School Neighbour complaining that they are connecting automatically to our wireless

[reggiep]

One of the people who lives near our school is complaining as they automatically connect to our guest network at home.
Do we have a responsibility to help them?
I'm not saying we don't want to talk I just wondered how far we should go to help and what we can say.

Our wireless is a ruckus system that has a guest WLAN that has no encryption but needs a log on name and password to use.

[bondbill2k2]

Just explain over the phone how they can change the default

[Steve21]

Well "officially" I'd say no, you don't have any responsibility to it. As, it's there end it's auto connecting from, not you forcing it to connect.

However, Can't you just disable SSID broadcasts? Then just give the user the SSID to use when guests want to connect? Or do you prefer it always being shown?

If it's only 1 user, can't you just block their MAC from the routers?

Steve

[Hightower]

Can they not 'forget' the wireless network? Sure there's an option to 'not connect to these networks automatically' somewhere in the default Windows wireless screen.

I wouldn't say you have a responsibility to help them, or even to bother with their 'complaint' - but it wouldn't hurt to give them that advice.

[teejay]

Report them to the Police for trying to hack into your network

[AngryTechnician]

You certainly have no legal responsibility to help them, and it is their end that is the problem - nothing you have done is any different from what any other guest WiFi service would do.

It's up to the school's management whether they want you to spend your working time on this in order to keep good relations with the school's neighbours. Personally, if management wanted me to spend time on it, I would ask them to drop in with their laptop so you can take a look. I don't do home visits as a matter of principle.

Another option would be to add a PSK that is well advertised to users - even something trivial - and still keep the username/password login.

[rad]

If they have tried to connect to your network in the past then surely they were trying to use your internet access?

All they need to do is delete the network from the "remembered" list.

[januttall]

in control pannel under network options there will be a wireless section if you click on it depending on version of windows (depends on location) it will list all the wireless networks simply remove it from there and it will stop but it only normaly gets added to the list if they have sucsessfully connected to it before in which case i would seriously be looking into reviewing your wireless security policys. i would think abought going to enterprise level security through a radius server if thats not what your curently doing.

[Michael]

I agree with the above - navigating to the advanced wireless settings in XP/Vista and 7 allow you to prioritise between wireless networks. They should delete yours from their list.

Personally guest network or not, I would still secure it properly, but clearly state in your 'guest area' what the code is. Clearly you want it to be used for guests and not neighbours surfing for free.

[CyberNerd]

Turn the power of your wifi down and don't be a wifi polluter !

[Flakes]

hmm let them know how to change it, my old laptop used to connect to open wifi down my street by default, no matter how many times i deleted it or changed the setting mentioned above it would still auto connect, i got so sick i went in and secured there network for them(changed there ssid to SecureMePlease).

[ihaveaproblem]

I would ask them to come in and see you or speak to them over the phone and explain how they can prevent their laptop from connecting. Maybe even print off some instructions to give to them incase it happens again in the future.

[TechMonkey]

As others have said, no responsibility but to show the schools community mindedness give them a hand. Even better fond a way to shape your broadcast so it doesn't spill out as much.

[jinnantonnixx]

Today's favour is tomorrow's responsibility.

Very sage, don't you think?

[Chris_Cook]

The time spent sorting this out would probably do the public image of your school some good. Well worth it in my mind, but your line manager is probably the one to check with. Shouldn't really take that long.