Korean Job Discussion Forums

[oatmeal]

So, I had brought in my own wifi (b/g/n not ac, so it's just a small one that only works in my room literally, nobody else can really access it or see it since it doesn't reach far) router just to set up in my room. I also brought a notebook (3) and 1 desktop.

I had it set up for nearly 2 months now with no issues. Very simple procedure. It's not hacking or anything. I was just able to connect more of my devices to the one internet connection (LAN line) I had wirelessly.

I was using it for classroom purposes (ie, students could access the internet to use english programs, online dictionaries, etc.).

Today I get told by my school that it's against "policy" so I'm disconnecting my router and taking it back home. My CT told me that it could pose as a security risk. Someone could hack into our school's internet system??? That's what they said. First off, we are in a rural area with nothing but farms around here. Who is going to hack into my wifi router setup and what risk exactly would that pose? They wanna steal my english lesson plans? Like I said, nobody can even access my wifi signal unless they are literally within 30-40 feet of my english room. So NOBODY is going to hack. Even I can't pick up my own wifi signal from my smartphone when I leave my classroom, so how is it a risk?

I was wondering if that excuse is actually true or if that's BS. I'm calling BS on it. Also, from my understanding of how a router works, isn't it basically just using one LAN connection and then making 3 or 4 new IPs within the DNS to simply access the internet? I've done it all the time at home where you just set up 2 or 3 computers to the router and there's no extra cost or service charge for setting up more computers to the net through a router?

CT told me that the education office can detect if our school has a non-school wifi network setup and more IP addresses. I doubted that. I asked CT more specifically if the Edu. Office actually called our school to say they noticed something, but CT said no, it just a notice sent out (to all schools I'm sure) reminding schools about policies regarding internet/wifi/not being able to use it for personal reasons (like using school wifi to set up on your own smartphone and use kakao talk or something).

All of this sounds rubbish to me. I realize policy is policy and once they say that, there's nothing you can argue or reason with. Even if it's a dumb policy, once that word is used, nobody can do anything about it unless the policy gets changed (which it won't). But I've been using my own notebook at school and even used my own wifi network and there were ZERO issues, no security issues etc. I think they are just following orders but don't realize that internet access is just internet access. I don't see how me adding my own wifi network in my classroom somehow puts the school's internet network at danger for security risks.

Another question is, can the school actually see what I'm doing on the internet via my assigned IP? I know if they installed a program on the computer that allows it to be remotely accessed and viewable, another computer somewhere in the school can see all my actions, display monitor and everything that I'm doing on the computer, but there is no such program installed. When I use my own notebook at school, even though I'm using their internet (assigned LAN), can anyone actually be able to see visually what I'm doing on my own notebook? I think they might only be able to see what websites my assigned IP address visited, but they can't actually see any visuals right?

[ttompatz]

Your CT is full of crap but if they don't want it then they don't want it and the excuses they use don't matter.

Keep the CT happy or life for you will get more miserable sooner rather than later.

.

[oatmeal]

yes, I was pretty sure all those reasons were BS. But as I said and you said also, once it's a policy (even though nobody in the school or edu office actually cares or ever enforces it) the CT will just decide to be anal and follow the policy to a T.

I've used VPN for 6 years. I've accessed gmail, torrent sites, and other banned websites and nobody has ever done anything about it because nobody is monitoring or really cares. It's just a policy which really means more of a "guideline" than actual law. But the particular CT that I have is the kind of person that doesn't think outside the box on anything. Everything is just black or white and if it's policy then it's policy.

It doesn't make any sense that I can't have wifi internet on my smartphone and yet I'm given full internet access on my desktop office PC in class. What exactly is the difference? If I was going to play games on my smartphone, I could easily just play games on the PC.

Argh it makes me so frustrated that they are being so anal about a non-issue. It's used as teaching aids. It's used to allow more devices to connect to the net for students. If my smartphone is connected to kakao, is that going to kill anyone? I barely even use it. It's just good to be connected to my parents or family back home if they ever message me. I could just leave skype on all day if I wanted to, but that's just bothersome. So I don't get how leaving skype on all day on the PC is any different than say having wifi on my smartphone to stay connected on kakao.

(I really need to vent a lot)

[denverdeath]

They have NO wifi access at the skool? NONE at all? Will they not give you a p/w to access? Regarding your vpn issue, try accessing a gaming site on your work pc without it, and see how far you get...just saying. At my place, we have a nice router (no use of vpn on my part). Trying to access psn, or similar, equals no access. Switch to data network on my phone=IN!!!!

[iamwyclefjean]

You can hack a router. As I understand it, they can watch and intercept your traffic. But that's only if the router is connected to the school's network. If you have your own network, I don't see how they can intersect. Someone can get into your router and view your traffic, but not the school's traffic. Honestly, it sounds like they're overreacting. However, in the digital age, anything is possible. So I can't blame people for freaking out sometimes.

[oatmeal]

you guys are absolutely right. Yes, they don't allow teachers to have access to the school's wifi, but only the school's tablets which they have now allowed me to use if I need them.

It's odd because, why can't teacher's have access to wifi but we have full access to the internet in our desktop computers?

When I had my router set up, it was my own network (yes). I didn't connect or join with the school network. It was my own network that only had my desktop and my 3 notebooks. I definitely think it's overreacting which is typical of my new CT. Other CT's I've had in the past didn't care. They weren't so uptight and political.

thanks for your replies!