uPNP - needed on WiFi router?

Today when I was sitting with my laptop,
I noticed that there was a lot of back and forth wireless traffic.
I brought up my analyzer,
and it shows that the Access Point is broadcasting
uPNP packets on port 5000,
and then any XP machine will reply on port 5678.

Where and when would uPNP be useful on the WiFi router...

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 15:13:03 GMT, "Phil Schuman"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Today when I was sitting with my laptop,
>I noticed that there was a lot of back and forth wireless traffic.
>I brought up my analyzer,
>and it shows that the Access Point is broadcasting
>uPNP packets on port 5000,
>and then any XP machine will reply on port 5678.

Yep.

>Where and when would uPNP be useful on the WiFi router...

See:
http://www.upnp.org
For wireless devices, see:
http://www.upnp.org/standardizeddcps/wlanap.asp
The basic idea is to have the router and client be automatically
configured. I theory, all UPnP network devices self configure
themselves when you plug them in. The most common application is for
MSN Messenger to punch holes in the firewall so it can communicate.
If the router supports UPnP, then a client that plugs in be
automatically configured and ready to run when first connected. This
is more than DHCP, which traditionally only delivers IP addresses as
UPnP will also deliver Windoze settings and options.

You can watch it work by enabling UPnP in the NAT router, and in the
XP client. Then, dive into the router port forwarding configuration
screen. You'll find that you now have two extra ports forwarded for
every XP workstation, each allocated to MSN Messenger.

There are some bizarre rants on the net about security holes and flaws
in UPnP.
http://www.grc.com/unpnp/unpnp.htm
Here's a good and sane summary by one of the authors of UPnP:
http://www.goland.org/Tech/upnp_security_flaws.htm
However, it doesn't really cover the fundamental issue of whether you
really want your clients re-reconfigured by the first router it
blunders across, or whether you really need your firewall Swiss
Cheesed full of holes by uncontrollable services.

I turn it off in both the router and the client.


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

If you use MSN Messenger for video or audio conversations, you need to use
UPnP. In addition, if you play certain games over the network (especially,
on the X-box) you may have to use UPnP. In general, if a remote computer
has to contact your computer on a port whose number is constantly changing
and your computer is behind a router, it helps to use UPnP - if the
application supports it. Of course, you could always manually set up port
forwarding...

So, if you do not play games and do not have any reason to allow remote
computers to initiate connections to your computer then you will not miss
much if you turn off UPnP.

-Yves

"Phil Schuman" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3qDvd.8713$(E-Mail Removed) m...
> Today when I was sitting with my laptop,
> I noticed that there was a lot of back and forth wireless traffic.
> I brought up my analyzer,
> and it shows that the Access Point is broadcasting
> uPNP packets on port 5000,
> and then any XP machine will reply on port 5678.
>
> Where and when would uPNP be useful on the WiFi router...
>
>
>
>