Secure Wireless Broadband

peterg1965

I have a wireless broadband set up in my home which gets us on line with the 2 desktops and 1 laptop in the household. Having had it nearly 9 months it remains an 'unsecured' network. I can find no instructions ANYWHERE to tell me how to make it secure. I think you need a WEP Key? or WPA? but I do not know where I find them or how to activate them. I think there is an assumption that the installer (ie me) must have a Doctorate in computer geekness!! I havent got a clue how to get it secure......

Can someone help please....it is a 3Com wireless router if that makes a difference.

Thanks

nickmack

Is there nothing at all in the user guide about the configuration screens?

Basically you need to find out the address of your router. It's probably something like 192.168.1.1. If this doesn't work, click Start>Run and type cmd and press Enter. You should get a black DOS box appear. Type ipconfig and the number after the Default Gateway is your router IP address.

Then type this into your web browser. This should take you to a router configuration screen. You will need the username/ password which if you haven't changed (ooops!) is probably admin/admin or admin and no password.

On the router config, there should be a Wireless Security section. You'll probably find it set to Disabled. You should change to WPA and then enter a password/key as requested. Before you enable the changes however, you should open your wireless utility on the clients (usually by right clicking on the radio icon in the tray and selecting the appropriate option) and mirror the security settings you have put into the router.

The above is a little simplistic but without knowing your exact router model it's hard to give you a step by step guide. let us know the model and someone might be able to give you more detailed instructions.

Don't forget to also change the username/password for access to the router if you haven't already, otherwise the whole world can change your settings!!

Well Done on trying to secure your network, albeit after nine months. Better late than never!

albertross_2

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=161499&highlight=3com+router

http://192.168.1.1

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=142390&highlight=securing+%7E%7E%7E%7E%7E%40

mikemoate

Good review and set up advice for a 3com router

http://www.adslguide.org.uk/hardware/reviews/2004/q4/3com-g72.asp