Hi New here got Question about WiFi or wired.

MrCj

New member
Hi all I new. This maybe a silly question but trying to get my head round wiring or staying WiFi. Now with Wifi I have to put a password in to connect to my router to get internet. But with a wired connection just plug a ethernet cable in the back then to a switch and off to as many other devices as I want. So how is having a wired connection more secure? ( If someone was at the box down the road wouldn't they be able to plug into the wire that comes to my house, then gain access to all my computers connect to my router).
 

MartXyz

Member
They have to be physically in your house to connect to (the LAN side of) your router. If they can plug into a box down the road the router should block them, and it's no different from knowing your IP and attacking over the internet anyway.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
First off, if someone was plugged into a box down the road (or anywhere else for that matter) they would be able to see all the data travelling to and from your router - regardless of whether you were using WiFi or Ethernet. The only exception is if that data was encrypted. This is what https does, many other applications also encrypt their data for the same reason. A VPN encrypts everything (but only up to the VPN provider's servers).

Secondly, the firewall in your router should prevent unsolicited incoming connections and that will stop anyone connected anywhere from accessing your devices, no matter whether they used WiFi or Ethernet.

Thirdly, WiFi uses a password because it's a broadcast medium (radio) and anyone close enough can pick up those signals. With a password the WiFi data is encrypted when travelling between the device and the router. Ethernet cabling (with or without a switch) is a private medium and only the router, the switch and the devices can access those signals - hence no password or encryption is needed.

The choice between WiFi and Ethernet is a choice between convenience and performance. An Ethernet connection is almost always faster and more reliable than any WiFi connection, but it requires a physical cable. With WIFi no cable is needed and devices can be anywhere, and can move around.
 
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SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
To the OP for a more in depth answer:

Between any public network (the internet) and a private network (the home), there is what's called a Gateway.

In the home, this is usually your ISP supplied router. This literally acts as a gateway between your public IP address that the whole internet can relay information down, and your private network. It locks down all the ports to the outside world and decides what traffic is allowed to leave or enter the network.

The honest truth is that the router is only as effective as the owner who looks after it. A huge percentage of home routers are easily hackable and accessible from outside public networks because owners don't update the firmware or leave a default password set on the thing so that they're easy to hack.

BUT if you look after your router and update it frequently, you'll be as safe as possible from hacks.
 

MrCj

New member
To the OP for a more in depth answer:

Between any public network (the internet) and a private network (the home), there is what's called a Gateway.

In the home, this is usually your ISP supplied router. This literally acts as a gateway between your public IP address that the whole internet can relay information down, and your private network. It locks down all the ports to the outside world and decides what traffic is allowed to leave or enter the network.

The honest truth is that the router is only as effective as the owner who looks after it. A huge percentage of home routers are easily hackable and accessible from outside public networks because owners don't update the firmware or leave a default password set on the thing so that they're easy to hack.

BUT if you look after your router and update it frequently, you'll be as safe as possible from hacks.

I am one of those who never updates there router, I wouldn't know how to. Going over to a new provider this week, so this is something i must look in to any tips on how to do would be grateful.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
I am one of those who never updates there router, I wouldn't know how to. Going over to a new provider this week, so this is something i must look in to any tips on how to do would be grateful.

You just navigate to your router.

First find out your IP address. Say it's 192.168.1.100, then it's likely your router is either at 192.168.1.1 or the other end at 192.168.1.254. Just navigate to that page and it'll show a log in page. Your username and password should be on the router somewhere.

Log in and find where the version is and somewhere there will be how to update the firmware. If it's a BT Router, they tend to update themselves.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
To the OP for a more in depth answer:

Between any public network (the internet) and a private network (the home), there is what's called a Gateway.

In the home, this is usually your ISP supplied router. This literally acts as a gateway between your public IP address that the whole internet can relay information down, and your private network. It locks down all the ports to the outside world and decides what traffic is allowed to leave or enter the network.

The honest truth is that the router is only as effective as the owner who looks after it. A huge percentage of home routers are easily hackable and accessible from outside public networks because owners don't update the firmware or leave a default password set on the thing so that they're easy to hack.

BUT if you look after your router and update it frequently, you'll be as safe as possible from hacks.

[pedantic mode on]

All this is absolutely true and accurate of course, but it falls foul of a pet hate of mine; the incorrect use of the term 'gateway'.

When DARPA developed the ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet, they called the devices that connected different networks segments together 'gateways'. However, since that time the term 'router' is now used to describe those devices, the term 'gateway' is now used for something slightly different. It's not important to appreciate the difference, but there is one.

