up vote 0 down vote favorite
share [g+] share [fb]

Is it possible to find out who is connected to an unsecured wireless network?
If so, how?

OS: Windows Vista, Wireless N

link|improve this question
100% accept rate
1  
Do you have physical access to the router ? – Studer Feb 16 '10 at 1:12
@Studer - "Do you have physical access to the router?" Like open the router and look for lice with a magnifying glass? Or do you mean access to the HTML Web interface with user name and password (which isn't really 'physical')? – Molly7244 Feb 16 '10 at 1:18
@Molly : As this is an open network, having a physical access to the router (being able to plug an ethernet cable in it) is not mandatory, knowing the admin password is enough. I forget this when I posted my first comment. – Studer Feb 16 '10 at 1:31
Yes, i have physical access to the router. – SoftwareGeek Feb 16 '10 at 1:48
feedback

2 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

I'm assuming you want to check if other people are using it so that you can block them, which means you'd have some sort of access to the router. In that case, gshankar's answer should suffice. If that's not the case, and you're just curious to see who's using it, you can grab WireShark and so some WLAN Capturing in promiscuous mode. This should be exceptionally easy with an unsecured connection.

If you actually do have access to the router, I'd recommend securing it as soon as possible. ISPs may put the blame on you if others are downloading illegal content on your connection. You are liable for securing your network.

link|improve this answer
feedback
up vote 1 down vote

If you have admin access to the router (the web interface) you can just look at what IPs are assigned

link|improve this answer
feedback

Your Answer

 
or
required, but never shown
discard

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.