Someone's mobile network is messing up my WiFi?

Every time I lose my internet connection, it will say "limited", and the signal goes from full (5 bars) to 3 bars. Another network becomes visible. It's called #IFIKNOW. I go outside with a flashlight, and a dark grey pickup truck drives away.


If someone has a mobile hotspot in their vehicle, it shouldn't bump me offline, right? What if they're stealing my signal, and then using their mobile device to protect their identity? I know people have mobile hotspots, but their network should not bump me off unless they're doing something wrong. Every time this happens, I see this grey truck.

I stay in a camper in a rural area. I know what the truck sounds like. Sometimes, I hear it go down the road, so I'll look at my phone or laptop, and the network will be there. I go outside with a flashlight, the truck drives away... no more network (until they come back). This happens anywhere between once a week and 3 times a day.

Change the wifi channel.

a reply to: Indigent

Will changing the WiFi channel make my network invisible or otherwise inaccessible to the person? Can they scan for channels and find my network?

Nothing will hide your network, it defies your network purpose, changing channels can remove interference.

If you think someone is accessing your network you can check in your router what is connected or has been connected to your network.

You can access your router typing the ip address in any browser and entering the password if you have never done it.

If you got a recent "internet box" you can restrain the usage of your wifi network by filtering the mac addresses if you select only the machines of your home (pc/mobiles). This should be in the "advanced options" in the wifi section i believe. Also don't forget to change the default password of your internet box (can be easily hacked if not) and obviously have your wifi network protected by a crypted key (wpa or better wpa2, wep is obsolete).

To know the mac address of a machine (if you're on windows): open a command prompt or go to: execute> cmd> ok
then in the "window" you have opened type: ipconfig /all , look for physical address (there may by several, one for the bluetooth card, one for the wifi card and one for the lan card, depends for each computer, but everything is written) it should look like this: 00:23:00:92:4f:dd

a reply to: Darmok
There's not any effective way to hide your network. Some good advice from TheMasterOne, although mac filtering is also limited in effectiveness and more advanced than it really makes up for.

Best suggestions as given, get into your router admin settings and update wifi security to WPA2 (AES + TKIP) with a solid password, change the router login settings. Unless someone can crack your password, you'll be fine unless for some reason you're a high-enough value target for someone with pretty decent resources and the desire to get your network specifically to significantly invest it.

Changing the channel may also help with interference otherwise. Some good wifi channel scanners on android at least for free to show you network congestion.

Yeah. It does sound like someone might be stealing your internet if it's the same grey truck that drives away every time. It sounds pretty shady if you're getting spotty connectivity and this truck immediately drives away if you go outside (Makes me think of the Orkin commercial with the giant termite in the brown car for some reason LOL).

I'm not all that well versed in wireless stuff (a lot of it confuses the crap out of me, frankly) but it could be as simple as changing the channel. I would think a better idea would be changing your network password though. But I give that with the disclaimer that I've never done it and am not sure it's a good idea.

But it seems to me if they're stealing your internet the problem is either...

1. Your network is not password protected/secured

2. They've hacked your password somehow.

Seems like to me that such a person would just drive around looking for unprotected networks. You don't see a ton of them but there are often a few people who just don't know their network is wide open. I wouldn't think it would be worth it to the garden variety internet thief to actually hack a relatively secure password just to suck some internet.

Of course if their network is just interfering with yours somehow it probably would help to simply change the channel.

a reply to: Darmok

It could be connected to this truck you mention.
But, could just be radio frequency interference.
Maybe he's using cb radio with amplifier to boost signals.
Or maybe not.

Can you call your internet provider and make a complaint?
They should be able to look into it from their end.

a reply to: Darmok

Change the SSID of your router to something else like "PD vehicle #2"

Best advice.......

Change your password to both logging into your router and your connect password, then select hide my SSID, omce hidden change name.

That was any items added will need to be manually added by you

I would just check your router.
There is no need to change anything just yet.
But if you check it when that van is not around your router should show you the mac and ip's (local) that you have connected to it. Then check again when the van is around and you have poor connection. If they connect through your router you could se that.

If that is so there are multiple things you can do about that, check the manual of your router for possibilities.

• (obviously) have a good password and not the standard one
  
• turn on logging to see what they are doing (using your connection for their own usage or peeking into your info)
  
• Assign fixed ip to your own equipment and exclude all other ip from connecting to the internet.
  
• If they are peeking you might consider to encrypt all your traffic like using a VPN
  
• Learning the basics of your router gives you more insight and less to worry about.
  
• a program like inSSIDer (or any wifi analyzer) give you insight in the usage around your location, including what channels are used and how strong the signal is etc. It might be possible that they have an extremely strong signal (like a flashed or overclocked router) and they just drown your signal. Or when they are using some other equipment that broadcast a radio signal that isn't perse WiFi, you notice the interference and find no other wifi channels, you can exclude the thought of them using yours
  

Good Luck

a reply to: Dumbass

Thanks. Is your dad Redd Foreman? Lol, you know, the dad from That 70's show?

I think you're right about them having a overpowered signal that disrupts mine. I use WAP-2 encryption, not the default password. I have nothing to steal - no bank account, no paypal, etc. The reason the drive off? I dunno, maybe because they see a flashlight getting closer to their position? We're in Northern/Mid-Michigan, so most people assume their neighbors are armed to the teeth. It's kinda funny how many Confederate flags fly around here. I think the owner of the truck with the WiFi is a boyfriend of one of the neighbors, so he's around quite often. The (somewhat) shady thing is this person making trips back and forth 3 to 5 times a night for about 15-20 minutes... and they have four pitt bulls. I don't think they're delivering newspapers, but as long as they don't mess with me, I don't care what they do.