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How can I password protect my wireless network?

A

Aramis

Commander
Red Shirt
Hello all,

Please help! My neighbors are poaching off my internet, and while I am generally a magnanimous individual, it's just getting ridiculous.

My operating system is Windows XP (2002 version) and the wireless contraption my cable/internet provider is a brand called Netgear. I just want to password protect my wireless connection - but all I can find online is how to encrpt my WPA, etc etc, and I haven't the foggiest what that is all about.

Any help would be appreciated!
 
Your router (Netgear) should have come to you with an installation/instructions manual CD. Pop the CD in the main pc, the one where the router is attached to directly. It should be an Autoplay. When the main screen of the CD comes up, you should have a list of choices about what you want to do, one of them should be either a "Security wizard" or "Security assistant" or some such prase. Click on that and follow the instructions, it should be a relatively easy operation.

Good luck! :)
 
A couple of other things to do:

-Turn "Broadcast SID" to off. This stops the unit from transmitting to the world that it is there.
-Deny all connections EXCEPT for the ones you enter the MAC addresses for. A slight pain but blocks all other computers.
 
go into the network and sharing centre (double click on the screens and globe thing in the system tray) and make sure you have 'password protected sharing' set to 'on'.
 
Your router may also have an IP address you can log into to change settings and set-up password protection. You'll need to check its user manual or search on-line for your particular model to find out how.

I know this is how my Linksys router works. I log into its IP address and click on the security tab to set it up so someone logging into my wireless network needs like a 16-character code to get into it.
 
Aramis said:
Hello all,

Please help! My neighbors are poaching off my internet, and while I am generally a magnanimous individual, it's just getting ridiculous.

My operating system is Windows XP (2002 version) and the wireless contraption my cable/internet provider is a brand called Netgear. I just want to password protect my wireless connection - but all I can find online is how to encrpt my WPA, etc etc, and I haven't the foggiest what that is all about.

Any help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

1. Open a browser such as Internet Explorer, type the following URL in the address bar: http://192.168.0.1 then press Enter or click Go.

2. Enter the username and password and click OK.
Note: By default, the user name is admin and the password is password. If you ever changed these login details please enter the new user name and password.

3. In the menu on the left, under Setup, click Wireless Settings.

4. Type a name for the network in the Name (SSID) box.

5. In the Security Options section select WPA - PSK.

6. Enter a word or phrase in the Network Key box.
Note: This key should be between 8 and 64 characters in length. Careful note should be made of the key as it needs to be typed exactly as it is here when configuring other wireless devices. The key used for WPA is case sensitive.

7. Click Apply to complete the setup.

8. Try to get your PC to join the network - you'll be prompted for the key.
 
Trekker4747 said:
Your router may also have an IP address you can log into to change settings and set-up password protection. You'll need to check its user manual or search on-line for your particular model to find out how.

I know this is how my Linksys router works. I log into its IP address and click on the security tab to set it up so someone logging into my wireless network needs like a 16-character code to get into it.
Click to expand...

It would usually be the address of the router, which would usually be 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 or something similar. Whatever it is should be in your router's documentation.
If you type this IP into your browser you'll be provided with a logon page to change your router's settings. Within this setup menu, you should be able to tell it which computers, listed by MAC address, are allowed to access the network. You can find the MAC address of the computers you want to allow pretty easily, and tell the router which to allow. Then when your neighbours' computers try to connect, they'll be denied.

edit: d'oh, never mind, too slow.
 
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