Wireless signal on Actiontec Gateway?

Question

My Dell Notebook will arrive on Monday, and I already have DSL for my desktop but my question is
Do i have to do anything to the Gateway or do I just enable my wireless card in my Notebook to use wireless internet?
It's an Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless DSL Gateway.

So, how would I set up the encryption?

Answer 1

To set up encryption, read your router's docs. Go with WPA if your router supports it. If it doesn't, hit the manufacturer's website and see if there's a firmware upgrade that implements WPA encryption.

If WPA is not an option, go with WEP. Make sure you select 128-bit and set your own passkey. Do NOT use one of the preconfigured passkeys; they are well known and very easy to hack. With WEP, you should change your passkeys periodically. Weekly is best, but monthly is better than nothing.

Answer 2

Just have to make sure your wireless router is configured to use the wireless interface. What I mean is that you need to make sure the wireless segment of the router is enabled. If you are in an urban area I would certainly set up some sort of encryption on your end as well. You may not have anything worth stealing off of your immediate PCs, but ultimately your are responsible for any traffice going on through your gateway. And if someone else has access to your wireless network and they are up to no good, you are the one paying the ISP, so its your problem if someone ever knocks on your door because there is something illegal going thru your connection.