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    Subnet Mask

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by SDMS12, Sep 8, 2007.

  1. SDMS12

    SDMS12 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I don't understand what that mean, subnet mask. My next door neighbor is my cousins house. Recently they showed me their new router, and i noticed their subnet is exactly the same as mine? Does that mean they used my router? If yes, how do i remove their info from my router?
     
  2. AKAJohnDoe

    AKAJohnDoe Mime with Tourette's

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    The subnet is a means of dividing the available IP addresses up between servers and clients, for examples, Google, and find explanations.
     
  3. SDMS12

    SDMS12 Notebook Enthusiast

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    John, so does that mean he been using my router? can i check what hes doing?
     
  4. AKAJohnDoe

    AKAJohnDoe Mime with Tourette's

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    No and No.
     
  5. SDMS12

    SDMS12 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks. I did notice my connection significantly slower...
     
  6. AKAJohnDoe

    AKAJohnDoe Mime with Tourette's

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    The subnet mask on the typical home private network is 255.255.255.0.

    The IP Address for any given PC on the typical home private network is often 192.168.xxx.xxx and is assigned and leased out to the client PCs via DHCP. They are different that the external IP Address via NAT.

    The IP Address that the router sees is usually hard assigned by the ISP. That is the IP Address that external websites see the PCs on your network as.

    Try doing a PING to my location as shown to the left from your PC with the -a option (e.g.: ping -a 127.0.0.1). That particular IP Address is a special one, the loopback adapter, or "Home".
     
  7. kegobeer

    kegobeer 1 hr late but moving fast

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    If you haven't secured your router, it is very possible that your neighbor has been using your wireless network. You can easily check if someone has been assigned an IP address from your router - log into your router and check the local network (or similar) and look at the DHCP table. If you see computers on there that don't belong to you, that means those computers are using your wireless network to access the internet and quite possibly any files you are sharing on your computers.

    Of course, if those computers have a static IP address, they can access your network and you can't see them via your router. There are tools that will scan your network and list all computers currently accessing it.
     
  8. SDMS12

    SDMS12 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Where do i find the DHCP table specifically?
     
  9. AKAJohnDoe

    AKAJohnDoe Mime with Tourette's

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    You have yet to tell us what router you have and whether you have and have read the manual.