Tech Tip Tuesday: Secure Your Wireless Router
Published August 08, 2006
In general these days, many articles written about wireless routers or technologies are negative due to the security risks involved with using an insecure router. In reality, as long as your neighbor is not Kevin Mitnick, it requires deep expertise to trace one's traffic and online transactions.
With that said, it is still a good idea to do as much as you can to secure your router just in case. Securing your wireless router ranges from the seemingly impossible requiring knowledge of bits and bytes to the very simple for use by the common folk.
This weekly three-part series will provide tips ranging from the very basic to just slightly less basic. This series will be broken down into the following:
- Part 1: Password protect your wireless router
- Part 2: Hide your router from the Available Wireless Networks menu
- Part 3: Encrypt your wireless signal
Let's get on with the first part.
Question: How can I password protect my wireless router to ensure my neighbors can't mess with my router's settings?
Answer: Follow these simple steps and you'll be one-step closer to locking down your router.
- Open your router's configuration web page. The URL for this varies across router vendors, so if the first one doesn't work, try the others or look up this information in your router's manual (if none of these work, feel free to post a comment and I will try to help as best I can).
- Enter your router's username and password in the login screen as seen below. Again, the username and password varies by router, so either look this up in your router manual or try one of the options below:
- Usernames: admin, root, or leave blank
- Passwords: admin or leave blank
- After you're logged in to your router's configuration web page, it's time change the password to prevent the average Joe from typing in admin or root to access your router.
- Navigate to the Administration area
- Look for a section related to router password as shown below:
- Type your new password in the router password field (be sure to write it down or remember it!)
- Click Save Changes
That's it for Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.
DISCLAIMER: The author in no way takes responsibility for damage done to your router. If for some reason your router ceases to stop working, find the Reset button on the router and push it in with a pin for 10 seconds. That should reset your router to its factory settings.
- Tech Tip Tuesday: Secure Your Wireless Router
- Published: August 08, 2006
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Sci/Tech
- Filed Under: Sci/Tech: Computers, Sci/Tech: Internet
- Writer: Brian Schneider
- Brian Schneider's BC Writer page
- Brian Schneider's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
im not able to secure my wireless router. model no wrt54g v5. none of the links above are working for me. please help
the above links helped. i've typed a username and a passwrod but dono wot to do next plsss help... thanks in advance.
i can get to the login page, but any of the combinations i try do not work i have a linksys router please help
I can get to the [Edited] URL, but I can't seem to connect to it, I've tried the many usernames and passwords, I've also tried my router name, and since I don't have a password for my router, I don't know how I would get it I'm not sure if I have my manual or anything like that.
So I'm at a loss, could you help in anyway? I would love to secure my wifi.
Hello,
I've enjoyed your articles, and being that I'm now in a pickle that I believe you might know something about way more than I, I am trying to get my router to be password protected (as advised) in spite of a minor technical problem... The trouble I'm having is that an old roommate set the original password for my router, leaving me without record of what it is (a real bummer). I've reset the router many times, but when I get as far as try to go and reset the WEP, as soon as I enter the IP addess I get asked for my for my old one (which I've no clue what it is).
Please help me find how I can resolve this problem, so that I can less piggybackers slowing down my internet experience to a near halt.
In most cases, the simple fix is to do a hard reset of your router which will wipe out all its settings and return the router to its original, factory condition. Try the following:
a. Make sure that the router is turned on.
b. Press and hold the reset button (on the back of the router).
c. After 30 seconds, remove the power plug while the button is pressed.
d. Let go of the reset button and turn on the device.
none of the links works for me.. i cant get in to the linksys... plz help
Hi! Thank you for your article that helps us to protect our wireless internet. I tried all of the 3 URL on your article but didn't work. And one of the URL is in my router manual. Could you please help me. Your advise is highly appreciated.
i did everything u said...and it successfully changed the password, bt the password doesnt work..any1 can still directly access it without any authentication..i want to password protect my wifi connection as well as the secure the router..damn neighbors are using my net for free making the connection really slow..help me out please..
If you are using Linksys you can get your default settings back by resetting your router.
(there should be a button on the back)
After that, the default username and password for a network is this:
Username: (Leave Blank)
Password: admin
And your IN!
wosnt too hard now was that?
Ur Welcome,
Azeem - the 16 yr old genious :P
some models use Login: admin Pass: admin
yeah i get it how to log on and all... but what i dont get is that when i trie to connect with my athor computer to internet via my router im nots asked for any password.. so its unsecure.. how do i set a password ?
The above info for me only secures access to changing the settings, however it does not ask me for the password that I typed in when I connect to the internet. This indicates that neighbors can still access my router. When I figure it out, i'll let ya know how to do it. :D
I am trying to do the same thing as DROY above...how can I make it so the neighbors can stop steeling my wifi? I am not the holiday inn express for heaven's sake!
cannot find info for my belkin 54g
Thank you Brian, the instructions worked a treat for me.
To secure your wireless connection you'll need to log in to your router - which you've seem to have mastered Once you're in you need to navigate to the Wireless page and set up some type of security. You should rename your router so the SSID broadcast is something you recognize as yours. Disable the SSID so someone will have to have the exact name to find it, enable MAC filtering and/or WEP security (which will ask for a password before a user is allowed access).
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You should make it secure from the power company too. Make it solar powered