Multiple home network via homeplug issue seeing neighbours LAN/internet connection

[bibble]

I am posting here as a new member I am unable to post in the networking forum.

I visited a customer a six months back and hooked up two printers to both an XP and then a windows 8 laptop over her Virgin Media (VM) network. She also has two TP link home plug adapters that worked fine to extend the coverage.

She has since called me in again last week as her printers were not working. On investigation the TPLINK adapters are now picking up the neighbours SKY connection for their internet connection but not her own Virgin Media one. With this setup as the printers are on her VM network they are not able to be seen on the TPLINK one. It is very odd and a new one on me.

I have tried the adapters around the house and the customer is swearing blind he does neither have a SKY connection or share any ring main with her neighbours whom she has never spoken to. My next stop was to speak to TPLINK but wondered if anyone here had heard of this? Any help or ideas appreciated

Ta (Mike)

 

[Martyn]

Not sure how they are setup, wireless extenders, wired or what? What models are they? Were they paired?

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

You're talking about the adapters that use the house AC wiring, Yes?

You might find that the neighbour might be using something similar and your client is being affected by thiers.

 

[bibble]

Wireless extenders. One directly into the VM hub and the other was in the attic. Yes they were paired but the software only run on XP/7 as they are one of the older set.

I should also have mentioned that she has bought another set (she is a little impatient) whilst I went away to see if I could find an answer. I have not revisted as yet so do not know what make model she has now but she said she is still not able to print

My main issue was linking to a neighbours LAN - when diagnosing I was able to see the home page of the SKY router. I thought this is odd and when I looked at the list of connected devices it was phones/ipads a laptop which the customer does not own. At that point I thought whose network is this? Running a speedtes.net test came up with SKY at around 4mb whereas hers is VM at around 60mb

I think I will just have to revisit and see what kit she now has and repost what I find. I was thinking leaking signals across ring mains perhaps as even though home plug/powerline is found more often it is still not that frequent and this could just be a side effect in an old house

M

 

[bibble]

You're talking about the adapters that use the house AC wiring, Yes?

You might find that the neighbour might be using something similar and your client is being affected by thiers.

Thank you for the reply yes adapters using AC. She was not that happy about speaking to her neighbour but I may have to recommend that depending upon what kit she now has.

 

[Markverhyden]

Sounds to me like the neighbor has no password on their network since you can see their devices. Assuming you did put a password on her's the device's config got messed up and they auto joined the next thing they could find.

 

[bibble]

It does have a WPA2 security enabled as it is on the SKY default password (when I mentioned default I am talking about the hard coded individual Wireless password not the admin interface for the router). When I tried my phone not connected to a network I would have had to type in a password. When I joined the TPLINK network I could see the SKY router homepage.

I might ask her to contact her internet provider and ask from there as well

(thanks again for the help - nice to have people to bounce ideas off of)

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

If you're talking about the "homeplug" network....sounds like theirs wasn't password protected...and neither was their neighbors. If the houses are close enough, homeplug can have that kind of range to pick up a neighbors house if they're using the same brand ethernet over AC bridges.

 

[bibble]

If you're talking about the "homeplug" network....sounds like theirs wasn't password protected...and neither was their neighbors. If the houses are close enough, homeplug can have that kind of range to pick up a neighbors house if they're using the same brand ethernet over AC bridges.

OK. Are you saying that the AC signal can leak without a physical connection to the same ring main allowing LAN access to the neighbours network? Both houses have a WPA password on their wireless network.

 

[mikeroq]

Since it is her neighbor they are more then likely sharing the same transformer on the power pole (or pad mount unit for underground). I just read a story on reddit today about someone with a homeplug deal and was picking up their neighbors network.

 

[Martyn]

Multiple home network via homeplug issue seeing neighbours LAN/internet conne...

I would change the ip range on your clients router for a start so you have a completely different network and pair all devices again. Also change wireless channels. Oh and press her to allow you to speak to her neighbour, it's in everyone's interest. You will probably get more work from them to make things secure.

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

OK. Are you saying that the AC signal can leak without a physical connection to the same ring main allowing LAN access to the neighbours network? Both houses have a WPA password on their wireless network.

Depending on the manufacturer, Model and age of the Ethernet over AC device. You can have another device of the same manufacturer and model connect to yours even if they are in a separate house. AC power lines use the same wiring so there is a physical connection. It can get even worse when you are talking Condos, Apartments and Townhomes.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

OK. Are you saying that the AC signal can leak without a physical connection to the same ring main allowing LAN access to the neighbours network? Both houses have a WPA password on their wireless network.

Yes....the electrical lines that go up and down the street are shared. Think of the power grid as a bunch of CAT5 and hubs.

Of course...ethernet over powerline has a range limitation....so your network traffic will only broadcast so far. I run a pair of older Linksys ethernet over powerline bridges, as I look at my window...and see my neighbors house, if he used the same brand...and we didn't read the install manual and "encrypt/secure" our networks, we'd likely see each others. It's a security that "pairs" devices...much like when you "pair" bluetooth devices. It's not a security to let you on the network like wireless security. It's a security to keep neighbors accidently out of your network. I supposed even different brands would still allow that.

I really don't think this has anything to do with wireless. That default password should be unique. (often default ISP passwords are related to the serial number of the gateway). But you can thoroughly rule out wireless as the culprit by changing the SSID to something unique, and making a unique password. But as soon as you said they have ethernet over powerline bridges, and you have WPA2 secured wireless....I don't suspect wireless as the culprit. But perhaps, if the SSID is the same on these two homes, some wireless devices latched onto the neighbors wireless by accident if they had no security.

If the neighbor has ethernet over powerline...DHCP over the LAN can cross homes due to that range, and if the ethernet over powerline networks are not secured.

 

[ChrisTech]

I thought you could specify a network name for the powerline units using the Management Utility, which adds a small layer of privacy to the existing pairs? We automatically change that from the default when installing, for that reason.

It should at least prevent the next door neighbour from pairing to the wrong set of adapters.

 

[bibble]

Ok this is a great help. Once I have been back to visit I will update this with the cause - or further issues