Unsecured Network Connection

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hlewton
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Unsecured Network Connection

Post by hlewton »

I have a secure, password protected, wireless home network and as I'm sure you know users only have to supply my password the first time they want access to it on a particular devise. My laptop automatically finds and uses this network each time I use the computer. However, occasionally after waking the laptop up it will find my network and attach to it but I get a message that it is attached to my network in an "unsecured" state. What does that mean? I guess I should mention that my signal strength at these times is always "excellent" or "very good" so there is certainly a strong signal. I don't know if this should be a concern or not but I would like to know what "unsecured" means.

Thanks.
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hlewton

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StuartR
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by StuartR »

This would normally mean that packets between the PC and the network access point are not encrypted.

What network security configuration settings have you set on the router?
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hlewton
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by hlewton »

I'm not sure what it is. I paid a guy to come in and setup my network and usually I do not get that message. I seem to remember something like WPA1 security but I may be wrong. How can I find out? It is a Linksys Wireless router WRT54GL. I get to a setup page by typing 192.168.1.1 in the URL line but then I don't know how to find the answer for you? I looked all around but was extremely careful to hopefully not make any changes before I closed out.
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hlewton

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BobH
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by BobH »

I don't remember the panels presented on the WRT54GL, but you can probably go to the Linksys website (or maybe the Linksys page on the Cisco site) and download a manual for the router.

Post back if you run into problems. Setting up the security and encryption is pretty painless. The biggest issue is generating an encryption key and keeping it secure but available in the event of need.
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hlewton
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by hlewton »

I'll try to find it tomorrow when I can call the guy who originally set it up. I believe I do already have that encryption key you mentioned. I think that is what I was calling a password.

Thanks
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hlewton

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BobH
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by BobH »

There may be a password protecting your router firmware in addition to the encryption key. Also, you might have to have a username to get into the router. The IP address 192.168.1.1 should give you a panel asking for a user or administrator name and a password. Once you've entered those successfully you will be able to get to the screens that allow you to set up all the options available including security encryption.

One other thing that occurs to me is that you might see if there a software update for the router. I think most Linksys routers have an option to check for updates built into the firmware screens.
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hlewton
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by hlewton »

BobH I can get into all that but I just can't find where it tells me what network security settings the router is using. I'm sure they are there I just don't want to click on the wrong thing and mess anything up until I can reach the guy who set it all up. Not sure if even knowing that will help answer my original question though since it only occasionally happens.

Thanks
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hlewton

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hlewton
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by hlewton »

I talked with the guy who set up my network and he was surprised that I sometimes get that "Unsecured" connection. The security it had set was WPA Personal. He had me change it to WPA2 Personal so I guess time will tell if that helps.
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hlewton

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stuck
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by stuck »

Don't think this adds much, just muddys the water probably...

I'm told by stuckling2 that his HP laptop occasionally says 'unsecured connection', despite our home network being secured with a very strong WPA key. He notices sometimes if the laptop reconnects after it has dropped it's connection to the router (his laptop is usually in a room that's at the furthest point in the house from from the router). However if If he forces a reconnection then it says 'secured' once again. He's never done anything about this because he can't see how the connection can be unsecure. We've no other evidence that the router stops broadcasting an encrypted signal, e.g. a second laptop simultaneously reporting 'unsecured connection'.

Ken

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BobH
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by BobH »

hmmmmmm

I wonder if this is a Linksys/Cisco issue or if it happens with all wifi routers. I've never experienced an 'unsecured' message - at least not one that I noticed. :hairout:
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hlewton
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by hlewton »

Thanks for the help. I have to say this though I never get a message saying "secure" connection so I assume if it doesn't say "unsecured" it must be secure. Of course I don't know that for a fact.
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hlewton

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stuck
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by stuck »

BobH wrote:I wonder if this is a Linksys/Cisco issue or if it happens with all wifi routers.
I should have said, my router is a Netgear.

I'm my/stuckling2's case we don't think it's a router thing. We think it's XP not keeping up with what's actually happening. Our speculation goes something like: wireless adaptor partially loses signal because of distance to router, XP recovers the full connection very quickly so this isn't a complete break in connectivity and so the 'reconnection' somehow doesn't involve the WPA key, XP thinks there was a break, when there wasn't, XP thinks no WPA key = unsecured connection, when in fact the connection is secure because the break was never complete, XP reports the 'problem' to the user. The only way the user can persude XP to know there isn't a problem is to actually and fully disconnect from the network, then reconnect from scratch, which will involve the WPA key and thus XP is happy again.

I have no idea if these ramblings have any basis in fact or not but given that another laptop connected to the same router at the same time has never reported 'unsecure connection' at the same time as stuckling2's HP laptop we can't see that the router is doing anything other than always transmitting an encrypted signal.

Ken

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StuartR
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by StuartR »

@stuck
I think that is a very convincing explanation. I have no idea if it is true or not, but it certainly makes sense.
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stuck
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by stuck »

Oh help, it's c@ching :groan: First Hans, now Stuart's gone all a Twitter :flee:

Ken
PS :thankyou: for your vote of confidence in my unsubstantiated speculations. If you think it makes sense then I've read enough of your posts on networking to believe it might just have merit after all. It's lunch time, have a :chocciebar:

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hlewton
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by hlewton »

@Ken I have no idea if you're right but I am buying it because it sounds good and makes me feel better - much more secure.


BTW I too have had a second laptop connected at the same time and it did not show "unsecured" but it wasn't trying to reconnect at the time either and it was in the same room as the other one. The one I wrote about only seems to occasionally do it when it is woken up or as I think you eluded to temporarily loses its connection for a brief moment. Although in my case I am only about 60 feet from the router and I always have either "excellent" or "very good" connections.

Thanks.
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hlewton

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stuck
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by stuck »

hlewton wrote:@Ken
:bwaah: you did that deliberately :weep:

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hlewton
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

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stuck wrote:
hlewton wrote:@Ken
:bwaah: you did that deliberately :weep:
Not sure I know what you mean. What did I deliberately do?
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hlewton

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HansV
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by HansV »

Write "@Ken"...
Best wishes,
Hans

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StuartR
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by StuartR »

stuck wrote:
hlewton wrote:@Ken
:bwaah: you did that deliberately :weep:
@Ken It looks like he did it by accident then.
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hlewton
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Re: Unsecured Network Connection

Post by hlewton »

HansV wrote:Write "@Ken"...
I used this as an example:
StuartR wrote:@stuck
I think that is a very convincing explanation. I have no idea if it is true or not, but it certainly makes sense.

Are you saying I should have used quotes around "Ken" I really never knew that but assumed the "@" sign only designated who the post was direct to.
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hlewton