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sestrada
Premium Member
join:2012-11-05
U.S.A.
·Charter

sestrada

Premium Member

Public Wifi in your home

I couldn't help but notice the wireless light lit on the modem Brighthouse recently installed.

The installer said all their modems include wireless, but assured me wifi was disabled.

Do you think it's ok to take the battery out of the modem and pull the AC plug to see if a wireless signal disappears?

Are they planning on pulling something like this?

Comcast has turned 50,000 routers of paying customers in the Houston, Texas area into public wi-fi hotspots. The change was done to all 50,000 routers remotely.

»cio.ittoolbox.com/groups ··· -5520785

Two hotspot networks are created on the new Sagecom wireless routers that Cablevision is providing. I called them and they said that the hotspot will "not affect your connection speed" and also "will not affect your privacy" and also "you cannot connect to the hotspot, but other people will be able to get online using your router."

»www.reddit.com/r/technol ··· _in_the/

Without customers knowledge, or consent, Optimum's Smart Router broadcasts an unsecured wireless network that cannot be disabled. Anyone can connect to this "optimumwifi" SSID. Anyone with an Optimum ID can use your personal home router as a free public wifi hotspot.

»Optimum Smart Router is a Trojan Horse

StephenRC
join:2013-11-02
Satellite Beach, FL

StephenRC

Member

BH installs them in public places. BH doesn't do what Comcast does.

Not all of BH modems have wireless.

To make sure it's off, post in the direct forum with the modem's MAC address and BHNTechXpert will take care of it.
»/forum ··· sedirect
sestrada
Premium Member
join:2012-11-05
U.S.A.

sestrada

Premium Member

I kind of like the idea of open wireless.

»www.eff.org/issues/open-wireless

But there's a lot of questions about legalities and security.
BHNtechXpert
The One & Only
Premium Member
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL

BHNtechXpert to sestrada

Premium Member

to sestrada
said by sestrada:

The installer said all their modems include wireless, but assured me wifi was disabled.

If the wireless light is on then wireless service is available to you through the modem, however, you are bridged using your own router so they will pass no data. Unbridge and it will work.

kdwycha
join:2003-01-30
Ruskin, FL

kdwycha to sestrada

Member

to sestrada
I don't like the fact it cannot be disabled. Seems silly to have the wireless on when it is bridged as this may cause issues with the wifi on your own router.
BHNtechXpert
The One & Only
Premium Member
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL

BHNtechXpert

Premium Member

said by kdwycha:

I don't like the fact it cannot be disabled. Seems silly to have the wireless on when it is bridged as this may cause issues with the wifi on your own router.

It can be...he can login to the modem and turn the radios off or we can do it remotely. To be clear this is not public wifi...the reason the radios are even on in the first place is because his account provisioning has enabled them. He needs to contact Business Solutions (since he's now a real business customer) and they will assist with it.
sestrada
Premium Member
join:2012-11-05
U.S.A.
·Charter

sestrada

Premium Member

So the installer didn't know enough to shut off the radio.

Great.

I'd be much happier and feel much safer with a modem that doesn't have an antenna.

Disabled or not, I don't like the idea of a wifi capable modem, especially in light of the stuff other providers are doing.
BHNtechXpert
The One & Only
Premium Member
join:2006-02-16
Saint Petersburg, FL

BHNtechXpert to sestrada

Premium Member

to sestrada
Sestrada the only problem I see here is that in another thread you claimed our tech gave you this modem »www.metrocast.com/guides ··· M502.pdf which is not a wireless gateway. Did you have this changed? If so to what make/model?

gigahurtz
Premium Member
join:2001-10-20
USA

gigahurtz

Premium Member

said by BHNtechXpert:

Sestrada the only problem I see here is that in another thread you claimed our tech gave you this modem »www.metrocast.com/guides ··· M502.pdf which is not a wireless gateway. Did you have this changed? If so to what make/model?

The first line of his post says that the modem was recently installed...
gigahurtz

gigahurtz to sestrada

Premium Member

to sestrada
You should be able to access the modem at: 192.168.100.1

After you get into the web portal, locate wireless and uncheck any boxes or disable wireless from there. If you get prompted for a login you can try: user/user

I am sure you could also do a chat with Brighthouse on their website and have them address this remotely.
sestrada
Premium Member
join:2012-11-05
U.S.A.
·Charter

sestrada

Premium Member

Somebody in support shut the light off remotely.

Why insist on putting in wifi enabled modems in the first place for people that dont want, didnt ask for, and arent paying for - wireless service?

With all the stuff going on with other providors I wouldn't be quick to dismiss the possibility somebody may flip a switch or push an upgrade that turns even a bridged modem into a hot spot, and unsuspecting customer into a host.

It's great BHN lets customers connect their own CPE, but if you can't ping the gateway - which happens often to me, supplying your own may be more trouble.