A simple spoof . . . or something more sinister?

Navigateur

Staying on an independent site in the Lake District last week I noticed a new, very strong, wifi signal appeared. It had been titled “The Caravan Club Wireless”. As the nearest Club site was about eight miles on the other side of some hills I at first thought that this was just someone having some sort of fun, perhaps trying to spoof a friend.

It quickly became apparent that it was having additional effects. As the signal was stronger than the site’s own wifi for a large part of the site, any devices set to connect automatically to the strongest “open” signal (the default setting for many) would connect to it. The site wifi was set up to every so often drop all connections so that they would reconnect. - a valid method to disconnect idle and invalid connections. When it did that, the devices then simply connected to this spoof router instead.

However, it was not allowing connections to bridge to whatever it’s Internet connection was (if there was one at all).  So lots of people found they thought they were connected to “The Caravan Club Wireless” when in fact they were not. If this set-up was run on a Club site it would seriously inconvenience users as they would be assuming it was part of the site’s wifi and that the Club’s equipment was not providing the paid for service.

It did not take long to identify the signal was coming for a very shiny new caravan, complete with an external wifi antenna.  So is this just someone trying to spoof people and not realising what effect it was having, or a deliberate attempt by them at sabotage of the Club’s wifi that they had forgotten to turn off on leaving a Club site?

Tinwheeler

Isn't it likely this is just the name someone has (unwisely) given to their boosted signal run through their own router? Not the best choice of name!

I pick these up all the time on site 'Andy's wifi'  'caravan wifi' and so on.

Vicmallows

That's precisely what I think most likely. On a site recently there was a strong signal calling itself HUMM.  I looked out of the window to see....this enormous bright yellow Hummer in a pitch opposite.

I prefer to give my router a bland anonymous name.

 

 

 

 

SteveL

Surely though most folk lock their router. Yes if you click on it it will link to it and then ask for a password. However, certainly my devices will not auto connect to an unknown locked source.

If the source Nav refers to was unlocked that in itself is both unwise and unusual

JayEss

You'll know if you're in range of my router as it has a rather rude name. 

I usually prevent it showing up to anyone though 

Pippah45

I would be suspicious of that on Navigateur but thanks for the heads up.  What name does the Club wifi go under these days of rebrand?

Navigateur

I don't see there is any shame in one's wifi router being identifiable by name. After all, on a wide open location such as a caravan site, it can be tracked down quickly using freely available applications on most smart phones. Preventing use by other campers is sensible, unless they have come visiting and brought beer!