Wi-Fi signal jamming

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Mosetlhe

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I was at the Alberton Municipal Offices (Alberton City). I use a Huawei portable Wi-Fi Router. Today I couldn't connect when I was at the Municipal Offices. My phone reported that Authentication had failed.

I went ahead and reset the router and I still couldn't connect. The Wi-Fi signal would come and fail. The SSID would flicker of the screen. I tried and I failed. I left the premises and when I reached the main road, my phone was able to connect.

I suspected that something was happening at the Municipal Offices; so I drove back. Immediately when I reached the parking area; I couldn't connect yet again. I left once again and I'm now able to connect.

I really think there's a device blocking portable Wi-Fi.

Is this legal?
 
Last edited:
Mosetlhe said:
I was at the Alberton Municipal Offices (Alberton City). I use a Huawei portable Wi-Fi Router. Today I couldn't connect when I was at the Municipal Offices. My phone reported that Authentication had failed.

I went ahead and reset the router and I still couldn't connect. The Wi-Fi signal would come and fail. The SSID would flicker of the screen. I tried and I failed. I left the premises and when I reached the main road, my phone was able to connect.

I suspected that something was happening at the Municipal Offices; so I drove back. Immediately when I reached the parking area; I couldn't connect yet again. I left once again and I'm now able to connect.

I really think there's a device blocking portable Wi-Fi.
Click to expand...

Possibly but it could be there are a lot of nearby wifi hotspots causing interference.

There is an app called wifi analyzer that will tell you the AP/hotspots in the area.

If there arnt a lot of AP's then you must contact ICASA.
 
Mosetlhe said:
I was at the Alberton Municipal Offices (Alberton City). I use a Huawei portable Wi-Fi Router. Today I couldn't connect when I was at the Municipal Offices. My phone reported that Authentication had failed.

I went ahead and reset the router and I still couldn't connect. The Wi-Fi signal would come and fail. The SSID would flicker of the screen. I tried and I failed. I left the premises and when I reached the main road, my phone was able to connect.

I suspected that something was happening at the Municipal Offices; so I drove back. Immediately when I reached the parking area; I couldn't connect yet again. I left once again and I'm now able to connect.

I really think there's a device blocking portable Wi-Fi.

Is this legal?
Click to expand...
The 2.4GHz WiFi band only has 3 non overlapping channels/frequencies. Your hotspot is set up on one of those frequencies that's probably in use by a network of access points installed at the building you went to, causing you not to have a stable connection.
 
WIRUlink said:
The 2.4GHz WiFi band only has 3 non overlapping channels/frequencies. Your hotspot is set up on one of those frequencies that's probably in use by a network of access points installed at the building you went to, causing you not to have a stable connection.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Mosetlhe said:
I was at the Alberton Municipal Offices (Alberton City). I use a Huawei portable Wi-Fi Router. Today I couldn't connect when I was at the Municipal Offices. My phone reported that Authentication had failed.

I went ahead and reset the router and I still couldn't connect. The Wi-Fi signal would come and fail. The SSID would flicker of the screen. I tried and I failed. I left the premises and when I reached the main road, my phone was able to connect.

I suspected that something was happening at the Municipal Offices; so I drove back. Immediately when I reached the parking area; I couldn't connect yet again. I left once again and I'm now able to connect.

I really think there's a device blocking portable Wi-Fi.

Is this legal?
Click to expand...
As has been said by others it is most likely just other APs causing interference. I have the exact same issue with my portable WiFi AP when I go to my office.
 
meraki.cisco.com

Cisco Meraki | Air Marshal WIPS

Cloud managed networking from Cisco Meraki. The easiest and most IT-friendly solution for enterprise networking needs.
meraki.cisco.com

Banks tend to use these - not inconceivable that a municipality could too.
 
Its also possible that someone in the area was using a rouge access point like a WiFi Pineapple to stage a man in the middle attack.
 
It's pretty cheap and easy to build a Wi-Fi signal blocker. The plans are all over the internet.
 
If you really want to be a donkey. Rig a Microwave that it runs while the door is open that is a 1kW WiFi adapter....
 
One of my clients run on kit similar to the cisco,designed to disrupt all other wifi networks inside the building except official equipment
It basically spams deauthentication packets Ddossing your personal WiFi

You can even DIY the tech
oneguyoneblog.com

WiFi jamming: jam wireless networks with Kali Linux - One Guy, One Blog

Is someone stealing your bandwidth or messing with your Wi-Fi? Get rid of them with this deauthentication attack. A Kali Linux WiFi jamming tutorial.
oneguyoneblog.com oneguyoneblog.com

You don't even need to saturate the airwaves when using this method,it's pretty lightweight
 
Shaun108 said:
It's pretty cheap and easy to build a Wi-Fi signal blocker. The plans are all over the internet.
Click to expand...
"Do Microwaves Interfere With WiFi Signals?
Ashish 17 Jan 2018 (Updated: 31 May 2020)
Yes, they do. Microwaves and radio waves are physically the same things, i.e., both are forms of electromagnetic radiation. Some microwave radiation can leak out and interfere with WiFi signals."
Click to expand...


www.scienceabc.com

Wifi Microwave: Why Do Microwave Interferes With Wifi?

If you have a microwave, then you have probably observed that when it’s up and running, you may simultaneously experience problems in loading web pages on your smartphone, laptop or any other device. This is especially true if your router and microwave are in close proximity to each other.
www.scienceabc.com www.scienceabc.com
Click to expand...
 
Azimuth said:
meraki.cisco.com

Cisco Meraki | Air Marshal WIPS

Cloud managed networking from Cisco Meraki. The easiest and most IT-friendly solution for enterprise networking needs.
meraki.cisco.com

Banks tend to use these - not inconceivable that a municipality could too.
Click to expand...
wow, interesting: Marriot hotels were fined $600,000 by the FCC for using this technology to force guests to use their hotel wifi. Even prisons have got in trouble with the FCC for doing this... But I guess there is no FCC here.

There isn't much to be done other than making sure your Wi-Fi network isn't in range of the device Air Marshalling (most Wi-Fi access points have a setting to reduce broadcast power) - if your Wi-Fi isn't reachable by the other device, it can't have a DoS attack applied to it.
Click to expand...
source: Reddit
 
murray654 said:
wow, interesting: Marriot hotels were fined $600,000 by the FCC for using this technology to force guests to use their hotel wifi. Even prisons have got in trouble with the FCC for doing this... But I guess there is no FCC here.

source: Reddit
Click to expand...
They're called ICASA.
 
after the zuma sona episode, it was stated to be illegal

Icasa said in 2012 that the use of wireless signal jammers in South Africa was illegal.
Click to expand...
“No organisation is allowed to jam cellular signals, and any device which is used to jam signals is illegal”.
Click to expand...

mybroadband.co.za

This is who may jam cellular signals in South Africa

Icasa has issued a statement adding caveats to its previous stance on signal jamming in South Africa
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
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