Private WiFi Router @ Work

YungKwality

YungKwality

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Joined
Apr 25, 2017
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Hi All

I' a bit baffled about what happened to me at work. Let me keep this short.

So we have a WiFi connection at work which the IT guy hides the password from everyone. (He's the only one who knows the password). I've been bringing my personal WiFi router to connect to my private cell-phone because of this prick. Anyway yesterday he saw my router and told me I wasn't allowed to bring it to work. I told him no policy exists on this matter and really to me it doesn't make sense.

After that incident I was summoned to HR and they told me the same thing, thereby creating a policy on the same day and disseminating it to all employees. Now EVERYONE is banded from bringing a private WiFi router to work because of me :)

Is this even allowed and legal??? Anyone have a similar policy at their work???

Thanks I appreciate feedback.
 
YungKwality said:
Hi All

I' a bit baffled about what happened to me at work. Let me keep this short.

So we have a WiFi connection at work which the IT guy hides the password from everyone. (He's the only one who knows the password). I've been bringing my personal WiFi router to connect to my private cell-phone because of this prick. Anyway yesterday he saw my router and told me I wasn't allowed to bring it to work. I told him no policy exists on this matter and really to me it doesn't make sense.

After that incident I was summoned to HR and they told me the same thing, thereby creating a policy on the same day and disseminating it to all employees. Now EVERYONE is banded from bringing a private WiFi router to work because of me :)

Is this even allowed and legal??? Anyone have a similar policy at their work???

Thanks I appreciate feedback.
Click to expand...
Is your router like a MiFi device with a sim card or did you physically plug a wifi router into your work's network?
 
Daruk said:
Are you kidding???
It's a massive security risk for any company when employees do this.
The company has NO control of the security on your wifi point and you could effectively be opening their network to the street.
How can you not see this?

Companies that know their stuff also block USB port access on their PCs. Does your company do that?
Click to expand...
How is the company at risk when it's "private WiFi"?
 
No they don't but that's not the point. I'm not connecting any company infrastructure to my personal WiFi. I use my personal WiFi on my private cell-phone. If that is the case they should then block me from bringing my cell-phone to work because I can use still use it as a hot-spot if the risk is that I will connect to my laptop.
 
YungKwality said:
No they don't but that's not the point. I'm not connecting any company infrastructure to my personal WiFi. I use my personal WiFi on my private cell-phone. If that is the case they should then block me from bringing my cell-phone to work because I can use still use it as a hot-spot if the risk is that I will connect to my laptop.
Click to expand...
OK so it is mobile data...that should not be an issue
 
YungKwality said:
Hi All

I' a bit baffled about what happened to me at work. Let me keep this short.

So we have a WiFi connection at work which the IT guy hides the password from everyone. (He's the only one who knows the password). I've been bringing my personal WiFi router to connect to my private cell-phone because of this prick. Anyway yesterday he saw my router and told me I wasn't allowed to bring it to work. I told him no policy exists on this matter and really to me it doesn't make sense.

After that incident I was summoned to HR and they told me the same thing, thereby creating a policy on the same day and disseminating it to all employees. Now EVERYONE is banded from bringing a private WiFi router to work because of me :)

Is this even allowed and legal??? Anyone have a similar policy at their work???

Thanks I appreciate feedback.
Click to expand...

I am an IT with the keys to the WiFi network where I work.
There are very good reasons why we keep unknown/3rd party devices off our corporate LAN ;-)

In our case the company is happy for our users to have their private devices use the internet access at work so i have a separate WiFi in it's own VLAN (isolated from our LAN) with 10Mbps breakout for private and 3rd party devices.
Perhaps you can approach IT/HR and ask if they could facilitate the same to prevent people from having to bring their own devices in.

NB. it is the companies prerogative to stipulate what you can and can't do during the hours you are under contract with them. Perhaps they do not want you to be browsing the interwebz while you should be working?
 
