Dad Is Messing Up Network!

radguy · 12-26-2003, 10:03 PM

we have a wireless network at our house connected to a cable modem. also there are 3 computers hooked up to this network. 2 of them are connected to a power outlet connected to the switch, as well as the router and the modem. the wireless router has 128-bit hex encrpytion that i set-up, yet everynight before he goes to bed, he turns of the switch, turning offf the power to the modem, router, and the two computers, which is basically the same as unplugging them every single day. he says its to stop people from using our network and accesing our shared files. Couldnt this damage the hardware of any of the devices in any way? i have to walk up to the switch and turn it on to get the internet in my room too. please respond ASAP and thanks for any replies.

radguy · 12-27-2003, 12:09 AM

well what i want to do is to convince my dad to not hook up the modem and router to the switch, because he keeps the switch turned off all the time. i kno our connection is safe and im not worried about people using it, and ya we have firewalls on each computer..... having the things connected to the switch complicates things because i cant have internet in my room unless the switch is turned on, and then i have to wait for the modem to do it's bootup(check the connections) and for the router to start up

ekÆsine · 12-27-2003, 03:02 AM

i would say that your father is a bit paranoid. you do not need to cut off power to anything. everytime you do that you would lose all settings to your router i think. at the very least put the router and modem on its own power separate of the computers so they are always on.

gruntwerk · 12-27-2003, 03:18 AM

Are you saying that he turns off the power to the computers without shutting them down first... that will eventually cause problems with the computers...
as much of a pain as it is, enable passwords on the shared folders and that will make him more cumfy....

shemcomputers · 12-27-2003, 12:27 PM

I agree with "gruntwerk" turning the power off without properly shutting down the system will eventually cause problems. At one time probably when your dad first got a personal computer...early 80's. The thing to do was to shut the computer off every day...not for security...but just to conserve energy and hardware performance. But since then, computers and technology has evolved drastically. It now makes more sense to leave everything running and reboot the computer at least once a week. The hardware nowadays can handle that, but back then the hardware wasn't as stable as today's technology. Plus, you don't want to shut everything down you want to make sure that your security is up to par. You can learn how to secure your system better if you monitor it's performance and logs during idle times.

radguy · 12-27-2003, 02:27 PM

ekÆsine,

i hooked it up to a different power supply and he found out and started freaking out.

gruntwerk · 12-27-2003, 06:46 PM

Ya know, my grandmother STILL "prefers" the backseat of the car...Some things you just cant fight...
If its power usage that he's concerned about see :

http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandeg...tml#misc.power

Shakie · 12-28-2003, 10:50 AM

It sounds to me like the father is worrying about someone outside of the house using the Internet connection through your wireless network. (He's been watching too much TechTV, huh...)

Enable WEP. Make sure you actually read how to do this and get it configured. Should take care of the problem.

radguy · 12-28-2003, 11:04 AM

WEP is enabled at 128-bit and he knows that!

Shakie · 12-28-2003, 11:31 AM

Oh, sorry, I guess I didn't read the post good enough.

Does he know what WEP is? Explain to him if not and if you can.

12-26-2003, 10:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
radguy Junior Techie Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 87	Dad Is Messing Up Network! we have a wireless network at our house connected to a cable modem. also there are 3 computers hooked up to this network. 2 of them are connected to a power outlet connected to the switch, as well as the router and the modem. the wireless router has 128-bit hex encrpytion that i set-up, yet everynight before he goes to bed, he turns of the switch, turning offf the power to the modem, router, and the two computers, which is basically the same as unplugging them every single day. he says its to stop people from using our network and accesing our shared files. Couldnt this damage the hardware of any of the devices in any way? i have to walk up to the switch and turn it on to get the internet in my room too. please respond ASAP and thanks for any replies.

12-27-2003, 02:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
radguy Junior Techie Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 87	ekÆsine, i hooked it up to a different power supply and he found out and started freaking out. __________________ \|My Current System ( till i get more money)\| Ahanix Platinum XP Case (Modded) S-ATA 80GB HD 7200 RPM 52X48X52 CDRW 16X DVD+r/-r 512 (2 x 256) PC 3200 DDR Ram 400 mhz CP technologies i865APE Mainboard (ya i kno nobody has heard of it) p4 2.66 800mhz WITH HT oc\'ed to 2.99ghz geforce fx 5200 128 mb agp 8x (ya i kno bottom of the line but i oc\'ed it the best i could) Windows XP Home Edition SP2 (SP2 in my opinion sucks when you first get it) Realtek AC97\' Onboard Audio JMW 17\" Flat \"Screen\" (not panel) Monitor P4 Approved 450 Watt power supply Im doing ok for a 15 year old, rit?