A router connects different networks that use the same protocols together. In the Internet for example, a router connects TCP/IP networks that use a different network addresses together. The routers automatically discover the best routes to use in order to reach any other destination network. In the explanation above you're talking about routers, because we're assuming the Internet (a TCP/IP based network).

A gateway connects different networks that use different protocols. A gateway might connect a TCP/IP network to a Bluetooth network for example. Gateways do route between networks in the same way that routers do, but they also do protocol conversion and that's the main difference.

BTW My other pet hate is the use of the initial capital letter when talking about the Internet. Any TCP/IP based network is called an internet (note the small initial i because it's an adjective). There is however one specific internet that we all use that is globally encompassing, and it's called the Internet (note the capital I because it's a noun).

[pedantic mode off]

:)
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
[pedantic mode on]

All this is absolutely true and accurate of course, but it falls foul of a pet hate of mine; the incorrect use of the term 'gateway'.

When DARPA developed the ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet, they called the devices that connected different networks segments together 'gateways'. However, since that time the term 'router' is now used to describe those devices, the term 'gateway' is now used for something slightly different. It's not important to appreciate the difference, but there is one.

A router connects different networks that use the same protocols together. In the Internet for example, a router connects TCP/IP networks that use a different network addresses together. The routers automatically discover the best routes to use in order to reach any other destination network. In the explanation above you're talking about routers, because we're assuming the Internet (a TCP/IP based network).

A gateway connects different networks that use different protocols. A gateway might connect a TCP/IP network to a Bluetooth network for example. Gateways do route between networks in the same way that routers do, but they also do protocol conversion and that's the main difference.

BTW My other pet hate is the use of the initial capital letter when talking about the Internet. Any TCP/IP based network is called an internet (note the small initial i because it's an adjective). There is however one specific internet that we all use that is globally encompassing, and it's called the Internet (note the capital I because it's a noun).

[pedantic mode off]

:)

Lols... schooled I have been! :yes:
 

Tony1044

Prolific Poster
Of course, the terminology isn't helped by both Microsoft and various Linux distros calling it the default gateway, whilst at the same time having a routing table. :)

Personally I wouldn't use an ISP supplied router at all.

Not only have I had awful experiences with them - the BT Business Hub 4's wifi range was all of 20cm, wouldn't allow you to set your own DNS servers and allowed SIP (TCP 5060) traffic through even if you explicitly blocked it in the firewall. another one (I forget which - it was years ago) could only handle about 6 devices with DHCP addresses despite having a full range of 253 available addresses in the lease. Yet another one would make you think that firewall changes were made in the GUI but you had to actually connect via a telnet session and type commands in via the command line to make them.

And of course, the doozy for me, is that most of them have uPNP turned on by default.

For anyone with the time and patience to learn a bit about it, I'd recommend either an OpenWRT compatible product or something like Sophos UTM or Sophos XG (both have "home" products which are free to use).

In my own setup, I run Sophos XG as my main firewall, router and PPPoE controller (I still use the external BT branded Huawei fibre/vDSL "modem" as this works well) and run a virtual OpenWRT router that connects to NordVPN for anything I want to keep a bit more private, and it runs well.

I'm not suggesting such complex setups for most people but I would honestly recommend looking at the OpenWRT flashed routers that you can buy from various online vendors.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Of course, the terminology isn't helped by both Microsoft and various Linux distros calling it the default gateway, whilst at the same time having a routing table. :)

Personally I wouldn't use an ISP supplied router at all.

Not only have I had awful experiences with them - the BT Business Hub 4's wifi range was all of 20cm, wouldn't allow you to set your own DNS servers and allowed SIP (TCP 5060) traffic through even if you explicitly blocked it in the firewall. another one (I forget which - it was years ago) could only handle about 6 devices with DHCP addresses despite having a full range of 253 available addresses in the lease. Yet another one would make you think that firewall changes were made in the GUI but you had to actually connect via a telnet session and type commands in via the command line to make them.

And of course, the doozy for me, is that most of them have uPNP turned on by default.

For anyone with the time and patience to learn a bit about it, I'd recommend either an OpenWRT compatible product or something like Sophos UTM or Sophos XG (both have "home" products which are free to use).

In my own setup, I run Sophos XG as my main firewall, router and PPPoE controller (I still use the external BT branded Huawei fibre/vDSL "modem" as this works well) and run a virtual OpenWRT router that connects to NordVPN for anything I want to keep a bit more private, and it runs well.

I'm not suggesting such complex setups for most people but I would honestly recommend looking at the OpenWRT flashed routers that you can buy from various online vendors.

I would hugely recommend not using ISP supplied routers too, I haven't come across a decent one... ever, they're all crappy and needlessly tied down and limited.
 
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