Unsecuered broadband

fletty

Hi could anyone explain to me how to secure my broadband connection? My husband installed the broadband (virgin) and a wireless router before we had alaptop and never secured it - i've just found this out and would like the connection to be secure. He's also managed to loose all instructions etc on how to do it so i wouldn't even know how to uninstall it.

espresso

Knowing the make and model number of the router would help.

old_codger1

espresso wrote: »

Knowing the make and model number of the router would help.

... and if OP can also let us know what they're connecting to it it might help us, (help them), with advice about configuring that as well

fletty

Thanks for the quick replys, this is all way above my head i think the router is a dlink model no d1-524 and the modem says property of ntl and has no other numbers on ... we use them to connect to a pc in the loft and also my lap top by it's own wireless router but we've never been able to use both o connect to the internet at the same time. I only found out our connection wasn't secure when i was having trouble connecting and clicked to see connections and found all our nieghbours were secured and ours wasn't!!!!

espresso

fletty wrote: »

Thanks for the quick replys, this is all way above my head i think the router is a dlink model no d1-524 and the modem says property of ntl and has no other numbers on

You can download the manual for your router here and you can experience what it's user interface is like to configure the router before attempting to set-up the wireless encryption here.

Basically you need to log into the router by typing 192.168.0.1 into your browser while connected via Ethernet cable and enter a long random passphrase e.g. from here. into the WPA-TKIP field on the wireless setting page. Once you have entered this, any device connecting e.g. your laptop will also need to enter the same passphrase, so save it to a notepad file for convenience. You should also change the SSID to a unique name from the default.

tomsutton529

get it secured ASAP, scan all your computers and install proper firewalls (dont use the windows one) anti-virus, spyware etc. alot of big companys now offer a complete security package and its always a good idea to look at those.

if you dont get the conection working pop back on here and someone will help you out.

old_codger1

Some older routers won't easily let you set them up without a wired connection. Essentially, they will let you set the fact that they use encryption but then the key is entered on the following screen which you can't set because you've switched the encryption on and the key isn't the same as on the router.

Yeah... I know, crazy!!!

I spent about an hour once going around that loop because I just didn't think anyone would be so dumb as to prog a router in that fashion. I thought I was doing something wrong and... yes!!! I seem to recognise the D-Link router model she mentioned :eek:. I might be wrong about that last bit though.

Anyway, might be worth checking if OP has a RJ45 network cable available before starting the exercise.

fletty

espresso wrote: »

Basically you need to log into the router by typing 192.168.0.1 into your browser while connected via Ethernet cable.

I just keep getting a error page when i try to do this I've also tried some different codes that came up when it automatically searched google - begining to think it will never be secure.

fletty

old_codger1 wrote: »

Anyway, might be worth checking if OP has a RJ45 network cable available before starting the exercise.

I don't even know what one is or where i'd look :embarasse

espresso

It sounds like you have not read the manual linked in post #5. Logging into the router is fully explained on page 12. There is also Troubleshooting - page 55 and Frequently Asked Questions - page 65. The manual was written to explain how to use the router.

bluboy

fletty wrote: »

I don't even know what one is or where i'd look :embarasse

Have a look at the back of your router. Is there a cable linking the router to one of your PCs?

Its a cable that connects your router to your PC as opposed to a wireless connection. Sometimes called a network cable, ethernet cable etc.

Here's an example - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Cat5e-Snagless-Patch-Cable/dp/B00006464Q

You may need to log into your router using a PC connected to the router that way rather than wirelessly as mentioned by old_codger1 above.