Securing a Wireless Connection

  • Thread starter Thread starter Paul Calcagno
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Paul Calcagno

Not sure if this is the correct group to post this question so please
correct me if I'm posting to the wrong Newsgroup.

My son's got a Vista laptop running off a wireless Linksys router. It's been
running great for almost 2 years but for some reason his wireless connection
recently went from `secured' to `unsecured'. Have no idea what caused this
change. Nothing was done to the router. Can anyone tell me how to re-secure
his current wireless connection? Perhaps there are some MS sites out there
that can provide step by step directions.


Thanks in advance...................Paul C.
 
Paul said:
Not sure if this is the correct group to post this question so please
correct me if I'm posting to the wrong Newsgroup.

My son's got a Vista laptop running off a wireless Linksys router. It's
been running great for almost 2 years but for some reason his wireless
connection
recently went from `secured' to `unsecured'. Have no idea what caused
this change. Nothing was done to the router. Can anyone tell me how to
re-secure his current wireless connection? Perhaps there are some MS sites
out there that can provide step by step directions.
Click to expand...

I'm concerned about the sudden change. There is malware that can infect the
router as well as the computer. I'll give you step-by-step instructions for
securing the router but I would start by resetting it to factory state.
This is usually done by pressing down on a small button on the back or
bottom of the router and holding it down for about 30 seconds. Refer to
your router manual. I would also do a thorough scan for viruses/malware on
your son's laptop and any other computers in the house.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

My standard information about configuring a router:

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable. Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys. Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter] (this is the router's default IP address, which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the quotes. Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility. Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing to do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the bottom of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back into the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next to the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you were using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly, disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see your new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it with all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start surfing.

Malke
 
Hi Mark. Thanks so much for these excellent tutorials. I'm pretty sure I
can follow all of this. Regards.............Paul C.
 
Hi Malke. Thanks for all of this information. I've read through it a few
times and think I can work my way through it with my son and his laptop.

I'm now particularly interested in my own router. My wife connects to this
router wirelessly with her laptop (running XP), plus I'm directly connected
to the router for the desktop computer I'm using now to communicate with
you. I don't believe my desktop has any wireless capability but frankly, am
not even sure how to check that. It's a 3 year old Acer Aspire T180 running
Vista Home Premium with Vista SP1 (about to go to SP2) any moment.

Is there a way to tell if this Acer desktop has wireless capability? I'd
rather be connected wirelessly with my desktop since I'm told it's more
secure than a LAN hard-wired connection. Is that true

Thanks again..........................Paul C.

Malke said:
Paul said:
Not sure if this is the correct group to post this question so please
correct me if I'm posting to the wrong Newsgroup.

My son's got a Vista laptop running off a wireless Linksys router. It's
been running great for almost 2 years but for some reason his wireless
connection
recently went from `secured' to `unsecured'. Have no idea what caused
this change. Nothing was done to the router. Can anyone tell me how to
re-secure his current wireless connection? Perhaps there are some MS
sites
out there that can provide step by step directions.
Click to expand...

I'm concerned about the sudden change. There is malware that can infect
the
router as well as the computer. I'll give you step-by-step instructions
for
securing the router but I would start by resetting it to factory state.
This is usually done by pressing down on a small button on the back or
bottom of the router and holding it down for about 30 seconds. Refer to
your router manual. I would also do a thorough scan for viruses/malware on
your son's laptop and any other computers in the house.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

My standard information about configuring a router:

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable. Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys. Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter] (this is the router's default IP address, which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the quotes.
Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility. Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing to do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the bottom of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back into the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next to the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you were
using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see your new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it with
all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start surfing.

Malke
Click to expand...
 
Paul Calcagno said:
Hi Malke. Thanks for all of this information. I've read through it a few
times and think I can work my way through it with my son and his laptop.

I'm now particularly interested in my own router. My wife connects to this
router wirelessly with her laptop (running XP), plus I'm directly
connected to the router for the desktop computer I'm using now to
communicate with you. I don't believe my desktop has any wireless
capability but frankly, am not even sure how to check that. It's a 3 year
old Acer Aspire T180 running Vista Home Premium with Vista SP1 (about to
go to SP2) any moment.

Is there a way to tell if this Acer desktop has wireless capability? I'd
rather be connected wirelessly with my desktop since I'm told it's more
secure than a LAN hard-wired connection. Is that true

Thanks again..........................Paul C.

Malke said:
Paul said:
Not sure if this is the correct group to post this question so please
correct me if I'm posting to the wrong Newsgroup.

