YOSEMITE does not allow SECURE ad hoc networks!! :(

[James Steele]

Well I just discovered a major problem that will most likely prevent me from using Yosemite on my MacBook that is playing backing tracks. First the background:

I'm using DP on a MacBook to play backing tracks and my drummer is receiving a click to follow along with. He can control DP remotely using KeyPadPro on an iPad. I set up a SECURE computer-to-computer network on the MacBook and connect the iPad directly. Then I use VineServer and connect KeyPadPro. Keep in mind this a DIRECT connection between the MacBook and iPad requiring NO router.

So out of the blue, this stops working. I can join the network from the iPad, but KeyPadPro cannot find the server. I tried numerous things, but couldn't get this to work again. SO... I figure maybe I'll use this as an occasion to update to Yosemite and when it installs the new system, everything will be hunky dory. Just to be sure this will work, I run VineServer on my MacPro 4,1 running Yosemite and see if I can connect.

Well... here's the rub. Under Yosemite, there's no longer an option to password protect your computer-to-computer (aka "adhoc") network! When you choose "Create Network..." you no longer have the option of setting a WEP password!! So it's unsecure. On top of that KeyPadPro won't connect without a password. So Yosemite will not work... but even STILL... WOULD YOU WANT TO BE RUNNING AN UNSECURE ADHOC NETWORK IN A CLUB? Anybody in the club could see my network and join it and potentially screw up the show, either intentionally or unintentionally. What gives here??

I'm going to reinstall Mavericks and see if that will fix it. If not, I'll have to wipe the drive and install Mavericks and only the software I need for the live show. I hate having a useful computer just sitting around, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to make it completely dedicated to backing tracks and resist using it for anything else, which sucks because I don't have unlimited dough and it's nice to have a Mac laptop to take with me for email, etc. And really email shouldn't mess things up.

Oh... and my OTHER ALTERNATIVE is to bring a spare router with me to gigs and set up the router. When going through the router it seems to be working, however KeyPadPro did lose connection. I do have a backup, and am able to start/stop and load chunks via my MIDI Raider MIDI controller pedal, but I want my drummer to be able to cue songs and start playback as well. Ugh.

ANYWAY... that's the warning on Yosemite and why I won't be using it LIVE... EVER.

[Prime Mover]

James, have you considered Bluetooth? At that distance bluetooth should work fine as long as the software you're using supports it.

I did something similar (with WiFi) in a club about 10 months back, I wrote a Max/MSP patch for my laptop but had an instrument switch (to drums) in the middle, so I wrote an OSC interface for my iPhone and ad hoc'd them together. I probably could have used bluetooth for that, though I would have been concerned with battery drain for an iPhone, and I know next to nothing about BT.

[James Steele]

James, have you considered Bluetooth? At that distance bluetooth should work fine as long as the software you're using supports it.

I did something similar (with WiFi) in a club about 10 months back, I wrote a Max/MSP patch for my laptop but had an instrument switch (to drums) in the middle, so I wrote an OSC interface for my iPhone and ad hoc'd them together. I probably could have used bluetooth for that, though I would have been concerned with battery drain for an iPhone, and I know next to nothing about BT.

Well, BlueTooth probably won't work for me, because my plan is to feed a stereo mix to the main board and let a friend walk the room with an additional iPad running DP Control and use its mixer to adjust the balance of tracks within the backing track (sub)mix. Bluetooth wouldn't have the range necessary. Although it might be that my MacBook antenna won't have the range either at some point and employing a router will be necessary. I know a lot of applications where it's standard procedure to bring a router. I have an old Net Gear laying around that I may just start using instead. It might be the best longterm solution anyway, now that I think about it.

[FMiguelez]

I'm going to reinstall Mavericks and see if that will fix it. If not, I'll have to wipe the drive and install Mavericks and only the software I need for the live show. I hate having a useful computer just sitting around, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to make it completely dedicated to backing tracks and resist using it for anything else, which sucks because I don't have unlimited dough and it's nice to have a Mac laptop to take with me for email, etc. And really email shouldn't mess things up.

That all sounds terrible!

