securing my wireless router

longwalks1

can someone please advise me how to add a password to my Belkin wireless router? ive set it up a while ago without password (stupid i know) but now another one comes up on my 'available list' and its passworded, guess its next door.

can someone please tell me how to go about setting a password please?

Paul_Herring

Do you mean a password to connect to the router (from the Web interface at http://192.168.2.1) , or a password to log onto the network (WEP etc.)?

DatabaseError

depends on the model of router, but as you are spotting another pc using it i preume you know how to log into the router (192.xxxxxx)
there should be a wireless and or wireless security tab, in there you should have options for open/wep and hopefully wpa with a few variants, choose wpa and set a passphrase (m@ry h@d @ L1ttLe L@m8) or similar

longwalks1

sorry for the delay guys, i want to secure it so that people in the flat above/below cant connect and download without me knowing, i want to set it so it asks anyone who tries to use it for a password.

also, it locks up sometimes (router) and i have to switch it off and on, would the password need re-setting each time this happens?

Marty_J

No, it'll remember the password. Use WPA protection if you can; it is much more secure than WEP. You should be able to set an access list that will restrict access to a user-specified list of devices, and you should also be able to stop it broadcasting the network name (SSID), so people won't even be able to find your network unless they know the name of it.

superscaper

Marty_J wrote: »

and you should also be able to stop it broadcasting the network name (SSID), so people won't even be able to find your network unless they know the name of it.

Unless they use something like Kismet.

johnmc

and the usual recommendations about passwords.

Either random generated letters / numbers or a weird word with a series of numbers.

Call the router something obviously different but not "Vic's from no.7".

Set the wireless router settings with the laptop wired to the router NOT wirelessly.

Marty_J

superscaper wrote: »

Unless they use something like Kismet.

As my grandmother is fond of saying, locks only keep honest people out unfortunately.

C_Ronaldo

johnmc wrote: »

Set the wireless router settings with the laptop wired to the router NOT wirelessly.

why only set the wireless settings whuile connected hard wired to the laptop, is that so no one will intercept the data being transfered from laptop to router

albertross_2

because as soon as you change the security settings, it will drop the connection to the pc/laptop, a wired connection allows you to get everything right first.