My son's got a Vista laptop running off a wireless Linksys router. It's
been running great for almost 2 years but for some reason his wireless
connection
recently went from `secured' to `unsecured'. Have no idea what caused
this change. Nothing was done to the router. Can anyone tell me how to
re-secure his current wireless connection? Perhaps there are some MS
sites
out there that can provide step by step directions.
Click to expand...

I'm concerned about the sudden change. There is malware that can infect
the
router as well as the computer. I'll give you step-by-step instructions
for
securing the router but I would start by resetting it to factory state.
This is usually done by pressing down on a small button on the back or
bottom of the router and holding it down for about 30 seconds. Refer to
your router manual. I would also do a thorough scan for viruses/malware
on
your son's laptop and any other computers in the house.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

My standard information about configuring a router:

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable. Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys. Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is
left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the quotes.
Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility. Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing to
do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the bottom
of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back into
the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes
were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next to
the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security Mode
to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect to
the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you were
using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see your
new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it with
all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start surfing.

Malke
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


Unless you have added wireless capability, either a PCI wireless card or a
USB wireless transceiver, then there is a 100% chance that you do not have
it..
 
Paul said:
Thanks, Mike. Since I never added any of those things I'm sure I don't
have wireless on this desktop. Oh well.

On a slightly different topic, recall I wanted to see if I could assist my
son in getting his router back to a secure mode, so I thought I'd try to
see
how my own system at my home was set up. I read all the instructions sent
to me and attempted to set up my linksys router so that the data is
encrypted. I found out that it's security settings were `Disabled', so I
followed the directions and set the router up so that it would use the
WPA2 Personal security mode (with a new WPA shared key) and proceeded to
try to set up my wife's wireless laptop to do the same. When I tried to
get on the internet with her wireless the XP system wouldn't connect
(after putting in the new WPA shared key). Then I tried to lower the
security settings to WEP on both the router and the laptop and that
wouldn't work either. Then I finally had to go back and reset the router
and XP security settings to `Disabled'. Only then would the laptop connect
wirelessly to the network. Haven't a clue why this happened. Everything is
back to the way it was but my I'm running on an unsecured wireless
network. Kinda disappointing but then again I'm not too bright with this
stuff so I probably screwed something up.

Not sure what do to. And I certainly don't feel confident enough to try
and help out my son with his wireless network connections.
Click to expand...

Hi, Paul - Thanks for the update. I'll be honest with you - it is very
difficult diagnosing these sorts of problems without being able to see the
machines and router. I truly think the best course of action for you would
be to have a competent local computer tech come on-site. This will not be
someone from a BigComputerStore/GeekSquad type of place. Because of the
number of machines involved, I am very hesitant to say "do this..., etc.".
I believe I would be doing you a disservice if I were to lead you down Path
A when really Path B would be the right choice and would be apparent to
anyone skilled actually looking at the systems and the router.

Malke
 
Thanks, Mike. Since I never added any of those things I'm sure I don't have
wireless on this desktop. Oh well.

On a slightly different topic, recall I wanted to see if I could assist my
son in getting his router back to a secure mode, so I thought I'd try to see
how my own system at my home was set up. I read all the instructions sent
to me and attempted to set up my linksys router so that the data is
encrypted. I found out that it's security settings were `Disabled', so I
followed the directions and set the router up so that it would use the WPA2
Personal security mode (with a new WPA shared key) and proceeded to try to
set up my wife's wireless laptop to do the same. When I tried to get on the
internet with her wireless the XP system wouldn't connect (after putting in
the new WPA shared key). Then I tried to lower the security settings to WEP
on both the router and the laptop and that wouldn't work either. Then I
finally had to go back and reset the router and XP security settings to
`Disabled'. Only then would the laptop connect wirelessly to the network.
Haven't a clue why this happened. Everything is back to the way it was but
my I'm running on an unsecured wireless network. Kinda disappointing but
then again I'm not too bright with this stuff so I probably screwed
something up.

Not sure what do to. And I certainly don't feel confident enough to try and
help out my son with his wireless network connections.

Any thoughts?....................Paul C.



Mike Hall - MVP said:
Paul Calcagno said:
Hi Malke. Thanks for all of this information. I've read through it a few
times and think I can work my way through it with my son and his laptop.

I'm now particularly interested in my own router. My wife connects to
this router wirelessly with her laptop (running XP), plus I'm directly
connected to the router for the desktop computer I'm using now to
communicate with you. I don't believe my desktop has any wireless
capability but frankly, am not even sure how to check that. It's a 3 year
old Acer Aspire T180 running Vista Home Premium with Vista SP1 (about to
go to SP2) any moment.

Is there a way to tell if this Acer desktop has wireless capability? I'd
rather be connected wirelessly with my desktop since I'm told it's more
secure than a LAN hard-wired connection. Is that true

Thanks again..........................Paul C.

