How does someone spy on another person with a wireless router.

[redirish28]

Okay people as you know I've been having phone trouble with my land Lady.


Now since we have our phone fixed but we disconnected the wireless wire we have so her laptop can't read our signal.


Ever since we got that wireless router (Last year.) She has always acted funny. The Past 3 months my wife has told me she has gone extreme. She kept complaining that when she got on her laptop she saw this little thing that said M.Meighen (indicating our router.) Every couple of weeks she'd come over and a couple times ask if we can see what she is typing or what's on her laptop.


Interesting thing is that when we are in our restroom because of the way our apartment is attached to her house the wall is thin and my wife swares she heard a phone ring in her house today.

I'm seriously wondering if the land Lady being so paranoid that we are "spying" on her starting making all this up about her phone not working in order to justify her going through our box.

Because what is bugging me and my wife is how could we have the phone fixed on Saturday and 12 hours later she is out there playing with the box again and next thing we know we have no dial tone.


I hate to sound like I am dwelling on the issue but it is just driving us nuts wondering why she would do this.

And thinking back to the argument she had saying we are spying on her (Sunday argument.) She kept saying we are helping "him". (Don't ask who.)

I guess what we are saying is that my wife and I are trying to understand these events and try to think rationally.

[HipChick]

1. She doesn't appear to be rational

[Duer 157099]

2. If you really want informed help here, you will need to be more clear

I vaguely understand what you are talking about, but not nearly clearly enough to offer any suggestions whatsoever.

[redirish28]

7. Sorry. I don't mean to babble. It is just driving my wife and I nuts and

in a sense I am musing.



We own the wireless router. she has a laptop. She thinks because we have a wireless router we can spy on her through the laptop.


My wife and I use to be logical calm thinkers until about 3 years ago when the land lady really started to go off the deep end.

[Merlot]

3. All the wireless routers in close vicinity to my house show up

There are about 5 that show up all the time. However, without the password their is no way to log into their router. Even if you could, all you would do is be getting free wireless, you wouldn't get onto anyone elses computer. Takes a little more smarts to do that.

Your landlady doesn't understand how wireless works. Tell her to take her laptop to a coffeehouse with free wifi, and check and sure enough she'll see their name on the list. They don't require a password. Its free wireless.

[Swamp Rat]

4. Change the name of your wifi access to "Satan is watching you, lady!"

:evilgrin:

[safeinOhio]

8. good one.

or how about, "I Can See You When You Pee".

[Dappleganger]

9. Love it!

Ours is simply "goaway".

[redirish28]

11. Thanks for the laugh

[Matariki]

18. !!!! Excellent!

:rofl:

I'm stealing that. Just to amuse and confound my neighbors!

[Swamp Rat]

20. The last ID I used was "VIRUS"... now it's "SPERM"

:evilgrin:

[Matariki]

23. Oh awesome!

and - what 'Woo Me With Science' said. ;-)

[woo me with science]

24. Bwah! nt

[woo me with science]

19. I have always liked you.

Now I like you even more.

:rofl:

[Swamp Rat]

22. hee hee!

:hi: see #20 :D

[Matariki]

21. Or "Department of Homeland Security"

:rofl:

[L. Coyote]

27. And then send her this link.

:rofl:

[humpty dumpty]

5. A password is needed.

All routers are password protected.

[cdsilv]

6. Well, if you're good, it can be done.

She'd have to connect to your wireless router and leave some path into her system (usually a non-passworded account or an easily crackable password). Once you get access to her system, putting some spyware on it wouldn't be that difficult. Google 'backtrack'.

No more detail.

Sounds like she's paranoid about something or someone.

[paulflorez]

10. Turn off your SSID broadcast

Most wireless routers have an option to turn off your SSID broadcast. If you turn it off, she shouldn't see your wireless connection anymore.

You won't be able to see it either, so you'll have to manually enter the wireless connection name when you connect. Or, you can turn on SSID broadcast, connect to the wireless network, then turn off SSID broadcast. If you connect to wireless once, it usually remembers the connection later.

You could always get VoIP phone like Vonage or a cable provider phone and ditch the landline.

She sounds crazy. Mess with her mind by naming your wireless access point things like "We Are Watching You" or "We Know Where You Live."

OT, the weirdest WAP name I've seen is "Whites Only." I wasn't sure if the people hosting that WAP were racist or just had the last name "White."

[redirish28]

12. Something I will play with in the future. maybe a day she isn't home right

own don't want to risk a third phone company trip These last two are going to cost us about 200 dollars.

[petronius]

14. Or tell her how to turn off the wireless receiver in her computer - it sounds like she

isn't using it anyway...

[the redcoat]

13. It just means that her laptop is recognizing signals that it can connect to.

There is no information being sent, you are not connected to her computer.

Her computer is simply scanning the environment for wireless signals it can connect to.

You have my permission to slap her in the face.

[BadgerKid]

15. Not clear if she's connecting or just detecting your SSID.

If the former, try restricting connections by MAC address especially if you're not encrypting the wifi. If the latter, turn of broadcasting the SSID. BTW, everyone should be using wifi encryption.

[redirish28]

25. From what we understand she is only detecting the router. My Wife and I at one time thought

of letting her have the password that way it would be one less bill for her BUT thankfully (at least right now.) we didn't.



Part of this is really sad because this was a very happy, strong woman and friendly, These meds she's on have changed her completely.

[BadgerKid]

28. Hope she can get the help she needs.

Meds/dosages can be tricky. I've seen it with my SO's grandmother. She went back and forth between days of loopiness and then normalcy. It turned out the docs threw too many meds at her at once.

[Pavulon]

16. I vote change your broadcast id to

something very offensive. Or name it something that sorts high "A" and remove security. Her machine may auto associate, log and print her browsing. Also if you want to step it up a notch determine the type (a/b/g maybe n) router she uses and go buy a crappy wireless phone on that band. 900mhz, 2.5 5.6mhz.

Plug in the base and handset and leave the intercom on. Instant jammer.

[Matariki]

17. Sounds like she's confused about how her laptop searches for wi-fi access.

She sees the name of your router (which is normal) and gets all crazy about you being able to see her machine. Funny.

[L. Coyote]

26. Give her the password and offer her wi-fi IF she pays half the monthly bill.

Let her see some real motives and wisdom, discuss saving money by cooperating withing a neighbor. Conquer her paranoia by making some money off your router from the person close enough to pay for it.