internet service

[Denny Crane]

Yes or no, did you post an article from ZDnet?

What was the date of that article?

I posted TWO links in the same post.

The later of the articles was 2012 and said the same thing.

So you saying it was only 2005 is misleading.

 

[Denny Crane]

So you have no wifi at your house at all? If you do, your router is just as likely to be hacked as any other.

The number of letters in your password isn't very relevant past 12.

Comcast's tech support pages say you should be able to set the router's WiFi password yourself.

About security and wifi passwords:
http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/15653/recommend-length-for-wi-fi-psk

Once your password is 12 characters or longer, the password is extremely unlikely to be the weakest link in your system. Therefore, there's not much point choosing a longer password.

and later on, they show WPA brute force cracking:

You can get around 215 000 guesses per second. So if we look up how long it will take:

475920314814253376475136/215000/3600/24/365/1000= 70190000

Millenia to guess your password (actually half that amount statistically).

If your password is "slypokerdog" it will be easier to guess it than doing the brute force method.

ZDNet article says basically the same thing:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-long-does-a-wpa-key-need-to-be/

I'm going to try and settle this matter here and now and show why you really only need around 8 or 9 characters for a WPA-PSK key to be reasonably safe so long as your pass phrase is comprised of random a-z and 0-9 alphanumeric characters.

View attachment 5210

For reference.

See two links?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

9 character password.

I posted TWO links in the same post.

The later of the articles was 2012 and said the same thing.

So you saying it was only 2005 is misleading.

No, I was very clear which article I was saying was from 2005. Very very clear. You're the one who said I was wrong. I was not.

 

[Denny Crane]

You ignored the 2012 article saying the info in the 2005 one was invalid. The 2012 article reiterated that the 2005 article is correct. Your complaint about the age of the article didn't make the article somehow wrong.

I told you if you choose a stupid password, it can be guessed.

I chose 9 random characters and the results are 5 years.

I just did it again:



and again:

1xT_~fkE'

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I just find it absolutely bizarre that you've gone into this hissy fit over me using a 24 character password on my router. Again, what does it matter to you? Security is up to the individual, some people feel secure with no guns in their home, some feel secure with 1 or 2 guns, people like Maris feel secure with 27 guns and an underground bunker.

I get the exact service I want by using my own modem and router. I also happen to save money by not using Comcast's modem and router. For many reasons I am suspicious of Comcast. I feel that in many areas they don't act in the best interest of their customers. You can disagree with me all you want but your disagreeing is often based on a love to argue.

What's odd/sad is if Apple were to introduce routers and modems on the market you would be the first to say how unsecured and easily hackable the non-Apple routers and modems are.

 

[Denny Crane]

So I'm having some fun with this password site.

"slypokerd" 22 minutes
"slypoker1" 7 hours
"slypoke1!" 6 days
"Slypoke1!" 275 days
"SlyPokerD" 8 days
"SlYpOkErD" 8 days
"Sly_Poker" 78 days
"Sly_Poke1" 275 days

 

[Denny Crane]

I just find it absolutely bizarre that you've gone into this hissy fit over me using a 24 character password on my router. Again, what does it matter to you? Security is up to the individual, some people feel secure with no guns in their home, some feel secure with 1 or 2 guns, people like Maris feel secure with 27 guns and an underground bunker.

I get the exact service I want by using my own modem and router. I also happen to save money by not using Comcast's modem and router. For many reasons I am suspicious of Comcast. I feel that in many areas they don't act in the best interest of their customers. You can disagree with me all you want but your disagreeing is often based on a love to argue.

What's odd/sad is if Apple were to introduce routers and modems on the market you would be the first to say how unsecured and easily hackable the non-Apple routers and modems are.

I don't care what your password is. You saying 12 characters is insecure is factually wrong. My only intent is to provide accurate information to anyone reading the thread.

I use an apple router now. I don't think it's any more or less secure than anything else out there. I do find it's a bit more reliable than the motorola surfboard router that Time Warner gave me. I use the surfboard as a cable modem only now.

I already said it's a better deal to buy your own router than to rent one from Comcast. I guess that didn't satisfy you.

 

[Denny Crane]

The cable modem I bought can not be hacked, it is only a modem and does not have wifi capabilities.

My router is more secure than the modem/router that Comcast wants to lease to customers. On my router I control all security settings and set my own password. My router password is 25 characters. My Comcast password is 12 characters. Also with my router it can access logs to see how many and what devices have/are accessing it. You have no such control over the Comcast provided router.

Even if you're not concerned about security it's still far cheaper to buy your own modem for $40-50 vs leasing one from Comcast for $144/year.

For reference.

Your cable modem may or may not be hackable. Your wifi router is just as hackable as any other.

25 vs. 12 makes no difference if the time to crack the password is millions of years.

 

[Denny Crane]

How to hack a router (cable modem without WiFi):

Hack the user's computer by getting him to install malware/virus or some other exploit (Windows is full of them).

The virus acts as a WWW browser and connects to your router from your computer and changes the settings as it sees fit. This connection can be done over LAN or WiFi.

FYI.

https://github.com/elvanderb/TCP-32764

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Your wifi router is just as hackable as any other.

That's not true. There are some routers that have security issues that a password will not fix or prevent.

http://www.cnet.com/news/top-wi-fi-routers-easy-to-hack-says-study/

 

[SlyPokerDog]

How to hack a router (cable modem without WiFi):

Hack the user's computer by getting him to install malware/virus or some other exploit (Windows is full of them).

The virus acts as a WWW browser and connects to your router from your computer and changes the settings as it sees fit. This connection can be done over LAN or WiFi.

