I just installed a wireless router. How can I make the connection more secure from outside sources?

Answer 1

1. Make sure the router has an admin username and password other than the default. Also, if you can, make it so you can only access the administrators panel if you're plugged in, not wirelessly.

2. Enable some kind of wireless password. WEP is OK but it's easy to crack. Hopefully the router has some kind of WPA option.

3. See if you can turn off the SSID. This will stop it from broadcasting. However, you'll need to set the wireless clients to connect automatically to the router, otherwise you won't be able to manually search for a signal.

Answer 2

Get rid of it.

Short of that the first thing to do is enable WEP at the 128-bit level. Also enable a password for the connection. Both are a pain to do (you have to enter in the 128 character string and password on each computer). Use the manual to help you figure out how to do both of these things if you need help. They are both very common features. They will do a lot to protect you, but are not entirely unhackable so you may also want to take a few extra steps. Like removing any shares on your systems (google it, you'll find plenty of info) and blocking any ports related to file sharing (google that too, it's a common thing to do, should be easy to get info.)

I would really recomend against the wireless connection in the first plcae though. With a wired connection there are far fewer worries.

Edit: Turning off SSID broadcast is also a good idea, and so is MAC filtering actually. Unlike most people here azred seems to know what he is talking about. MAC filtering is probably the most important one, can't believe I forgot it.

Answer 3

Read the information that came with the router. You can assign encryption to the information that is sent via the router. You can also require a password be entered by anyone who is attempting to sign onto your wireless network.

The information on how to do that varies by manufacturer and is included in the manual or paperwork that came with the router. You can also check the manufacturer's web site.

Answer 4

without the router name/model I can't give you exact specifics on what to click on and such, but the basics are you access the router via IE and your GateWay IP, then you simply goto your wireless security area and enable protection...I recommend you use WPA/WPA2 protection and set a decent passkey. That should secure you plenty from the outside. If you need detailed help feel free to send me an email with your router make and model and I'll be happy to give you specifics.

Answer 5

Turn off the SSID broadcast, set up WEP or WPA keys, and what I always recommend is setting up MAC filtering, which will prevent any device not on your list of allowed MAC addresses to connect to your network. These will give you an invisible network that requires security and your personal approval to access.