Wireless Internet

[bobsgirl]

We're in the process of setting up a wireless network between the two computers in our house. The router is installed and up and running. What do we need to do as far as internet security goes? Do we set up a password for the network?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ghost_Trucker]

well... I would create a password for you'r network cause otherwise other people could go and serve on your profile, witch could cause speed problems (slows realy down) as for security... just have a good anti-virus software and use anti spam software (for the last one I would say Hitman Pro does the job just fine...) then you'l be fine I think...

 

[Bobmi357]

I just did basically the same thing, only with a wired network. Here are a couple things you can do to lock down the network.

1) change the default IP address of the router. Its probably 192.168.1.1. Change it to something different like 192.168.40.1. or hell, give yourself another IP range entirely 80.167.1.1

2) change the login password on the router.

3) Many routers provide dynamic IP services for the connected devices. Our router came defaulted to automatically assign IP addresses for fifty devices on the network. Reduce this number down to the actual number of devices.

4) I'm not sure if these is relevant but I adjusted our router so it could only assign addresses to know devices by programming it with the Physical addresses of each device. The physical address is a six couple pairing and looks like this,

00-16-76-B8-42-F8

You can find out the physical address by entering the command line mode in windows (start>run>type "cmd" hit enter)

then type

ipconfig /all

Here's a url to a page on the topic that is specific to wireless networks.

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wirelesssecurity/tp/wifisecurity.htm

And as a final note, a LOT of people seem to think wireless is safe and secure. It isn't, its just convenient. My wife's aunt is capable of connecting to her neighbor's network and using their internet connection.

Do what it takes to make sure that can't happen to you.

 

[Semler]

Don't forget to put up your Firewall.

 

[SweetErika]

You should definitely make your network secure.

We just had connection problems with ours, and the one thing I learned is to ALWAYS write down the key/password (your best bet is to let Windows generate a long, random one), so if you have problems, you don't have to go through setting everything up again.

I used this tip today, in fact, when I wanted to use a friend's laptop on our secure network.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

Hmmm...

I'm rather glad that somebody set up a wireless network in the neighborhood without a passkey, or else I wouldn't be here. But then I'm a decent guy and wouldn't be malicious. I innocently "borrow" the connection. But if I was setting up my own, I'd use a password.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

Allow Me To Point Out A Mistake...

You should definitely make your network secure.

We just had connection problems with ours, and the one thing I learned is to ALWAYS write down the key/password (your best bet is to let Windows generate a long, random one), so if you have problems, you don't have to go through setting everything up again.

I used this tip today, in fact, when I wanted to use a friend's laptop on our secure network.

...Mr. Stress <LOL>

Just noticed it.

 

[SweetErika]

I'm rather glad that somebody set up a wireless network in the neighborhood without a passkey, or else I wouldn't be here. But then I'm a decent guy and wouldn't be malicious. I innocently "borrow" the connection. But if I was setting up my own, I'd use a password.

I'm always grateful for the suckers who don't secure their networks when I'm away from home, too.

...Mr. Stress <LOL>

Just noticed it.

It's not a mistake, it's a misinterpretation on your part. I suppose I could do 'Missustress,' but that looks really stupid to me, and I doubt a lot of people are reading it as "Mr. Stress" anyway.

 

[luvtofly]

check out the following link for more information on how to set up your router:

http://www.portforward.com/

 

[bighornedsatyr]

We're in the process of setting up a wireless network between the two computers in our house. The router is installed and up and running. What do we need to do as far as internet security goes? Do we set up a password for the network?

Everyone's given good advice, but I want to note there are two possible passwords. One is to configure the router (typically username: admin, password: admin). You'd enter this via a web interface on the router. Definitely change this password. (And when you do this, change the name/SSID/ESSID of your router. It doesn't make things more secure, but it'll keep your computer from trying to connect to one of the other "linksys" routers nearby.)

The second is the password for needed for devices to connect to the router. If you don't want to share your connection with random passers-by, change this. There are two types of encryption, WEP and WPA. WEP is older, but WPA is more secure. Choose WPA if you can.

