Re: Wireless Connection Security - help please
- From: "Alma" <me@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:35:25 -0000
"pmj" <post@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:MivMh.10175$DX5.9160@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Alma" <me@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:56f66jF292s04U1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Over the weekend I shall be connecting up a WiFi connection to
a laptop.
Great!
Time will tell!!
:-)
So, at the moment I have connected my cable modem via a router to
my desktop.
I think it would be a good idea to (at first) Connect up the new (Vista)
Laptop using an Ethernet Connection (to the Router &/or even directly
to the Cable Modem...
Will do.
Just so that you know that it's all working fine, as it should.
Remember, if you Connect it directly to the Cable Modem, (without
going through the Router), you will need to ReBoot the Router,
to get it to recognise the MAC - Media Access Control - Address
of the Laptop.
Right
& if you use the Router, then that doesn't apply.
(but if you wanted to have *both* the Desktop PC & the Laptop
Connected up at once (which is the idea of having a Router), then
you will need another Ethernet cable.
Yep!
& *then* (after you've tried it all out using an standard Ethernet
Connection) you can use the (built-in) WiFi on the Laptop to Connect
up to the Router, using WiFi.
Mmm - wonder shall I get that far !!
... Much is said about WiFi connections being insecure
Yep.
By Default most WiFi Routers have no Access Control, Authentication
or Encryption Set up.
Which means that anybody else neraby can Conenct up to *your* Router
& access your Internet Conenction (& possibly also your other PCs)
You may not actually mind sharing your Internet Connection...
But you *do* still need to make sure to have the Router Admin Pages
Protected by a PassWord, which is a completely separate thing from
the Access PassWord used to just Connect to it, using WiFi.
... - will someone please tell me the steps I must take to protect
the installation.
Various people have already posted Info about it.
Yes I have seen them!
It's all fairly easy & straightforwards, actually!
:-)
Yes - it is so easy for me to go and make a cake pie or pudd. because I
*know* how to do it but this computing lark is a different kettle o' fish
altogether. At school we learnt the 3 r's - a passing aeroplane was
something to wonder at and horse drawn traders vehicles were the norm. Now
I am trying to learn about something entirely new. When I retired there
was one electric typewriter with a daisy wheel in the whole of the building
and that was for the exclusive use of the 'head' typist. No computers at
all. So yes I am asking a load of simple questions because I do not want
to do something wrong which I shall regret <BG> like blowing the thing sky
high. But after all that I am really grateful to everyone who has tried to
help and *has* helped and for all the patience in answering these questions.
> Just
Access the Router Admin Page (from either any PC Connected to it)
using a Web Browser & the IP Address of the Router (which is in the
Documentation for it, or you can find by doing a Web Search with the
make & Model of it) - most Routers have an IP Address in the range
192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x
Yes I have found out how to do that.
& first of all Set a PassWord for Accessing the Admin Page itself.
I think I have done that because I changed the default word.
So as to stop other people who can Connect to it from Accessing the
Admin Page & altering the Settings & locking you out from your own
Router!
Ah! right.
You can do that by looking for the place in the Admin Page (usually
called some things like "System") for where to Set the Admin PassWord
& then, *after* you have Set the Admin Page PassWord, look for the
"Wireless Security" Settings.
Set it to use WPA (TKIP) WiFi Protected Access - Temporal Key Integrity
Protocol.
Choose a PassWord/PassPhrase & remember what it you have chosen(!)
Right.
It's also a good idea to change the SSID (Service Station IDentifier
from the Default, to something that means something to you, but not
to other people.
That's just so that you can recognise your own WiFi Network in the
List of "Available Networks", when you Connect up to it.
Then looks like I am going to see something that I had not expected!!
You can (later), if you want do things like Setting the SSID to not
be "Broadcast" & to Set up things such as MAC Address Filters etc.
The important thing is to Set it to use WPA (Encrypted), so that other
people can't Access it all.
*Some* earlier PCs & Laptops can't actually handle WPA, so in that case
you would need to use the (less secure) WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy)
Hopefully then the one I am expecting to be delivered will handle WPA.
But where ever possible it's much better to use WPA.
Once you have Set the WiFi up to use WPA (or WEP), then you can easily
Connect the Laptop to it.
Click the WiFi Icon thingy & choose your WiFi network from the list,
then Click [Connect] & Enter the WPA (or WEP) key, which you Set up in
the WiFi Router.
& that's it!
I am noting all of this and shall follow it.
Within a few Seconds it will be Connected!
:-)
*If* you have any probs with any of that, then just Post back & various
people will be able to help.
BTW...
You mentioned in another Post something about "will I need to use the
CD to do it as well?"...
No.
When I bought this router and opened up the package there was a big orange
sticker on the pack which says "Run CD First before connecting Cables" and
another note saying "Before you connect your Linksys product, insert the CD
into your CD/ROM drive.
I did think it rather strange because you had made no mention of a CD to me
but thought I had better follow the printed instructions. The CD led me to
step by step instructions to connect the cables which were as you had
describbed so I knew I was on the right track.
You don't need to use any CD at all to do it.
& you didn't need to use any CD to do the stuff you have done so far
(the Ethernet Connection etc,)
That just makes it all more complicated.
windoze has all the facilities built-in to Connect to the Router
& to Access the Admin Page of it.
HTH
pmj
Noted with thanks.
Alma
.
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