Access Point Basic question for Apple Airport Extreme BaseStation

I have a very basic question involving security.

My Set up is as follows I have a PC connected via Ethernet to a
(NAT Router ) Access point (Apple Airport Extreme Base Station) which is
connected to the internet via cable modem. If I send traffic to the internet
or receive traffic from the internet over the Ethernet cable can my traffic
be monitored via WiFi ??? Provided you do not see any activity light for
the wireless.

Is a wireless router just as safe to use as a wired router providing you do
not use the wireless feature ???

Skuaman <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:BC90E823.8730%(E-Mail Removed):

> Is a wireless router just as safe to use as a wired router providing
> you do not use the wireless feature ???

Yes.

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Lucas Tam ((E-Mail Removed))
Please delete "REMOVE" from the e-mail address when replying.
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"Skuaman" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:BC90E823.8730%(E-Mail Removed)...
> I have a very basic question involving security.
>
> My Set up is as follows I have a PC connected via Ethernet to a
> (NAT Router ) Access point (Apple Airport Extreme Base Station) which is
> connected to the internet via cable modem. If I send traffic to the
internet
> or receive traffic from the internet over the Ethernet cable can my
traffic
> be monitored via WiFi ??? Provided you do not see any activity light for
> the wireless.

All your wired traffic goes through your gateway. WiFi devices can not see
wired traffic, they only see the wireless device activities.

Skuaman <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> I have a very basic question involving security.
>
> My Set up is as follows I have a PC connected via Ethernet to a
> (NAT Router ) Access point (Apple Airport Extreme Base Station) which is
> connected to the internet via cable modem. If I send traffic to the internet
> or receive traffic from the internet over the Ethernet cable can my traffic
> be monitored via WiFi ??? Provided you do not see any activity light for
> the wireless.

No. The traffic won't appear on the wireless portion of your network, so
it can't be sniffed.


> Is a wireless router just as safe to use as a wired router providing you do
> not use the wireless feature ???

Not literally, at least not the Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station, as
you can't turn off its wireless function the way you can with some other
wireless routers. The best you can do with the AEBS is to enable WPA and
reduce the signal strength to the minimum. With little or no wireless
traffic, your setup would be, for practical purposes, as secure as one
using a wired router.

On 4/1/04 2:04 PM, in article
1gbk3rp.7ybp1v1u7x6f4N%(E-Mail Removed) , "Neill Massello"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Skuaman <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> I have a very basic question involving security.
>>
>> My Set up is as follows I have a PC connected via Ethernet to a
>> (NAT Router ) Access point (Apple Airport Extreme Base Station) which is
>> connected to the internet via cable modem. If I send traffic to the internet
>> or receive traffic from the internet over the Ethernet cable can my traffic
>> be monitored via WiFi ??? Provided you do not see any activity light for
>> the wireless.
>
> No. The traffic won't appear on the wireless portion of your network, so
> it can't be sniffed.
>
>
>> Is a wireless router just as safe to use as a wired router providing you do
>> not use the wireless feature ???
>
> Not literally, at least not the Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station, as
> you can't turn off its wireless function the way you can with some other
> wireless routers. The best you can do with the AEBS is to enable WPA and
> reduce the signal strength to the minimum. With little or no wireless
> traffic, your setup would be, for practical purposes, as secure as one
> using a wired router.
>

Can I trust the lights on the Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station to tell me
when the traffic is wireless and when is not ???

I have turn off all broadcast beacons I think. Closed system
So people can not sit out side the house and sniff my wired traffic unless
I use the wireless traffic .

The AEBS acts like a traffic cop directing wired traffic to the internet and
back unless I ask for the traffic to go wireless ?

Skuaman <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Can I trust the lights on the Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station to tell me
> when the traffic is wireless and when is not ???

To my knowledge, the left LED will flash whenever there is any wireless
traffic to or from the base station. An LED status chart is available at
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107457>.


> I have turn off all broadcast beacons I think. Closed system
> So people can not sit out side the house and sniff my wired traffic unless
> I use the wireless traffic .
>
> The AEBS acts like a traffic cop directing wired traffic to the internet and
> back unless I ask for the traffic to go wireless ?

Yes. Only traffic to or from a wireless client will appear on the
wireless side of the network. All other traffic will be restricted to
Ethernet.