The next step to tell the router itself to only connect to a given, predetermined list of devices. That's what Bobmi listed as step 4. The computers are identified by the MAC address (a set of 6 two-digit hexadecimal numbers (0-9,A-F)). (Actually the identification is with the interface, so you can switch a wireless card or USB adapter with multiple computers, if need be.) You can get this number the way Bobmi suggests, or most wireless routers will have a log of connected devices. If you connect the devices before enabling this "MAC filtering", you can usually copy the numbers off the router's status/log pages.

I wouldn't bother changing the router's IP address. If you leave DHCP enabled (and 99.9% of people will), the router will share it's IP address with all connected computers. So you don't gain anything. But if you do, only change the third number. (Changing the fourth really won't get you any security.) Leave the first two as 192.168. The third and fourth can be any numbers between 0 and 255 inclusive.

What you could do is tell the router not to broadcast it's existence/name/SSID/ESSID. That way it's a little harder for random people to see it and connect to it. That's usually an option in the router. It doesn't actually make you more secure, just less obvious.

And remember, take these in steps. 1. Connect 1 device to the router. 2. Change the router's administration password. 3. Connect the remaining devices. 4. Set up WEP/WPA encryption. 5. Set up MAC filtering. 6. Shut off router's SSID broadcasting. After each step (especially 4, 5, and 6), make sure all the devices are still connected. (And after 6, make sure the computer will connect after a restart.) As long as you do steps 1-4 you should be fine. 5 and 6 are extra steps.

 

[Bobmi357]

I wouldn't bother changing the router's IP address. If you leave DHCP enabled (and 99.9% of people will), the router will share it's IP address with all connected computers. So you don't gain anything. But if you do, only change the third number. (Changing the fourth really won't get you any security.) Leave the first two as 192.168. The third and fourth can be any numbers between 0 and 255 inclusive.

Actually I had to change the IP on the router because Verizon sent us a modem with the same IP address as the router. The morons didn't give me any data on the modem and I spent more than an hour on the phone with their tech support before the girl told me to connect to the modem control panel at 192.168.1.1

The light bulb over my head lit up. I thanked the girl for wasting my time and hung up. Two minutes later the network was back up and dsl was running.

A simple sheet of paper describing the modem and it's factory defaults could have saved me hours of headache.

 

[SesameStreet]

I'm rather glad that somebody set up a wireless network in the neighborhood without a passkey, or else I wouldn't be here.

You might be surprised how often this happens. Our new neighbor has one that we can access whenever his computer is turned on which is every night.

 

[Leah57]

You might be surprised how often this happens. Our new neighbor has one that we can access whenever his computer is turned on which is every night.

.....and really handy when you're having problems with your own internet connections... I know I've used it more than once or twice!

I've used other people's connections when I was visiting my parents too (they don't have internet access - can you imagine? )... anyway, the only place I could find even a weak signal was on one end of the backyard swing - move to the other end of the swing (less than 2 feet away - no signal)... really weird! Thank goodness for places like Starbucks, Panera, Carribou, etc with free wifi access!!!

 

[Nightbird]

I borrow a wire less internet connection everytime I turn on my lap top.

So ya I recomend you password that thing up.

 

[selectivemaster]

step 1 - turn wireless off
step 2 - run a cable

this way you always get a connection

no one can leech/abuse your connection

 

[Bobmi357]

step 1 - turn wireless off
step 2 - run a cable

this way you always get a connection

no one can leech/abuse your connection

That was pretty much my idea. Verizon wanted us to go wireless. I told them to f'off, I wasn't going wireless when these new dells have 100mb wired ethernet built right it.

 

[Leah57]

That was pretty much my idea. Verizon wanted us to go wireless. I told them to f'off, I wasn't going wireless when these new dells have 100mb wired ethernet built right it.

Well, heck, if you're going to be that paranoid, why not disconnect the whole darn thi........

 

[Bobmi357]

Well, heck, if you're going to be that paranoid, why not disconnect the whole darn thi........

It's not paranoia to want to use the built in features of your computer. The machines had ethernet connections, a few cables and a router was all that was needed to network them together.

Using wireless, I'd have to add wireless capabilities to each machine, ignoring the built in ethernet. And then get a wireless router.

Using the built in hardware was cheaper, and much faster than a wireless network.