Malke said:
Paul Calcagno wrote:

Not sure if this is the correct group to post this question so please
correct me if I'm posting to the wrong Newsgroup.

My son's got a Vista laptop running off a wireless Linksys router. It's
been running great for almost 2 years but for some reason his wireless
connection
recently went from `secured' to `unsecured'. Have no idea what caused
this change. Nothing was done to the router. Can anyone tell me how to
re-secure his current wireless connection? Perhaps there are some MS
sites
out there that can provide step by step directions.

I'm concerned about the sudden change. There is malware that can infect
the
router as well as the computer. I'll give you step-by-step instructions
for
securing the router but I would start by resetting it to factory state.
This is usually done by pressing down on a small button on the back or
bottom of the router and holding it down for about 30 seconds. Refer to
your router manual. I would also do a thorough scan for viruses/malware
on
your son's laptop and any other computers in the house.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

My standard information about configuring a router:

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable. Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the
router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys. Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is
left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the quotes.
Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility.
Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing to
do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the bottom
of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back into
the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes
were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next to
the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as
that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security Mode
to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you might
use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect to
the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you were
using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see your
new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it with
all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start surfing.

Malke
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


Unless you have added wireless capability, either a PCI wireless card or a
USB wireless transceiver, then there is a 100% chance that you do not have
it..
Click to expand...
 
Malke is right in stating that being able to see your configuration would be
a lot easier in guiding you through this problem. The possibilities for
answering networking problems are endless.

But, you are describing a very specific problem that the following thread
may help: (no guarantees)
http://www.uc.edu/ucit/access/wpa2_instructions_v2.html

Paul Calcagno said:
Thanks, Mike. Since I never added any of those things I'm sure I don't have
wireless on this desktop. Oh well.

On a slightly different topic, recall I wanted to see if I could assist my
son in getting his router back to a secure mode, so I thought I'd try to see
how my own system at my home was set up. I read all the instructions sent
to me and attempted to set up my linksys router so that the data is
encrypted. I found out that it's security settings were `Disabled', so I
followed the directions and set the router up so that it would use the WPA2
Personal security mode (with a new WPA shared key) and proceeded to try to
set up my wife's wireless laptop to do the same. When I tried to get on the
internet with her wireless the XP system wouldn't connect (after putting in
the new WPA shared key). Then I tried to lower the security settings to WEP
on both the router and the laptop and that wouldn't work either. Then I
finally had to go back and reset the router and XP security settings to
`Disabled'. Only then would the laptop connect wirelessly to the network.
Haven't a clue why this happened. Everything is back to the way it was but
my I'm running on an unsecured wireless network. Kinda disappointing but
then again I'm not too bright with this stuff so I probably screwed
something up.

Not sure what do to. And I certainly don't feel confident enough to try and
help out my son with his wireless network connections.

Any thoughts?....................Paul C.



Mike Hall - MVP said:
Paul Calcagno said:
Hi Malke. Thanks for all of this information. I've read through it a few
times and think I can work my way through it with my son and his laptop.

I'm now particularly interested in my own router. My wife connects to
this router wirelessly with her laptop (running XP), plus I'm directly
connected to the router for the desktop computer I'm using now to
communicate with you. I don't believe my desktop has any wireless
capability but frankly, am not even sure how to check that. It's a 3 year
old Acer Aspire T180 running Vista Home Premium with Vista SP1 (about to
go to SP2) any moment.

Is there a way to tell if this Acer desktop has wireless capability? I'd
rather be connected wirelessly with my desktop since I'm told it's more
secure than a LAN hard-wired connection. Is that true

Thanks again..........................Paul C.

Paul Calcagno wrote:

Not sure if this is the correct group to post this question so please
correct me if I'm posting to the wrong Newsgroup.

My son's got a Vista laptop running off a wireless Linksys router. It's
been running great for almost 2 years but for some reason his wireless
connection
recently went from `secured' to `unsecured'. Have no idea what caused
this change. Nothing was done to the router. Can anyone tell me how to
re-secure his current wireless connection? Perhaps there are some MS
sites
out there that can provide step by step directions.

I'm concerned about the sudden change. There is malware that can infect
the
router as well as the computer. I'll give you step-by-step instructions
for
securing the router but I would start by resetting it to factory state.
This is usually done by pressing down on a small button on the back or
bottom of the router and holding it down for about 30 seconds. Refer to
your router manual. I would also do a thorough scan for viruses/malware
on
your son's laptop and any other computers in the house.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

My standard information about configuring a router:

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable. Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the
router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys. Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is
left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the quotes.
Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility.
Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing to
do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the bottom
of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back into
the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes
were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next to
the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as
that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security Mode
to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you might
use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect to
the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you were
using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see your
new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it with
all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start surfing.

