How to know if my wireless is 'safe'

mrs_baggins

When I bought my router to use the laptop a mate installed it for me as I was having problems. I thought it was secure in that when I used the laptop initially a pop up came on that asked me if I wanted to allow the laptop or not (on my pc). I could only seem to use the laptop when I had actually got my pc switched on and accessing the net. But now my son reckined that he accessed the internet using his phone from my house and I thought he meant via my pc. Is there an easy (dummy) way to check to see if the security settings are correct? thanks

Sooler

What make is the router? Do you know how to get to the routers admin page in your browser, depending on the make of router it may be at

http://192.168.0.1/

http://192.168.1.1/

or

http://192.168.2.1/

See this page for things you need to check or settings you can change to improve security.
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wirelesssecurity/tp/wifisecurity.htm

amcluesent

>I could only seem to use the laptop when I had actually got my pc switched on and accessing the net.<

Odd. Sounds like it's been set-up to use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on the PC. How does the PC connect to the internet? Using a broadband service or dial-up? Is there a wired connection from the router to the broadband device (if you have one)?

mrs_baggins

I am doing this from memory as I am at work!

as far as I know its a BT 1500 or something like that. I am on cable broadband- was blueyonder now virgin and its what the guy at blueyonder recommended when i spoke to them.

I will try to have a look at the various settings when I get home

Conor_3

Make sure WPA Encryption is enabled and choose a "non word" as the passphrase so people can't use a "dictionary attack". The longer, the better. Also don't use words where you substiture letters for numbers, such as changing the "i" in Chris to a "1".

Idiophreak

mrs_baggins wrote: »

my son reckined that he accessed the internet using his phone from my house

You mean his mobile phone? In which case, it probably wouldn't have had anything to do with the wireless..?

espresso

Idiophreak wrote: »

You mean his mobile phone? In which case, it probably wouldn't have had anything to do with the wireless..?

If the mobile can access the broadband at the house (some handsets have 802.11 WiFi built in), it sounds like no wireless encryption is in use! Set up WPA-PSK using the longest password that your router can take from here.

Idiophreak

espresso wrote: »

If the mobile can access the broadband at the house (some handsets have 802.11 WiFi built in), it sounds like no wireless encryption is in use!

Is that what's happening? Not sure...that's why I was asking - it wasn't really clear from the OP whether the phone was using wifi/broadband...or just hitting the net over WAP or whatever...

superscaper

Idiophreak wrote: »

Is that what's happening? Not sure...that's why I was asking - it wasn't really clear from the OP whether the phone was using wifi/broadband...or just hitting the net over WAP or whatever...

Yep one of those times when completely opposite statements are both right until OP clarifies with some details, otherwise it's all speculation.

espresso

Well the first sentence of the OP's post is worrying.

When I bought my router to use the laptop a mate installed it for me as I was having problems.

Exact make and model of the router are required to give any real help.

dc

superscaper wrote: »

Yep one of those times when completely opposite statements are both right until OP clarifies with some details, otherwise it's all speculation.

I read it as WAP/gprs, interesting, time will tell.