 

[Leah57]

agreed.... I use the wireless at my place because I have a laptop that has wireless capabilities built in, as does my BF, who occasionally visits and has to use his work computer. However, my desktop connects via cable.

Plus, it's a whole lot easier to work on my laptop out on my deck if I connect wirelessly....

It's not paranoia to want to use the built in features of your computer. The machines had ethernet connections, a few cables and a router was all that was needed to network them together.

Using wireless, I'd have to add wireless capabilities to each machine, ignoring the built in ethernet. And then get a wireless router.

Using the built in hardware was cheaper, and much faster than a wireless network.

 

[bighornedsatyr]

Actually I had to change the IP on the router because Verizon sent us a modem with the same IP address as the router. The morons didn't give me any data on the modem and I spent more than an hour on the phone with their tech support before the girl told me to connect to the modem control panel at 192.168.1.1

The light bulb over my head lit up. I thanked the girl for wasting my time and hung up. Two minutes later the network was back up and dsl was running.

A simple sheet of paper describing the modem and it's factory defaults could have saved me hours of headache.

It sounds like you're not using the router as router but as a simple switch. Do you not have the modem plugged into the WAN port of the router? You can do that, but it's not a common configuration. (In fact, I have ours set up that way because our cable modem is 802.11g, but our router is an old, slower 802.11b model.)

 

[selectivemaster]

its the reliability thats the killer

plus having to buy all the extra gear and set it up, and if you're not 100% on wireless...you can get stung easy

you know a cable will work every (99999.999999/100) times...wireless can be hit and miss - - the construction of your house can have an impact too (steel frames kill radio waves )

It's not paranoia to want to use the built in features of your computer. The machines had ethernet connections, a few cables and a router was all that was needed to network them together.

Using wireless, I'd have to add wireless capabilities to each machine, ignoring the built in ethernet. And then get a wireless router.

Using the built in hardware was cheaper, and much faster than a wireless network.

 

[cd1_christine]

or hell, give yourself another IP range entirely 80.167.1.1

Don't do this. 80.x.x.x is a public IP address range, which means there's potentially a machine out there on the internet somewhere with that address. If you need to connect to a website on this machine for any reason, you won't be able to, because your computer will think it should be on your home network.

4) I'm not sure if these is relevant but I adjusted our router so it could only assign addresses to know devices by programming it with the Physical addresses of each device. The physical address is a six couple pairing and looks like this,

00-16-76-B8-42-F8

This isn't relevant. It will keep the stupidest script kiddies out, and that's about it. I did some work for a customer who'd been set up like this, with no encryption, by their previous guy. They assured me it was fine, because MAC filtering would stop anything from connecting to the network that wasn't supposed to be there. 45 seconds later, I had my unauthorized laptop connected to their network.

If you don't want to share your connection with random passers-by, change this. There are two types of encryption, WEP and WPA. WEP is older, but WPA is more secure. Choose WPA if you can.

And, whatever you do, don't use "My WPA password", for your encryption key.
WEP can be broken in a matter of days, guaranteed.
WPA can be broken in a matter of minutes with a weak passphrase. If you use something that could be in a dictionary, list of pet's names, celebrity names, and in any language, for that matter, it's just a matter of an attacker having the right dictionary file, and they'll be able to break into your network.

Use something at least 10 characters long, that looks something like this:

KM4tjk2$V@5F@#^$G

That would take somewhere around 1000 years to break into with current computers, by which time your network will no longer exist.

 

[southernsky]

omg *cries* could someone post any of this in idiot-friendly english?

 

[kindashy]

omg *cries* could someone post any of this in idiot-friendly english?

Can't. Different manufacturers/internet providers setup their devices a little differently. All we can do is give you the concepts and recommended settings. Where to go to put those setting in will depend on the device you have. When you know what device you have (make, model), then I would recommend asking your questions here: http://www.dslreports.com/forums/18 Pick the forum for you device's maker and start reading. Most of the time someone made a FAQ already or the answer is there in the forum.

For the record. I have Westell DSL modem from Verizone DSL, this thing is router/bridge/hub/wireless access point. It also has zero explanations about it, you will not find a manual for it on Verizone's website, you have to get it from manufacturer's website, so I have not messed to much with it.