My work laptop has NetSkope so I need a guest Wi-Fi network for data privacy. Possible on Sky?

[JohnMB]

My company has just rolled out Netskope for 'data security'.  It monitors all data at the wi-fi level, so it can see everything i do on the work laptop (thats OK) but it can also see everything else on all other devices that go through the router, such as persoanl email, online banking, web traffic, social media etc.

The work laptop could be safely 'fenced off' if Sky allowed the setup of a Guest Wifi on the Sky router.  I will also use a guest wifi for IoT devices.

Virgin Media,  BT another make it easy to add a Guest WI-FI netowrk on their routers, but Sky don't allow it.  Examples: 

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/broadband/how-to-set-up-a-guest-network 

https://www.bt.com/help/user-guides/bt-whole-home-wi-fi/what-is-guest-network-and-how-do-i-set-it-up...

Has anyone got a workaround?   If not, I will be forced to cancel Sky after 21 years

[TimmyBGood]

@JohnMB 

Sky Hubs don't have any ability to broadcast a dedicated Guest SSID.

I'd note that historically the domestic BT Hubs don't do either: their separate 'BT WiFi' SSID has been for paying users or other BT subscribers with appropriate credentials.

[TimmyBGood]

@JohnMB 

It appears that it's the rather expensive BT Whole Home WiFi 6 discs which brings a Guest option : I don't see it on my BT FTTP with a Smart Hub 2 and Whole Home WiFi 5 setup.

[Chrisee]

@JohnMB what leads you to believe that having Netskope installed  your work laptop is montoring all traffic from other devices through the Sky router?  While not having sufficent technical knowledge to say that couldn't be done if they did that that would almost certainly have quite serious employment law implications not to mention data protection.

It is entirely proper to monitor your work laptop but entirely a different matter to invade your and your family's privacy outside your working hours.

[TimmyBGood]

@Chrisee @JohnMB 

I think the degree of intrusion depends on which Netskope solution is in play: software on an individual laptop shouldn't have visibility of any other other network use, but Netskope also offers gateway hardware devices which could potentially be capable of capturing much more information.

Of course if a gateway is doing such monitoring, having a Guest SSID doesn't help at all.

[TimmyBGood]

@JohnMB 

If what you have is the Netskope software solution, that's effectively a tunnel between the laptop with it installed and their cloud infrastructure, and only secures/monitors that device.  It cannot interrogate a router for information on what any other device is doing unless that's also Netskope hardware, and has no visibility of other network or device use.

[Chrisee]

@TimmyBGood I saw that hence my question as to why the OP thinks that.  I suspect its only the laptop. It would a huge can of worms if an employer required 24/7 monitoring of a whole household's internet activity members of which could be working for other employers. The lawyers would have a field day as would the ICO. Add to which I cant see how a Sky hub could report on that anyway.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Chrisee wrote:

The lawyers would have a field day as would the ICO. 

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Consent issues could certainly be interesting, although presumably not insurmountable.

I certainly wouldn't put it past an IT Department to rather overstate the ability of such software: I may have done so myself in previous incarnations...

[mae-3]

@JohnMB 

Only deep package inspection (DPI) on the perimeter edge of the network would be able to monitor all activity of all connected devices, and I agree with everyone else that it is just the 1 PC connected via the tunnel that would be monitored for activity.

[Chrisee]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

@JohnMB 

If what you have is the Netskope software solution, that's effectively a tunnel between the laptop with it installed and their cloud infrastructure, and only secures/monitors that device.  It cannot interrogate a router for information on what any other device is doing unless that's also Netskope hardware, and has no visibility of other network or device use.

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Yup that is my take too.