guest pass and controlling security of broadband

[Twentyfour7]

Hi All
I have a lodger who appears to be turning off my broadband at the house in order to turn off my smart devices etc . My broadband is with plusnet, how do I stop this please? . I gave him the broadband pass to access the internet , wifi etc and I understand I cannot give him access by a guest access . I am also worried about use of dongles etc contaminating my system
Thanks alot

[595Heaven]

When you say turning off your broadband, do you mean physically (ie by disconnecting / turning off the router)?

First job has to be making sure that can’t happen.

Beyond that, I can’t remember if the Plusnet router has a guest mode, but I don’t think it does. Might need to buy a new router that allows this and lock the lodger’s account right down.

Possible looking for a new lodger is a high priority as well….

[Aunty Pasty]

The router will have an admin password as well. The default is printed on the bit of plastic alongside the normal Wifi password. make sure this is changed so only you can change the settings.

In case you don't know, the page to access your plus net router settings is http://192.168.1.254

From there you can control access for individual devices.

[Freakuk]

Have you given him the WiFi password or the router (admin) password?

If he is turning off the broadband I suspect he has the admin password, but could you clarify what you mean by turning off your broadband?

[spitfire-ian]

595Heaven said:

Possible looking for a new lodger is a high priority as well….

This.

Surely your house, your rules?

[macstorm73]

if you goto your admin page on the router you should be able to see the uptime / connection duration. That will let you know when it was last connected... Also as a lodger you can kick them out with little or no notice.. had to do this a few times, book a week off work as leave, bring home enough smokes and beer to last a week and give them their weeks notice.. job done

[Pixelpeep 135]

What smart devices do you own? cameras / video doorbell ?

[Captain_Morgan]

How much are you prepared to spend to secure your home network?

What physical access do they have to the router itself?

Do you have any wired devices & if so what access does he have to them?

[Harpoon]

It's cost and complexity. So I would change the router password, WiFi key and then tell the lodger to buy their own 3G/4G mobile router and provide their own broadband...

[snuffy]

Surely you just gave him the SSID password ? i.e. your wifi password.

As opposed to your router's admin password ? Why would you give anyone that ? Unless you are using the default one that is written on the router itself ?

[Brainpox]

Show him the door, get him about 20m away then you'll be safe.

You'll want to change the admin password on the router before the next lodger moves in.

[rxe]

You need network segregation, which as far as I know, no home routers can do. I run Unifi kit, and it is very easy for me to set up a network that can route to the internet, but sees nothing at all internally. But that is a big step up in complexity and expense from a Plusnet router!

On the basis that you gave him the network SSID and password, he should not be able to do anything to your broadband service, other than potentially overload the connection.

If you gave him the admin password of the router, then he has complete control. Log in yourself and change it, to something robust.

[GlenMH]

I have an Asus router that provides a segragated guest network. Any visitors to the house go on that network.
If he is physically disconnecting your broadband then it is new lodger time!

[Ham_and_Jam]

My guess is the lodger has noted the admin password from the bottom of the router and is playing silly buggers.

OP, just change the admin password, if your lodger already hasn’t!

[toerag]

If a router hard reset resets the admin password to it's default state, it may be worth getting a new router from Plusnet, removing the password sticker on the base (keeping it safe) then just issue him with the WiFi password.

[ecsrobin]

Twentyfour7 said:

Hi All
I have a lodger who appears to be turning off my broadband at the house in order to turn off my smart devices etc . My broadband is with plusnet, how do I stop this please? . I gave him the broadband pass to access the internet , wifi etc and I understand I cannot give him access by a guest access . I am also worried about use of dongles etc contaminating my system
Thanks alot

What would be his benefit to turning off your smart devices,

[Twentyfour7]

Hi All
Many thanks for all your advice . I have changed the admin password . I am not sure if he had access to this or not , but I definitely recall giving the SSID password . Is it possible to tamper with wifi/ network through SSID password ? Could he also see what I might be doing on my computer ? I read it is important that people using your broadband system are only given guest access incase they download a virus etc which could affect your network. Is this possible?

Re smart devices - I use it for control of heating , lights, cameras, door etc

He is not using my computer but does have access to the router itself and it's wiring

I suppose there is guest access on routers for a reason ....? I called Plusnet and they advised there is no guest access on theirs

[ecsrobin]

Twentyfour7 said:

Hi All
Many thanks for all your advice . I have changed the admin password . I am not sure if he had access to this or not , but I definitely recall giving the SSID password . Is it possible to tamper with wifi/ network through SSID password ? Could he also see what I might be doing on my computer ? I read it is important that people using your broadband system are only given guest access incase they download a virus etc which could affect your network. Is this possible?

Re smart devices - I use it for control of heating , lights, cameras, door etc

He is not using my computer but does have access to the router itself and it's wiring

I suppose there is guest access on routers for a reason ....? I called Plusnet and they advised there is no guest access on theirs

I’m not sure what he would gain from doing that. Are you sure it’s not an issue with your remote access to the devices. I have a smart home but if my appleTV is updating I lose all connections when out the house.

[Brainpox]

ecsrobin said:

I’m not sure what he would gain from doing that. Are you sure it’s not an issue with your remote access to the devices. I have a smart home but if my appleTV is updating I lose all connections when out the house.

We'll find out now. OP has changed the password. If the problems stop then it was the lodger. If they continue then it's something else. For some people, being an ahole doesn't require them to get anything in return.

[rxe]

Are the passwords on your various devices strong? He’s on your network, if he’s any good, he’s reading everything you send over the network that isn’t encrypted. Most security on smart devices is poorly implemented, both by the vendor and user.