12-28-2003, 10:50 AM	#8 (permalink)
Shakie Wizard Techie Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 3,320	It sounds to me like the father is worrying about someone outside of the house using the Internet connection through your wireless network. (He's been watching too much TechTV, huh...) Enable WEP. Make sure you actually read how to do this and get it configured. Should take care of the problem. __________________ `(\ /) This is Bunny. Add him to your signature (O.o) to help him achieve world domination. (> <)` `Shakie Smodministrator \"If I don\'t step over the line every now-and-then, how will I know where it is?\"`

12-28-2003, 11:04 AM	#9 (permalink)
radguy Junior Techie Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 87	WEP is enabled at 128-bit and he knows that! __________________ \|My Current System ( till i get more money)\| Ahanix Platinum XP Case (Modded) S-ATA 80GB HD 7200 RPM 52X48X52 CDRW 16X DVD+r/-r 512 (2 x 256) PC 3200 DDR Ram 400 mhz CP technologies i865APE Mainboard (ya i kno nobody has heard of it) p4 2.66 800mhz WITH HT oc\'ed to 2.99ghz geforce fx 5200 128 mb agp 8x (ya i kno bottom of the line but i oc\'ed it the best i could) Windows XP Home Edition SP2 (SP2 in my opinion sucks when you first get it) Realtek AC97\' Onboard Audio JMW 17\" Flat \"Screen\" (not panel) Monitor P4 Approved 450 Watt power supply Im doing ok for a 15 year old, rit?

12-28-2003, 11:31 AM	#10 (permalink)
Shakie Wizard Techie Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 3,320	Oh, sorry, I guess I didn't read the post good enough. Does he know what WEP is? Explain to him if not and if you can. __________________ `(\ /) This is Bunny. Add him to your signature (O.o) to help him achieve world domination. (> <)` `Shakie Smodministrator \"If I don\'t step over the line every now-and-then, how will I know where it is?\"`

12-27-2003, 12:09 AM	#2 (permalink)
radguy Junior Techie Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 87	well what i want to do is to convince my dad to not hook up the modem and router to the switch, because he keeps the switch turned off all the time. i kno our connection is safe and im not worried about people using it, and ya we have firewalls on each computer..... having the things connected to the switch complicates things because i cant have internet in my room unless the switch is turned on, and then i have to wait for the modem to do it's bootup(check the connections) and for the router to start up

12-27-2003, 03:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
ekÆsine Wizard Techie Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 3,940	i would say that your father is a bit paranoid. you do not need to cut off power to anything. everytime you do that you would lose all settings to your router i think. at the very least put the router and modem on its own power separate of the computers so they are always on.

12-27-2003, 03:18 AM	#4 (permalink)
gruntwerk True Techie Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 204	Are you saying that he turns off the power to the computers without shutting them down first... that will eventually cause problems with the computers... as much of a pain as it is, enable passwords on the shared folders and that will make him more cumfy....

12-27-2003, 12:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
shemcomputers Newb Techie Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 6	I agree with "gruntwerk" turning the power off without properly shutting down the system will eventually cause problems. At one time probably when your dad first got a personal computer...early 80's. The thing to do was to shut the computer off every day...not for security...but just to conserve energy and hardware performance. But since then, computers and technology has evolved drastically. It now makes more sense to leave everything running and reboot the computer at least once a week. The hardware nowadays can handle that, but back then the hardware wasn't as stable as today's technology. Plus, you don't want to shut everything down you want to make sure that your security is up to par. You can learn how to secure your system better if you monitor it's performance and logs during idle times.

12-27-2003, 06:46 PM	#7 (permalink)
gruntwerk True Techie Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 204	Ya know, my grandmother STILL "prefers" the backseat of the car...Some things you just cant fight... If its power usage that he's concerned about see : http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandeg...tml#misc.power

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