Kids are getting on password protected wifi with their video game systems

somnambulist

somnambulist

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I have two pre-teens who connect to our wifi with their PS3's/xbox's but I don't know how they do it because our wifi is password protected and i constantly change the password but they always get on when they're not allowed to

 
somnambulist said:
I have two pre-teens who connect to our wifi with their PS3's/xbox's but I don't know how they do it because our wifi is password protected and i constantly change the password but they always get on when they're not allowed to
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Easy. Take their systems and throw it out the window.

 
Or they may be leeching a neighbor's signal. If they are on a neighbor's wifi, put parental controls on the system.
 
They are on someone else's wifi or they keylogged your computer.

Either way, just take the consoles and don't become that dad no kid respects. 

 
Might need to change the PW one more time but in this cade also change the admin password to the router so they can't login from a wired computer and read the new PW.
 
Take the hard drives out of the systems while they're at school. Anyone can just get new cables or controllers. A hard drive, though, is key. Without it, you can't save or load any profiles or game data.

 
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Riyotous said:
Or they may be leeching a neighbor's signal. If they are on a neighbor's wifi, put parental controls on the system.
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I know for a fact it's OUR wifi because when I turn it off they get mad and run over to see if it's on but it's not. But I can't keep it off at all times because I need it. And my password isn't "password" it's two words and a number and I change it but they somehow manage to stay connected to it.

 
You sure you're not just changing the password to the admin settings to get on the router itself instead of the actual password to the wifi signal?

If you check your wireless connections it should show a padlock or something similar next to your home network.  Your router can generate a random security key which would be a ton of random letters and numbers that you'd be able to copy/paste on your computer to gain access, but would be impossible for them to get.

Your computer itself is password protected and you don't have a document labeled "Wireless Password" do you?

 
Other options would be to access your router, find the game systems specific IP address and block the IP address.  That way it doesn't matter if they have the password or not, it's blocked and the only way to undo it is to access the router.

 
danny_trejo.jpg


I'll take care of them.

 
somnambulist said:
I know for a fact it's OUR wifi because when I turn it off they get mad and run over to see if it's on but it's not. But I can't keep it off at all times because I need it. And my password isn't "password" it's two words and a number and I change it but they somehow manage to stay connected to it.
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If your router is running WPS (most of them are by default if you haven't disabled it), then the WPS code is all-numeric and isn't necessarily changed when you change the passcode. They may be connected via WPS connections and

I'd do the following, if it's not an issue with updating other devices that use WiFi:

1) Change the network name to something else that isn't what you have currently.

2) Hide the SSID so it's not visible to anyone. You should be doing this by default to not advertise your network name.

3) Change the password to something completely different and use lower case characters, upper case characters, numbers and special characters. Make it something a bit larger than two words plus a number or tow.

4) Block the MAC addresses of the consoles at the router. They can't change the MAC addresses on the console, so blocking them by MAC address will stop them from doing anything.

 
Wouldn't step 4 solve his problem?

Also, some routers allow you to set time limits on access.  So like allow that mac address from 6-8 or something.

 
Confucius said:
Wouldn't step 4 solve his problem?

Also, some routers allow you to set time limits on access. So like allow that mac address from 6-8 or something.
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Step 4 would fix the problem, yes, though that one should be the last resort issue. My guess on WPS being enabled and they're getting in that way, so turning it off should fix the issue. The OP says he's changing his password every time and they keep getting in, though WPS passcodes don't change when passwords change.

Anyone using WPS should be lucky they're not having the FBI on their doorstep asking who's downloading the torrented movies, kiddie porn or both.

Most scheduling for access isn't as good as you think it is, so it may or may not work. It's normally on a per-IP basis, so he would have to do a DHCP reservation so that the consoles get a specific IP address all the time, then put that into the access scheduler.

DestroVega said:
Why don't you want your kids on your wifi?
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That would be the best question to answer, methinks.

