi can have a seperate SSID/security and password.

Psycho Sonny · 15 Mar 2017 at 11:44

builder22 said:
sorry, bit more explanation....
it's my parents house, passwords confuse things...I can't remember exactly but I've had their router set up with a password before, when one of their laptops disconnects they cant get it logged back in again, so easiest thing is no password

my objective is to get a signal in the yard/outbuildings without disturbing anything in the house, so was thinking a repeater

make the password something really simple like their honeymoon location or your name.

someone i know was in the process of selling their home and moving but it fell through last minute and they had already cancelled sky, etc. their neighbors don't have a password so i just set up a repeater to use their neighbors wi-fi as a temporary solution. it's been about 6 months now and they are still using it. saving them £30 a month so all good.

builder22 · 15 Mar 2017 at 12:05

I really can't remember the problem...detached, fairly rural so no real concerns but was thinking an external booster/repeater would allow the signal to be picked up from the main road

Psycho Sonny · 15 Mar 2017 at 15:55

builder22 said:
I really can't remember the problem...detached, fairly rural so no real concerns but was thinking an external booster/repeater would allow the signal to be picked up from the main road

so you think someone driving along the main road whilst scanning for wi-fi constantly will then park up and start using their wifi every day?

No the likely scenario is the neighbors may use it if they don't have broadband or their wifi signal is poor

builder22 · 15 Mar 2017 at 16:48

As I say, no real concerns...they have no neighbours!

Caged · 15 Mar 2017 at 18:29

Don't make an open Wi-Fi network, solve the problem of devices forgetting the keys.

Psycho Sonny · 16 Mar 2017 at 09:13

Caged said:
Don't make an open Wi-Fi network, solve the problem of devices forgetting the keys.

what's the issue if they live in the middle of nowhere with nobody beside them?

RoyMi6 · 16 Mar 2017 at 09:40

If you tell people on a computing forum that someone has an open network they're obviously going to tell you to get it locked up. If you told people on mumsnet, you'd likely find any other people doing the same thing.

With anything regarding infosec it's a balance between usability and security. WiFi passwords are a pain, but there should really be some route cause analysis going on as I can't even remember the last time I used my WiFi password. It really shouldn't be an issue.

Also, having nobody live nearby doesn't mean no one gets near that WiFi connection. Deliveries, or randoms taking a wrong turn are potentially joining that network without being known to either party.

If the internal network security takes the same form as the outward facing setup it's a recipe for disaster.

Still, chances of anything actually happening? Slim to none.

However, the chances of it going incredibly badly if that slim-to-none chance did happen seem incredibly high.

AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaanyway...

If you're going to add some AP's with longer range then yes, technically, you can make one password protected and the other not if you use different SSIDs *sigh*.

BUT if the problem lies at a client level where it's forgetting passwords then you've not fixed the issue. So again, do some route cause analysis and fix that problem. Then add passwords to both WiFi solutions.