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set up MAC address filtering on you airport. that way only those devices that you specify can access your network.

I believe that there is an option to "join any open network" you may want to turn that off.

also change the password on your base station and set it to not advertise it self.

You may also want to change channels.  There are 11 to chose from, but the signal is so wide that only 1, 6 and 11 are far enough apart to leave each other alone.  So try 11, as 6 is the default for a lot of routers and 1 is also where 2.4MHz cordless phones start their automatic search for a clear space.

If you have a 2.4MHz cordless phone, make sure the phone base station and the WiFi router are as far apart as possible, but you'll still, probably, suffer some interference.

iSam wrote:

Also - there is a new entry in my airport menu "hpsetup".  It appears under the "computer-to-computer" option.  It makes me nervous!  Anyone know what it is?

Maybe someone's running an ad-hoc (no access points, just computers) network, called 'hpsetup'?

It might just mean that someone's hosting wireless LAN gaming parties.

iSam wrote:

Hey there

I live in an apartment and there are a lot of folk around me who obviously have wifi networks (7-10).

I am always getting kicked off my own wifi network and have to keep logging in (I have one of the original Airport Extreme basestations).

Is there anything I can do?  I have a Mac Pro and Macbook Pro so have been thinking of buying one of the new N basestations anyway.  Would that help?

Also - there is a new entry in my airport menu "hpsetup".  It appears under the "computer-to-computer" option.  It makes me nervous!  Anyone know what it is?

Cheers

1) Please clarify what you mean by getting kicked off my own network? Are other people joining your network thereby clogging it and preventing you from accessing it? Is your computer trying to join other networks instead?

2) Check the checkbox Ask to join new networks so that your computer will not try to automatically join other networks that you haven't joined in the past.

3) The 802.11n AirPort Extreme would help if you set it to 802.11n only. It is capable of being backward compatible. If you do not have any computers that need to access it via 802.11g then you can set it to n only and it will use the 5GHz frequency. You will likely be all alone on that frequency.

4) Don't worry about the hpsetup unless you try to join it. I see this all the time when their are HP computers on the network.

5) Using WPA is a good idea.

6) Setting your AirPort to not broadcast its SSID (network name) will prevent anyone else from even seeing your network. In fact, you will not be able to see it either unless you enter the network name.

7) Set a password on your AirPort so that a password is required to login to it and change the settings.

Frank

iSam wrote:

Cheers all.

By getting kicked off I mean that while surfng, all of a sudden I have lost my connection and have to log back onto it.

I've changed it to WPA Personal and have set it to not show its SSID (thanks for that advice, I was still on WEP) so I am now happy with the security aspect.

I suspect it just comes down to a lot of competing appliances.

If I continue to have problems, I'll upgrade to a new base station (hey, it's Christmas!) and set it to N only.

Cheers all

You can also turn on interface robustness. That can help when there is a lot of competing traffic on the same frequency.

Frank

I just recently turned off the SSID on my Linksys. I have many weird neighbors with weird names for their wifi IE HotStopShrimp or RayJosPel.

hpsetup appears from the wireless network connection for HP printers as well. So it may be that a printer is trying to connect to you.

I'll refrain from the "In Soviet Russia, printer connects to you" joke.

Oh, wait...