OCP said:
n our case the company is happy for our users to have their private devices
Click to expand...
I
Goobie said:
OK so it is mobile data...that should not be an issue
Click to expand...
No its not mobile data. my argument is that if they block me from using my private router to work they might as well block me from bringing my cell-phone to work as it could also pose a "security risk"
 
imagine if eve
YungKwality said:
No they don't but that's not the point. I'm not connecting any company infrastructure to my personal WiFi. I use my personal WiFi on my private cell-phone. If that is the case they should then block me from bringing my cell-phone to work because I can use still use it as a hot-spot if the risk is that I will connect to my laptop.
Click to expand...

Imagine if everyone start using personal LTE WiFI router - do you think it will not interfere with the company WiFi network?

If you connect the router directly to your own device (not company devices) via USB, I do not see the issue as there would be no interference with company IT infrastructure.
(could still be against company policy of course bit that is a non-tech issue)
 
YungKwality said:
I

No its not mobile data. my argument is that if they block me from using my private router to work they might as well block me from bringing my cell-phone to work as it could also pose a "security risk"
Click to expand...

I wouldn't give them ideas if I were you, those corporate types are known to be a bit narcissistic & controlling.
 
Sorry not t
Daruk said:
What you're describing is an LTE or 3G router, not 'my personal wifi'.
Yes it offers WiFi, but ultimately it's an LTE router.
Sure the company can ban whatever they want on their premises. What model is your 'personal WiFi' router.
Click to expand...
Sorry I'm not too technical i work in finance :). Model is Huawei B618
 
Daruk said:
The title did not describe an LTE router, again, where did you read that? Private WiFi? What exactly is that other than a WiFi enabled router that the company doesn't own?
Click to expand...
WiFi enabled router that has 3G, but as established, OP isn't talking about 3G. But that's the first thing that comes to mind. 3G.
 
Daruk said:
What you're describing is an LTE or 3G router, not 'my personal wifi'.
Yes it offers WiFi, but ultimately it's an LTE router.
Click to expand...
So when someone says "I've got WiFi at home", what the first thing which springs to mind?
 
Daruk said:
OK, so that's an LTE WiFi router and it has built in 4 port switch. It would take you 2 seconds to connect that to the LAN, and given that you're not technical, you wouldn't likely understand the implications of that. Perfectly legit for them to ban a personal WiFi router with those capabilities from their LAN.

They have no guarantee you're not connecting their equipment to it and can't monitor it since it's your personal device. The only reasonable solution is to have a policy to ban it. They should probably have a generic policy that forbids using cellphones as routers as well.
Click to expand...
Thanks i guess i have to abide to this now :(
 
why do you need private Wifi at work? This also implies you are stealing the companies time for private matters... secondly I don't realy get why using a separate mobile operated wifi device with a mobile sim card. why not use your cellphone's data? price is the same if you are using the same network. unless you use rain or whatever.
 
Daruk said:
1) He is talking about LTE
2) He's clearly not technical enough to understand the security risks
3) Why would 3G be the first thing that comes to mind? He wouldn't have been the first person to bring a WiFi access point in to the office to allow him to connect his personal devices to the corporate internet to leech his TV series or simply avoid paying for LTE.
Click to expand...
1) He's talking about an LTE device (that has LAN capabilities), not the LTE itself.
2) Yes
3) From title when he was talking about "private WiFi" that said to me that he has his own sim/data connection and that has nothing to do with his work. And yes he wouldn't be the first.
 
Smokey888 said:
why do you need private Wifi at work? This also implies you are stealing the companies time for private matters... secondly I don't realy get why using a separate mobile operated wifi device with a mobile sim card. why not use your cellphone's data? price is the same if you are using the same network. unless you use rain or whatever.
Click to expand...
I also make use of a WiFi modem at work. I have a very small data package on my cellphone, but have a 10GB anytime data package at Telkom on a Huawei E5573 mobile router that I pay R139 p/m. That is SIGNIFICANTLY less than the Vodacom's R150 for a 1GB.
I connect to my own WiFi the moment I walk into my office and that data is used whenever I receive WhatsApp messages, e-mails and the occasional Google searches. That way I can spare the data on my phone for whenever I am away from my mobile data device.
My phone is also voice over wifi enabled, and helps a lot because where I am I often have extremely poor cellphone reception.
 
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