How about setting a different partition with Mavericks in the same drive? At least you could use the same computer...
Or could someone potentially access both partitions via the unsecured network?

Like you said, the last thing you want is some drunk guy accessing your network just for giggles. If it can happen, it will happen

[dewdman42]

yea that's a deal killer. I'm definitely skipping Yosemite. Hopefully they secure the ad hoc network. I think they put a new wifi chip in newer macs and they are trying to setup for being to for example, connect to a wifi router and host ad-hoc at the same time or something like that.

Anyway you can always bring a cheapo wifi router and use that for both computers and secure it that way.

[James Steele]

yea that's a deal killer. I'm definitely skipping Yosemite. Hopefully they secure the ad hoc network. I think they put a new wifi chip in newer macs and they are trying to setup for being to for example, connect to a wifi router and host ad-hoc at the same time or something like that.

Anyway you can always bring a cheapo wifi router and use that for both computers and secure it that way.

Spot on, dewdman! I had an older Linksys router laying around. Perfectly fine for this application. I can secure it with a password and just to be completely safe, I can block any MAC address except the specific ones for my laptop and my two iPads. That would make it much harder for any casual person to mess with the network.

Anyway, I re-initialized it and set it up by connecting my MacBook initially via Ethernet, and now it's good to go. I just have to figure out quickly the MAC addresses for my MacBook and my iPads and enter those and exclude all other wireless devices and I'll be bulletproof as much as it's possible. Looks like I'll be dragging a router to gigs down the line.

But yeah... the inability to secure an adhoc network strikes me as really stupid.

[dewdman42]

There are some really small wifi routers out there too if you don't feel like dragging around a clunky linksys. check it out

http://lifehacker.com/five-best-travel- ... 1452441479

An Apple Airport Express would not be a bad thing to have around. We used to use one at band practice and everyone in the band could stream MP3's to it from their iphone, so we'd plug the audio out into the board and it was always there in case someone wanted to quickly stream some music to the board from their iphone.

[James Steele]

Looks cool. It'll be a while before this project is out of the rehearsal room, so I'm good for now. Plus I like the model with the antenna. I want the longer range. It is conceivable that we might at some point play a venue where the person adjusting the backing tracks submix via DP Control & iPad could be a fairly good distance from the stage and the router. I've dialed in the system now here in my house, including enabling the MAC filter to reject all connections except those from known devices and it seems to work. I'm going to go out to the rehearsal room and set it all up now. We'll see if it's bullet proof. I'd love to avoid wiping the MacBook drive and reformatting and reinstalling ML. I suppose, however, if I decide to go with the router solution, I could update my MacBook to Yosemite since I'll have sworn off adhoc networks now.

Actually, seems using the router, as I've said, is MORE secure than the adhoc network anyway, so maybe that's what I'll do.

[dewdman42]

I agree its more secure. Also a firewall built in, etc.

[James Steele]

Actually, Yosemite is probably a no-go for now. I'm using a Presonus 44VSL I picked up cheap on Craigslist and although it's class-compliant, the console software that comes with it seems to have an issue with Yosemite according to the PreSonus site. Plus, I don't know what it might do to the other MIDI-related apps on there. I'll put that off. Just glad that it looks like I should be up and running again on Mountain Lion. I still have not figured out why VnC over the adhoc connection just plain stopped working one day.

[James Steele]

I suppose I should have said "wireless" ad hoc networks in the subject header. I've set up an ad hoc network between two computers using a crossover ethernet cable and you don't really need to worry about security if it's not going through the air, obviously.

[Phil O]

... the inability to secure an adhoc network strikes me as really stupid.

I've not been happy with some of the decisions Apple has been making lately. I miss Steve.

Phil

[mikehalloran]

you no longer have the option of setting a WEP password

That is correct. You must now use WPA2.

WEP was officially abandoned as a standard in 2003. Secure, it is not. Apple finally decided not to allow it any longer.

http://tidbits.com/article/15158

[bayswater]

Are saying you can set wpa2 password with ad hoc networks?

[cuttime]

That article seems to be contradictory. It categorically states that ad hoc networking is unencrypted, but then states that the "software base station", whatever that is, offers WPA2. All of my internet sharing configurations are greyed out.