FYI.

https://github.com/elvanderb/TCP-32764

So now you're contradicting yourself and agreeing with me.

Thanks but I had this well in hand. It is good to see you come around.

 

[Denny Crane]

That's not true. There are some routers that have security issues that a password will not fix or prevent.

http://www.cnet.com/news/top-wi-fi-routers-easy-to-hack-says-study/

Your own post a while back talked about how the top 50 routers were hackable. I didn't at all say that a password would fix or prevent it. In fact, see my last post about how to hack a router.

 

[Denny Crane]

So now you're contradicting yourself and agreeing with me.

Thanks but I had this well in hand. It is good to see you come around.

I haven't contradicted myself once in this thread.

EDIT: in fact, you said your cable modem (which is a router) isn't hackable. But it is.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I use an apple router now. I don't think it's any more or less secure than anything else out there. I do find it's a bit more reliable than the motorola surfboard router that Time Warner gave me. I use the surfboard as a cable modem only now.

So you're using your own router instead of the router that Time Warner provided you? But you're still paying Time Warner $10 a month to rent the modem? Stop this silly arguing and go buy your own modem.

 

[Denny Crane]

So you're using your own router instead of the router that Time Warner provided you? But you're still paying Time Warner $10 a month to rent the modem? Stop this silly arguing and go buy your own modem.

I don't pay Time Warner to rent the modem.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

EDIT: in fact, you said your cable modem (which is a router) isn't hackable. But it is.

No, my cable modem is not a router. My cable modem is connected to my router but that doesn't mean it's a router.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I don't pay Time Warner to rent the modem.

If you are using a Time Warner provided modem you are paying them rent for it.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/technology/article10198238.html

Here is a list provided by Time Warner if you want to buy your own modem instead of leasing theirs.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/internet/topics/buy-your-modem.html

 

[Denny Crane]

No, my cable modem is not a router. My cable modem is connected to my router but that doesn't mean it's a router.

Factually wrong again. It's a router. If you have no WiFi at all, it's still routing packets from your LAN to your ISP over the cable. The cable modem has its own IP address assigned to it by your ISP via DHCP.

 

[Denny Crane]

If you are using a Time Warner provided modem you are paying them rent for it.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/technology/article10198238.html

Here is a list provided by Time Warner if you want to buy your own modem instead of leasing theirs.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/internet/topics/buy-your-modem.html

Dude, my bill is $100 (+/- $1). I pay $69 for internet and $29 for phone. There's no $10/month for renting anything.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Factually wrong again. It's a router. If you have no WiFi at all, it's still routing packets from your LAN to your ISP over the cable. The cable modem has its own IP address assigned to it by your ISP via DHCP.

What is the difference between a router and a modem?

Answer: Routers and modems are two of the most common computer peripherals, yet many people don't know the function of each one. While the two devices may look similar, they each serve a difference purpose. Fortunately, the functions of the two devices are pretty easy to understand.

A router is a small box that allows multiple computers to join the same network (see below).

While early routers provided several Ethernet ports for wired connections, most modern routers offer wireless connectivity as well. These "wireless routers" often have one or two moveable antennas on the sides, though some models house the antennas inside the enclosure. Wireless routers allow multiple computers and other devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to join the same network.

While connecting to a router provides access to a local network (LAN), it does not necessarily provide access to the Internet. In order for devices on the network to connect to the Internet, the router must be connected to a modem. Therefore, most routers have a specific Ethernet port that is designed to connect to the Ethernet port of a cable or DSL modem.

A modem is a device that provides access to the Internet (see below).

The modem connects to your ISP, which typically provides either cable or DSL Internet service. Cable modems have a coaxial (or "coax") connection, which is the same type of connector found on a TV or cable box. This connects to a cable port on the wall. DSL modems have a telephone connector, also called an RJ-11 jack, which connects to a telephone socket on the wall.

By connecting your modem to your router (instead of directly to a computer), all devices connected to the router can access the modem, and therefore, the Internet. The router provides a local IP address to each connected device, but they will all have the same external IP address, which is assigned by your ISP.

To summarize, the device connection order is outlined below:

1. PC or wireless device
2. Router
3. Modem
4. ISP
5. Internet

While the router and modem are usually separate entities, in some cases, the modem and router may be combined into a single device. This type of hybrid device is sometimes offered by ISPs to simplify the setup process.

http://pc.net/helpcenter/answers/difference_between_router_and_modem

 

[Denny Crane]

Your cable modem is a router. The modem part does the radio frequency transmission of data across the coax. The router part takes packets not destined for your LAN and sends them to the ISP's router at the other end.

That's internet routing 101.

The default route on your computer is your cable modem if you don't have WiFi router also. The WiFi router performs NAT (network address translation) so you can share one IP assigned you by your ISP with multiple with multiple computers on your LAN/WiFi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_(telecommunications)

On an IP network, clients should automatically send IP packets with a destination outside a given subnet mask to a network gateway. A subnet mask defines the IP range of a private network. For example, if a private network has a base IP address of 192.168.0.0 and has a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, then any data going to an IP address outside of 192.168.0.X will be sent to that network's gateway. While forwarding an IP packet to another network, the gateway might or might not perform Network Address Translation.

A gateway is an essential feature of most routers, although other devices (such as any PC or server) can function as a gateway.

 

[Sinobas]

I bought a wired-only modem then a dual band wireless n router to go behind it. I figure I'm more likely to get a better wi-fi connection with a stand alone wireless router.

Another tip for your home wifi network. You can download an app called wifi analyzer, that will show you the strength of activity on ever channel in your home (which leaks over from neighbors), and set your router to one with less activity. I wonder if routers are programmed to that automatically when they are first booted, or if they just go to a default.