Can only a selected devices be allowed on a wireless network?

Question

I want only my laptop to be able to connect to my WiFi. No one else. I don't want to set a security key. I want them to not be able to see it.

Answer 1

The only secure way to ensure that your laptop is the only device using your network is to use strong encryption. Use WPA2 encryption with a good long pass phrase made up of a random sequence of upper and lower case letters, numbers and punctuation (including spaces). I recommend using a minimum of 20 characters but you can go up to 63 characters.



You should also assign a good password for logging on to the router itself to access the configuration settings. The router should also be locked away so that nobody can connect to it by Ethernet or reset it to the factory settings.



Hiding the SSID and blocking MAC addresses won't stop an experienced hacker if you do not use strong encryption. It is very easy, with the right software, for a hacker to grab both the SSID and the MAC address of any of your devices that you use to connect to the network. They can clone the MAC address and once they have the SSID they can attempt a connection. Using programs such as NetStumbler, anyone can detect the presence of networks including hidden networks. This tool will identify what channel the network is on and whether it is encrypted or not. A hacker only has to run this tool to find that there is a hidden network that is not encrypted.



When your router is not broadcasting its SSID, then any device that has to connect to the network broadcasts the SSID instead. When you take your laptop somewhere else, it will be broadcasting the SSID of your network as it attempts to connect to your network, even when it is out of range.



If you want security, forget about setting up an open WiFi network and use WPA2 encryption instead with a good pass phrase. Hiding the SSID has minimal effect on security unless you never attempt to set up a connection to the network with your devices so the SSID is not being broadcast by your devices or the router. This would be a bit pointless.



I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Yes, but it is not straightforward. Disabling SSID broadcasts is only a trivial layer of security by obscurity and easily overcome, especially if a Wi-Fi network is known to exist. MAC address filtering is slightly more tricky but again easy enough to overcome with most wireless adapters. To do this securely you would need to use a proper AAA protocol such as RADIUS which is supported even by many home routers.



However, you will need an external server to authenticate against and setting this up is fairly complex - it is more in the realm of enterprise networking than typical home user stuff. Ultimately I wouldn't waste my time explaining it - the answer is simple enough, set an encryption key. After all, you have given no reason not to use one. Demanding your network is secured but not configuring encryption is equivalent to demanding that your house is impossible to burgle but refusing to lock your front door.

Answer 3

You can turn off the SSID broadcast of the network name, but it will still be shown in some WiFi scanning software. You can also see if you can configure MAC control and set it to only allow your laptop.

Answer 4

Yes it can be done by hiding your router's SSID from others or another way to provide a high secure keys that is WPA2 security to your router.

Answer 5

Yup!



Many ways to do this. One is to setup encryption (WPA2) with a security key, and then tell your router to NOT broadcast the SSID. You'll have to set it up manually on your laptop. You DO NOT want to set it up without a key, as it is very simple to find hidden SSID's. Once found, they'd be able to log in easily.



You can also use MAC filtering, which means that only those MAC addresses (yours) that you enter can connect.

Answer 6

As well just as easily rename the wifi to obscure name, in almost all locations I see dozens of wifi and if you use john smith no one will know it is your

Answer 7

login to router, hide SSID

Answer 8

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2052158/5-wi-fi-security-myths-you-must-abandon-now.html this is the reason why you setup wpa2 aes encryption and strong password.

Answer 9

Hide the SSID.