how do i make my wireless router(netgear) private or secured?

Question

when i go to "view availablr wireless networks mine is the only one that is not secured

Answer 1

To connect with your router via wireless, u need to configure the router and enable the wireless feature and need to choose an encryption method(wep,wpa,etc..) in order to connect and secure your wireless connection. If u don't have the router manual, u can download it at netgears website...Or u can try this....First u need to connect a network cable to connect to your router....double click the Internet Explorer icon to get to the web page and type in the search box "http://192.168.1.1", then press enter....you should see the log in page...leave the username blank and type in admin or administrator for the password..if router never configured then this is your default log on password. ..press enter and this should take u to the set up page...fill in all information as best as possible.....if successful in filling out the necessary account information, log out of the setup page and try to connect to the internet...if having trouble connecting to the internet even with the network cable ,you must download the manual and use their trouble shooting procedures...u must connect to the internet with the cable first...this will verify that u connect to the internet successfully and that the wireless connection is now possible if router is configured correctly...if u can connect to the internet with cable then your ready to configure the router to enable wireless feature....go back to the setup page and find wireless related icons or boxes and click on it...follow netgears owner's manual for detail information on how to connect your wireless feature....this information may differ from other manufacturer...This is Linksys way but may be similar to Netgears....

Answer 2

WEP, WPA Encryption. These settings enrcypt your information in the air so if someone picks up your signal they can’t see your credit card numbers, etc. You are provided with a key that can be thought of to some people as a password to get onto your wireless. WPA is stronger than WEP so try to go with WPA when availible. The longer the key the better.

MAC Filtering. Computers get IP addresses to connect to networks. A MAC address is the hardware address of your network card. This way you can limit what specific computers are allowed to connect.

SSID. This is the name of your wifi connection. Routers, by default, have a common SSID, usually the name of the router manufacture such as “linksys router”. If it is set to default then a person trying to gain access to your network knows what router you have and can gain access using information specific to your router if you are still out-of-the-box setup. Change your SSID and turn off the broadcast of SSID to make your wireless “invisible” to others. You’ll have to type it in manually on the computer your connecting with when making a wireless connection.

Using one type of security will not stop attacks and even all these features can be bypass with a little patience and know how. But having all in place creates more steps for someone to take and they may just move on to another signal with less security for quick access. If you live in apartments you might want to turn off your wireless when not in use. It’s also a good idea to have these things in place when living in a area with lots of other wifi because you do not want someone accidently connecting your signal and not realizing it. Also you will know what your SSID is and that you are on your wireless and not someone else’s.

Answer 3

How easy? If they have the right tools then they can crack the encryption. What's that in a percentage of PC users? About 1-2% of them... or less. Basically, any encryption is good encryption since it keeps the intruders out of your system for a while. Just turn off your SSID inside the router and you will be safer. And for a reminder: wireless technology is not the most secure method of transferring data, but the encryption allows for the "hackers" to take a long time to figure out your information to see this information.

Answer 4

1. There should be a feature that will allow your router to stop broadcasting the SSID. It may be called 'closed mode'

2. Use a WEP encryption key.

3. See if your router has a MAC authentication option.

Answer 5

Use WPA (preferred) or WEP encryption.

Turn off the SSID broadcast. (Maybe change the default name for the network.)

Change the default password on the router.

MAC filter to allow only specific computers onto the network (also known as Access Control List).

Answer 6

If you have your router's manual, it will tell you how to set up WPA or WEP encryption.