[Hidden-tech] Security and coverage for shared WiFi

Tad Puckett tadpuck at gmail.com
Sun Jan 10 11:57:21 EST 2016


I agree with Jan, you would be better off running a DocSIS 3.0 modem you
purchased than the provided one you are paying a monthly rental fee for.
That being said, how comfortable are you with modifying these devices?
If you don't want to get your own modem the recommendation to get a router
and put the Comcast modem into bridge mode is sound.
Here are the two default Comcast admin credentials currently being used:
un: cusadmin pw:highspeed
or alternatively I've run into this on the newest ones:
un: admin pw: password
To figure out how to log into the modem, open a command line on your pc.
type ipconfig and hit enter
Your gateway is the IP of the modem
Open your favorite browser and type that IP into the URL text box on the
top and then log in with the credentials I gave you.
If you are lucky you'll have a model that has a button on the first page
you get when you log in that says "Bridge Mode" and you can just toggle it
on or off. Just to be clear, you only want to do this if you are getting
your own router to attach to the Comcast modem.
The router:
Separate networks for you and your tenants? No problem. You'll have to
create a separate network on the router. For instance normal routers
default to a 192.168.1.1 network. You could make a separate network of
192.168.2.1 for your tenants. Thats about all you need internally for
security settings to keep them from ever seeing your devices. That being
said, check the router, it may already have a "Guest" network available
(WiFi) and the guest network may already be set up as a separate network
with only one purpose, to allow people to go straight to the internet.
WiFi extenders: Honestly, most are garbage. Unless you are purchasing a
serious firewall/router (SonicWall, Fortinet) that has WAP devices that
extend the range of a WiFi connection you will run into plenty of packet
loss when connecting through the extender. You would be better off running
that cable you were mentioning and attaching another access point to the
end of it. That would give off a strong WiFi signal from wherever you had
it. Unfortunately, that presents it's own issues in regards to the
separation of networks (192.168.1.1 vs. 192.168.2.1 in our example) as the
port you are running the cable from will determine which network your
access point is actually connecting to.
Sorry for so much information, there is no "simple" way to do what you are
doing. There is some thought and work that will be needed to do it right.
Good luck! :)

On Sat, Jan 9, 2016 at 8:46 PM, Duane Dale <duane.dale at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> Dear H-Techers:
>
> In advance, forgive me if these are naive questions or have been addressed
> previously.
>
> Consider this scenario:
> * A homeowner has a "mother-in-law apartment" which is rented to tenants.
>    Imagine that these parties don't know each other well.
> * The chosen internet option is Comcast.
> * A Comcast-provided cable modem-wireless router is the default option.
> * Because it's nominally a single-family house, Comcast says it's
> prohibited from providing two separate accounts.
> * Comcast says it could (for an additional fee, of course) install two
> separate cable modem-routers on the same account.
>
> The security question:
> * If the two parties share one WiFi account, is there a security risk?
>   (Assume, of course, that banking and other sensitive use is with https
> sites.)
> * If there is a security risk, how does it compare to risks at an airport?
>     ... in an apartment building (without shared WiFi access)?
>      ...drive-by "listening" to WiFi activity.
> * Would the second Comcast WiFi "box" reduce security risks?
> * Would hard-wiring a third-party wireless router into a single Comcast
> box provide a separate log-in? ...and would that reduce security risks?
>
> The coverage question:
> If the house is large enough to have coverage issues (or has out-buildings
> where coverage is weak)...
> * Is there a WiFi Extender device that anyone would recommend?
> * Would hard-wiring a third-party wireless router into the Comcast box --
> with a long Cat5 cable to take that second box into the weaker zone -- help?
>
> Thanks!
> Duane Dale
>
>
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-- 

*Tad  Puckett*
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tpuckett at for-ibs.com | (413)203-8327

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