 
You shouldn't have to resort to technological wizardry to stop them from doing something. Explain to them the rules, and give them consequences when they break them.

 
shrike4242 said:
If your router is running WPS (most of them are by default if you haven't disabled it), then the WPS code is all-numeric and isn't necessarily changed when you change the passcode. They may be connected via WPS connections and

I'd do the following, if it's not an issue with updating other devices that use WiFi:

1) Change the network name to something else that isn't what you have currently.

2) Hide the SSID so it's not visible to anyone. You should be doing this by default to not advertise your network name.

3) Change the password to something completely different and use lower case characters, upper case characters, numbers and special characters. Make it something a bit larger than two words plus a number or tow.

4) Block the MAC addresses of the consoles at the router. They can't change the MAC addresses on the console, so blocking them by MAC address will stop them from doing anything.
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The connection type is WPA2-Personal with AES encryption type.

How do I find out the mac addresses of the consoles? When I connect to the router and it shows what systems are using the internet, the only thing that shows up is my laptop and another family member's ipod..

 
somnambulist said:
The connection type is WPA2-Personal with AES encryption type.

How do I find out the mac addresses of the consoles? When I connect to the router and it shows what systems are using the internet, the only thing that shows up is my laptop and another family member's ipod..
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Hmmm is the console on? It should show up.
 
somnambulist said:
The connection type is WPA2-Personal with AES encryption type.

How do I find out the mac addresses of the consoles? When I connect to the router and it shows what systems are using the internet, the only thing that shows up is my laptop and another family member's ipod..
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Go power up the console(s) and let them connect online. Then, go back to your router and look at connected wireless devices.

Otherwise, both consoles MAC addresses are found in System Settings (different places in each console's OS).

 
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Maybe you have the actual wifi connection password free and the one your changing passwords is the actual router access (admin)?

But the best way is to just take the consoles away and then hand it back to them during weekends.
 
OR, you could play their favorite games and constantly die while pretending to have the time of your life. That'll REALLY piss them off! :lol:
 
somnambulist said:
The connection type is WPA2-Personal with AES encryption type.

How do I find out the mac addresses of the consoles? When I connect to the router and it shows what systems are using the internet, the only thing that shows up is my laptop and another family member's ipod..
Click to expand...
Have you checked to see if WPS is running on your router? It's normally on by default and would need to be disabled if active. WPS is all-numeric and won't change if you update your password.

I would check the router's DHCP client listing and see what's connected when the consoles are on the network. The router may not have the MAC addresses if the consoles aren't live or they're not saved as DHCP reservations. If you post the brand and model number of the router, it would help figure out where specifically to go.

 
CAGkrazy said:
Maybe you have the actual wifi connection password free and the one your changing passwords is the actual router access (admin)?

But the best way is to just take the consoles away and then hand it back to them during weekends.
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No, I'm 100% sure I'm changing the wifi password and not the router password. Every time I change the wifi password I have to change it on my laptop and family member's iPod.

they're not online right now but i'll try to look for what you guys suggested when they are.

 
Does your kids have access to your laptop or any other pc that uses wifi? Coz im pretty sure the wifi password can be viewed in windows just by looking at the connection properties.
 
OP - what router do you have?  I'm sure someone can walk you through how to limit the mac address access to certain times of day if the router is sophisticated enough.

It solves ALL  your issues and you don't have to constantly change your password.  You just have to make sure the router's admin pw is strong.

 
Here's a novel idea (that others have already mentioned), be a parent and flat out tell them no WiFi. If they refuse to comply, take away the videogames. It's really that simple.

Changing the password teaches them absolutely nothing whatsoever. They will just find a way to figure it out if they want it bad enough.
 
HydroX said:
Here's a novel idea (that others have already mentioned), be a parent and flat out tell them no WiFi. If they refuse to comply, take away the videogames. It's really that simple.

Changing the password teaches them absolutely nothing whatsoever. They will just find a way to
figure it out if they want it bad enough.
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Agree.

I would have had my ass whooped already if I did this crap :0
 
Just out of curiosity, why aren't they allowed to play online with their game systems? Are they being punished or you don't want them going online in general?

 
They're not bridging the connection with a laptop are they? If they have another computer near the consoles, it's extremely easy to setup a bridged connection.
 
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