wireless Belkin security question

happyhero

Hi I have read the security info in these forums and could not quite get the answer I needed, so sorry if its there and I'm being blind.

I have a Wireless Belkin Modem Router which has the main PC plugged into it and I have a wireless laptop.

I tried once before to sort out security but got in a right mess, so I lived without security but now too many connections are appearing on my list of wireless connections some of which have the padlock symbol against them and some dont, mine being one of them.

I have played about with my Belkin quite a bit lately due to a storm we had a while ago and now am quite good at resetting it's basic settings after a factory reset.

Last night I played with the security on my laptop, I managed to hide the SSID (very easy), I set the MAC bit up as the setup offers to put the mac address for the machine you are on, in for you. I then set up the WPA (bit fiddly but not too bad) and I got the padlock up so I was happy.

But I guessed that I would have problems this morning when I wanted to use my main PC. I suppose I am learning through this though. Anyway I could not access the Belkin setup so I couldn't add the main PC and so couldn't connect and so had to factory reset to get it all working but now no security again.

Its brilliant that the Belkin software adds the MAC bits for you etc, but how can I add a second machine? Seems to me the other one will always get locked out once you set security on the Belkin for one. I know you may be able to do something manually but can't you do them both at the same time where it enters the MAC etc for you, which would seem simpler to me?

Help please I want security but not to get too complicated.

espresso

happyhero wrote:

Its brilliant that the Belkin software adds the MAC bits for you etc, but how can I add a second machine? Seems to me the other one will always get locked out once you set security on the Belkin for one. I know you may be able to do something manually but can't you do them both at the same time where it enters the MAC etc for you, which would seem simpler to me?

Help please I want security but not to get too complicated.

I would not bother with MAC address filtering! If you really want to, you can manually add both MAC's to the router but if you set up WPA-PSK with a 63 character random encryption key (see here), or the longest that your router will allow, you are about as secure as you can be.

Idiophreak

espresso wrote:

I would not bother with MAC address filtering! If you really want to, you can manually add both MAC's to the router but if you set up WPA-PSK with a 63 character random encryption key (see here), or the longest that your router will allow, you are about as secure as you can be.

Yeah, what he said.

happyhero

espresso wrote:

I would not bother with MAC address filtering! If you really want to, you can manually add both MAC's to the router but if you set up WPA-PSK with a 63 character random encryption key (see here), or the longest that your router will allow, you are about as secure as you can be.

Ok thanks, but will I be able to get to the Belkin configuration page from each machine to do this, or will I be locked out when I go to do the 2nd machine? The reason I ask is because I find it much easier to do this on that screen. It is when I tried doing something like this in the past on the PC that I got muddled.

Or have I got mixed up here and is this something I can do from either PC and just acts a bit like the firewall, ie it protects at the router so I dont have to actually alter anything on either PC?

Sorry if I am asking something silly and obvious here.

espresso

It is not necessary to log into the router from each PC. Simply use your main PC which is hard wired to configure the router by putting it's IP address into your browser. Remember to also change the log-in password and the SSID (network name) from their defaults.

happyhero

espresso wrote:

It is not necessary to log into the router from each PC. Simply use your main PC which is hard wired to configure the router by putting it's IP address into your browser. Remember to also change the log-in password and the SSID (network name) from their defaults.

When I change the SSID do I have to leave it to display so the laptop finds it the first time? And the disable it displaying after that?

albertross_2

You can tell your laptop to connect to the ssid (with the wpa key you have specified) when in range, then it will automatically connect..

Look for the "assuming that everything is working" bit in this:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=2471408&postcount=37

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=2471410&postcount=38

espresso

happyhero wrote:

When I change the SSID do I have to leave it to display so the laptop finds it the first time? And the disable it displaying after that?

It would certainly help you to set up your wireless connection if it is displayed but personally I would leave it displayed. When it's hidden, others may set up their networks on the same channel simply because they can't see yours, leading to interference, drop outs etc.

happyhero

So to clarify, I setup security quite easily on the main wired pc on the Belkin configuration screen, (this I find quite easy) but then when I connect the laptop I will not be able to get to the Belkin configuration screen until I manually set up the wireless connection ie by this I mean the network key, is that correct?

And thats all I have to do because I already have the wireless connection setup without security at the moment?

espresso

happyhero wrote:

So to clarify, I setup security quite easily on the main wired pc on the Belkin configuration screen, (this I find quite easy) but then when I connect the laptop I will not be able to get to the Belkin configuration screen until I manually set up the wireless connection ie by this I mean the network key, is that correct?

And thats all I have to do because I already have the wireless connection setup without security at the moment?

Yes, you have to enter the encryption key into the router, which will then prevent unauthorised access by others users and yourself until you enter this encryption key into your laptop.

happyhero

having a problem I think, I entered a phrase for now after selecting WPA-PSK (no server) from the list of security things on the Belkin configuration screen.
I also renamed the SSID. Did all this from main wired PC.

I then started the laptop and it found the newly named wireless connection/SSID. I double clicked this connection and it asks for the network key. Is the key the phrase?

I entered the phrase in a box labeled Pre-shared Key (PSK) in the Belkin configuration screen and applied changes. Was it supposed to give me something else ie another key or is the phrase the key?

Help please, I'm stuck, laptop wont connect, as if key is incorrect and I am not mixing my capitals etc.

Also what is WPA-PSK which is the one someone advised me to pick as opposed to just WPA?