For what purpose can suspicious WiFi be created at neighbors with my SSID/Key?

Question

WiFi

I had not the most complex password, but a 100% unique SSID. I needed to take a router to work, and my WiFi hasn’t disappeared from the list of available networks. Moreover, I was able to connect to it with my password.
There is no DHCP, so I don't know what subnet they use. For some reason, in the connection properties, packets are only received but not sent. Usually, when you try to get an IP via DHCP, on the contrary, they are sent, but not received. It is unlikely that I could connect to their network when my router fries next to me.
But if it's just a way to use my Internet for free - in my opinion there is no point in setting the same SSID and password. And I see in WinBox (a utility for configuring Mikrotik) their router with ip address 0.0.0.0.
I want to understand the vector of this attack. Is this just stealing my internet or trying to steal my data?

Answer 1

Perhaps the neighbor's own device covered some areas of the apartment worse than yours on the same areas, and the neighbor thus created a seamless coverage throughout the apartment.

Answer 2

It's more like that somehow the neighbor found out your password, for example, you have WPS enabled, and decided to reduce their costs for accessing the Internet. Apparently this person configured his router as a wifi repeater via wds.
It makes sense to find out the neighbor's apartment, analyzing the signal zone, and chat.

Answer 3

Check your router for vulnerabilities with this or one of these applications.
Install the latest firmware update, change the password to a more secure one.

Answer 4

I am not an expert in this matter, but check out the link. https://hackernoon.com/deauthentication-attack-and...
Maybe this is your case. Correct me if I am wrong :)

Answer 5

It looks like the "unknown" Mikrotik works in repeater mode.
Why this is needed, deal with the owner of the piece of iron, but he knows your pass for sure, otherwise there is no point.

Answer 6

Compare the MAC address of the neighbor's point with yours. In theory, to work in repeater mode, they must match.
Or a neighbor could try to mock you by creating a network of the same name without access to anywhere (although the idea is stupid and not entirely working).

Answer 7

Alternatively, the neighbor listens to traffic from this point, and waits for you to connect to a fake point and intercept some traffic. Or it is waiting for you to find out that there is no Internet and go to the admin panel of its point, where it will not let you go anywhere, and save the entered data. Paranoia, however, has gone already ☺