Malke
Click to expand...


Unless you have added wireless capability, either a PCI wireless card or a
USB wireless transceiver, then there is a 100% chance that you do not have
it..
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Mark and Malke, thanks a lot for all your help. I'll take another crack at
seeing if I can use what Mark just sent regarding
`http://www.uc.edu/ucit/access/wpa2_' instructions for setting up WPA2
wireless connectivity on my wife's XP laptop. If nothing else I should be
able to undo what I did if if doesn't work.

Regards..............Paul C.

Mark H said:
Malke is right in stating that being able to see your configuration would
be
a lot easier in guiding you through this problem. The possibilities for
answering networking problems are endless.

But, you are describing a very specific problem that the following thread
may help: (no guarantees)
http://www.uc.edu/ucit/access/wpa2_instructions_v2.html

Paul Calcagno said:
Thanks, Mike. Since I never added any of those things I'm sure I don't have
wireless on this desktop. Oh well.

On a slightly different topic, recall I wanted to see if I could assist
my
son in getting his router back to a secure mode, so I thought I'd try to see
how my own system at my home was set up. I read all the instructions
sent
to me and attempted to set up my linksys router so that the data is
encrypted. I found out that it's security settings were `Disabled', so I
followed the directions and set the router up so that it would use the WPA2
Personal security mode (with a new WPA shared key) and proceeded to try
to
set up my wife's wireless laptop to do the same. When I tried to get on the
internet with her wireless the XP system wouldn't connect (after putting in
the new WPA shared key). Then I tried to lower the security settings to WEP
on both the router and the laptop and that wouldn't work either. Then I
finally had to go back and reset the router and XP security settings to
`Disabled'. Only then would the laptop connect wirelessly to the network.
Haven't a clue why this happened. Everything is back to the way it was
but
my I'm running on an unsecured wireless network. Kinda disappointing but
then again I'm not too bright with this stuff so I probably screwed
something up.

Not sure what do to. And I certainly don't feel confident enough to try and
help out my son with his wireless network connections.

Any thoughts?....................Paul C.



Mike Hall - MVP said:
Hi Malke. Thanks for all of this information. I've read through it a few
times and think I can work my way through it with my son and his laptop.

I'm now particularly interested in my own router. My wife connects to
this router wirelessly with her laptop (running XP), plus I'm directly
connected to the router for the desktop computer I'm using now to
communicate with you. I don't believe my desktop has any wireless
capability but frankly, am not even sure how to check that. It's a 3 year
old Acer Aspire T180 running Vista Home Premium with Vista SP1 (about to
go to SP2) any moment.

Is there a way to tell if this Acer desktop has wireless capability? I'd
rather be connected wirelessly with my desktop since I'm told it's
more
secure than a LAN hard-wired connection. Is that true

Thanks again..........................Paul C.

Paul Calcagno wrote:

Not sure if this is the correct group to post this question so
please
correct me if I'm posting to the wrong Newsgroup.

My son's got a Vista laptop running off a wireless Linksys router. It's
been running great for almost 2 years but for some reason his wireless
connection
recently went from `secured' to `unsecured'. Have no idea what caused
this change. Nothing was done to the router. Can anyone tell me how to
re-secure his current wireless connection? Perhaps there are some MS
sites
out there that can provide step by step directions.

I'm concerned about the sudden change. There is malware that can infect
the
router as well as the computer. I'll give you step-by-step instructions
for
securing the router but I would start by resetting it to factory state.
This is usually done by pressing down on a small button on the back
or
bottom of the router and holding it down for about 30 seconds. Refer to
your router manual. I would also do a thorough scan for viruses/malware
on
your son's laptop and any other computers in the house.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

My standard information about configuring a router:

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable. Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the
router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys.
Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is
left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the quotes.
Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility.
Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing to
do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the bottom
of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back
into
the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes
were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next
to
the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level
you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as
that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security Mode
to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you might
use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect
to
the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you were
using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see
your
new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it with
all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start
surfing.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ



Unless you have added wireless capability, either a PCI wireless card
or a
USB wireless transceiver, then there is a 100% chance that you do not have
it..
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Paul Calcagno said:
Mark and Malke, thanks a lot for all your help. I'll take another crack
at seeing if I can use what Mark just sent regarding
`http://www.uc.edu/ucit/access/wpa2_' instructions for setting up WPA2
wireless connectivity on my wife's XP laptop. If nothing else I should be
able to undo what I did if if doesn't work.

Regards..............Paul C.
Click to expand...

You might want to start with just WEP and work your way up to WPA then WPA2.
The reason being, not all of the wireless equipment may have WPA2 support.
 
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