Wi-fi advise needed

[mikeprice]

Hi all

 

I have started helping the local Food Bank with their computers - as stated elsewhere

 

anyway - the office computers are VERY slow (next job!) so they tend to use their personal laptops in the office (yes - I know!)

 

however there is no wifi

there is a BT standard broadband router/access point but the previous IT person - who they fell out with - considered wifi a security risk and insisted on disabling it

 

so they were "forced" to use they phones as hot spots and connect that way

 

which is a clue - the only thing they need is the Trust's web site - which has proper sign in, security and 2FA and all that

 

so any method of getting onto the Internet and using Chrome is good enough

 

so the question is

 

given that the broadband is pretty basic small business type - pretty much the same as domestic - is the standard security OK

given a maximum number of users of about 2!

 

 

As far as I can see the danger is someone hacking in and putting a keylogger (or similar) on the system and knicking the passwords

 

but they would not know if it is the Food Bank's system from the SSID - it could just belong to a nearby flat or the Church it is in - in fact there are several overlapping wifi networks as well

 

 

 

What is the current basic standard for wifi networks like this?

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Mike

 

p.s. clearly I am out-of-date (insert joke here) so things have moved ona bit - hence the question!

[Michael]

there is a BT standard broadband router/access point but the previous IT person - who they fell out with - considered wifi a security risk and insisted on disabling it

 

so they were "forced" to use they phones as hot spots and connect that way

 

I'm not sure why this would be anymore of a risk than other neighbouring WiFi connections? Anyhow - is there any reason why connecting via Ethernet isn't an option, unless it's just not practical or no Ethernet port on the devices being used?

 

Seeing as it's a BT router, you should be able to reset it to factory defaults and login to the router using the credentials on the small plastic card that's included. Optionally you can change WiFi parameters on the router web interface, however WPA2 is absolutely fine.

 

A timer plug or similar for the router could be used so the WiFi is not available out of hours (optionally).

[mikeprice]

Thanks - I thought the WPA2 was OK but needed to be sure

 

The timer plug is a good idea - I'll see if I can sort one out

 

I have already got into the router - he may have been over the top with security but he left the admin password the same as it said on the card - so that was easy

 

Ethernet is OK but some of the laptops do not have ethernet ports on them - and we have tablets that need wifi and I aim to see if I can revive a couple of them in the near future so wifi would be useful

 

 

TO be honest I was worried about what had been done to the BT router because of what I had been told about the previous guy (apologies is he is on here - I am only getting one side of this so I am taking it with a pinch os salt) but it turn out that he had not done anything as dramatic as I feared

 

WHen I manage to identify all the different boxes connected to the ethernet I may be able to ditch most of them and then I will have some free ports!

 

It generally seems like a lot of the bits and pieces are ones that were put in several years ago and no-one remembers what they or or why they are there

 

but that is OK - I have worked in about 3 school that were like that when I started - and this is a pretty small affair really!

[Oaktech]

I did a similar thing with a house of worship I support - they had a stock BT box which didn't provide enough coverage. They needed the whole place covering so a Unifi POE Lite and a 5 pack of APs was the way forward.