Wireless security settings - can't do WPS or WEP on all?

aliasojo

Be greatful if someone can help? I need to secure my wireless network but I'm not sure how.

I've logged into my Netgear DG834G and put the MAC addresses of the wireless computers into the allowed list (or rather it found them itself and I just added them).

I need to set up WPS-PSK encryption but I need a Network Key (8 ~ 63 characters).

Forgive the embarrassingly simple question.....but is this just something I make up or do I locate it somewhere?

I need to sort this out then I need to call my ISP back. I have had problems with my connection and my ISP tell me that a different password has been logged using my connection. So I have a list of things I need to do first before speaking to them again shortly.

lee634

aliasojo wrote:

Be greatful if someone can help? I need to secure my wireless network but I'm not sure how.

I've logged into my Netgear DG834G and put the MAC addresses of the wireless computers into the allowed list (or rather it found them itself and I just added them).

I need to set up WPS-PSK encryption but I need a Network Key (8 ~ 63 characters).

Forgive the embarrassingly simple question.....but is this just something I make up or do I locate it somewhere? .

Yes you can make them up yourself remembering to use the same key on all the PC's,
Although the network is already semi secure as you have used the mac addresses to tie into you network,
therfore only the MAC addresses on the router are allowed access

aliasojo wrote:

I need to sort this out then I need to call my ISP back. I have had problems with my connection and my ISP tell me that a different password has been logged using my connection. So I have a list of things I need to do first before speaking to them again shortly.

what do they mean by a different password has been logged??

espresso

aliasojo wrote:

Be greatful if someone can help? I need to secure my wireless network but I'm not sure how.

I've logged into my Netgear DG834G and put the MAC addresses of the wireless computers into the allowed list (or rather it found them itself and I just added them).

I need to set up WPS-PSK encryption but I need a Network Key (8 ~ 63 characters).

Forgive the embarrassingly simple question.....but is this just something I make up or do I locate it somewhere?

I need to sort this out then I need to call my ISP back. I have had problems with my connection and my ISP tell me that a different password has been logged using my connection. So I have a list of things I need to do first before speaking to them again shortly.

First have you changed the login password to one of your own from the default one? If you haven't someone else could have added those MAC addresses!

Generate yourself a 63 character Hex string here, save it to a notepad file and simply paste it in to the router and your other devices on your network.

The manual will tell you how to set up your WPA-PSK encryption.

wolfman

Your ISP issue will be completely seperate to setting up your wireless.

Think of it like:
PC > %Wireless Connection% > (Router > Modem) > %Phone Line % > ISP

Your Netgear has 3 basic functions:

1) It has an inbuilt Modem. It connects to your ISP. To do this you need a username and password to authenticate with your ISP. The easiest way of setting this up is to log into the router's web interface, then use the Setup Wizard (should be around the top left of the screen). From the sound of things, you have put in the password incorrectly, so it's not able to connect to your ISP. Phone them, confirm the password and make sure you have entered it in the router correctly.

2) It is a router Router. This does as it says, it routes bits of data (packets) to each computer, whether this be via a wired or wireless connection. When you request a web page, the server (say Amazon) sends back the page, your router then "routes" this information to the pc that requested it, and it appears in your browser.

3) It has Wireless capabilities. It's just another way of connecting to your router instead of using wires. Because of this, you need to make it secure, otherwise other people will be able to connect to your router and use your internet connection. There are a number of steps you can use. The first one, as you mentioned is to use a WPA Private Shared Key (PSK). This encrypts any data going across your wireless connection. In order to connect to your router wirelessy your pc must have this key.

To generate a key, go here: http://www.kurtm.net/wpa-pskgen/

albertross_2

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=1460703&postcount=2

aliasojo

Thanks guys. I've done it now.

The mac addresses were added immediately I switched on all the pcs that I needed to connect to the internet with so they were legit (but I will double check them). I hadn't changed the default log in password but I will now.

I made up a key and the main pc and my lappy is fine, secured and connecting well...but son's lappy now has really poor connection and shows very very poor signal when it didn't before I typed in the WPA key.

Also, just found out other son's wireless card doesn't support WPA...only WEP. so I'll either need to fork out for better wireless card or change all settings for WEP.

As for the ISP password thing......my router is on 24/7 and apart from originally setting the thing up around a year ago....I've never had to input anything or change settings etc.

My ISP tells me that instead of logging into the correct address, they have my router registering as logging into the wrong stream at times. This has only started happening a few days ago, which coincides with my really poor connection speed. (Should be 2 meg but been getting 29kbps!) So, for example, instead of extreme 3, it has been trying to log into extreme 2 or extreme 4 and the password has been incorrect. It was suggested that perhaps the router has developed a fault and to check the router settings which I did, but all is as it should be.

Another suggestion was that somehow someone had accessed my line/connection and my ISP wanted me to do various things before running a speed test. One of which was securing the wireless connection. If there's no change then I need to look out the original modem I was given by the ISP to see if that has any effect. If the problem IS my router then it should be ok with another modem. If not, then the next step is to escalate to BT.

Thanks v. much for help. :T