Pls take pity on me - encrypting Linksys router (laptop, desktop, dsl)
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I bought a wireless router 3 or 4 years ago. It was hell setting it up (help desk with India for 5 hours, all night long). So once I got it working, I could not bear to set up the WEP encryption.
When I look at my neighborhood networks, everyone is secured except me. So today I finally said..I MUST do this.
Router: Linksys WRTG54 hardware version 5
I have an old IBM Netvista (?) desktop upstairs which I never use (well RARELY). It does not even have ethernet, but it has records I may need sometime. I will transfer some time if necessary. BUT it is connected to the modem (I have DSL) and then to a USB adaptor and then to the desktop.
Then I have a Toshiba laptop, less than a year old (Satellite A305-S3916).
Linksys won't help me because the router is out of warranty. I set up the WEP at 128 bit 26 key on the desktop. It worked. Then I did the same thing on the laptop, but it does not have the same options for wireless security. It does not give me a "WEP" option unless I indicate "sharing" or 801.x (or something like that), etc. I tried WPA Personal2 (?) but then the network does not show as security enabled when I view the neighborhood networks.
I really barely know what I am talking about, but all I know is that when I look for a network, I see my network (as well as my neighbor's) and theirs all say "security enabled" and mine says "connected".
Do I have to synch up my desktop and laptop configurations to make sure they are compatible? If so, HOW????? I am so lost.
If I just disconnect the desktop from the (shared) modem, maybe I could just configure the laptop? But then when I need to use the desktop, I am going to have to set it up again, and that will be a huge frastration remembering what goes where.
Unfortunately, I don't have any computer-savvy friends who can help me.
Advice? THANK YOU
P.S. Please talk to me like I am a 5 year old (to quote Denzel Washington in "Philadelphia"). I read the manual and have NO IDEA what they're talking about.
And somehow my internet from the phone company DSL is involved in this configuration (not sure how), but I don't think it's set up on the laptop. I think the laptop just knows how to connect to the internet, etc....honestly think I just plugged it in and it worked without setting up Bellsouth (now the notorious AT&T) internet settings.
And also, I think I have to do something with my Brother all in one wireless printer, too, right? It won't print now :-(
I am really not totally inept at computing, but the hardware and setup stuff is way over my head. I can just function on a day to day basis once initially set up.
Before you go to much more trouble with this router, understand that WEP is not very secure encryption. Someone could crack it in a few hours with a desktop PC and some free tools from the Internet. You should consider upgrading to a newer router with WPA encryption.
I think it's time to at least throw away the old desktop without an ethernet card (I have a usb ethernet adapter). Trying to synch theses things up is a nightmare. AT&T just told me it's not them (I could connect directly from the modem to the desktop without the Linksys in between).
I think this is worth the geek squad. I'll backup the DT and get a new router and geeks from best buy tomorrow if possible.
Thanks for your help. I would like to have WPA, I believe that helps protect me if I'm on a wi-fi network while out and about, yes?
to get access to the router, while connected, type in its IP address in your internet browser. It's generally 192.168.1.1. Default login is usually user=admin and pw=admin.
If you have the WRT54G (If your "WRTG54" is a typo as I suspect), you have the same model as mine. I have set it up to only allow the MAC addresses of my computers to connect over wireless, which I think is about as secure as you can get. If you're interested in that, I can tell you how. Also, this router has WPA capability as well so you aren't stuck with WEP.
But if you are close enough to the router and want wired LAN, you can get a card for your computer for probably less than $10. No sense in throwing a computer away for that..
I think it's time to at least throw away the old desktop without an ethernet card (I have a usb ethernet adapter). Trying to synch theses things up is a nightmare. AT&T just told me it's not them (I could connect directly from the modem to the desktop without the Linksys in between).
I think this is worth the geek squad. I'll backup the DT and get a new router and geeks from best buy tomorrow if possible.
Thanks for your help. I would like to have WPA, I believe that helps protect me if I'm on a wi-fi network while out and about, yes?
NO!
Find a local tech shop and talk to them. BB is the absolute worst place to take a computer for work. You are guaranteed to be ripped off.
Better yet spend some time with LogicIsYourFriend and see if they can walk you through the MAC address option.
Logic, my issue is that I have 2 computers: 1. a desktop without an ethernet card (uses a USB ethernet adapter), and 2. a new laptop with wireless card.
The desktop is wired to the router which is wired to the lan. Then the laptop is totally mobile.
So I thought since they share the same modem which runs through the router I would have to do something on both of them to make them work.
I did trial and error things (don't even know what MAC means!), and now can't use either (I won't say how I am connecting at the moment!) I can't take it the repair place because we need to be here with the modem/router. I am lost without my computer!
didee, you will only need to set up the WPA (or WEP) on the router. It will only affect the wireless connections. Wired connections like your desktop won't be affected by it.
You will use the router's homepage to turn on the encryption and set the password. Then you will connect with the laptop to that connection, and it will have a place for you to designate what kind of connection it is (WPA, WEP), and the password. You'll set it, and it should connect from there.
You will need the IP address of your router's home page and the password to access it. These are usually found in the documentation unless you've changed them in the past. You will need to use your wired desktop to access the router.
A MAC address is a unique number that each network card has.
So you are saying that neither of your computers are accessing the internet through your router? I take it you are not at home while writing here? Or does connecting straight to the modem work?
I can maybe help you with that if you shed some details; do you remember the "trial and error" things you did? Any change that you didn't change back maybe?
Don't take your computer to a repair place, they will most likely just do something you can figure out how to do in a half hour, and charge you a lot of money.
Anyway, after you get connected, you can set it so it will only allow your laptop's MAC address to connect to the router wirelessly. First you have to get into the router's GUI by typing its IP address in the internet browser while connected. Then, follow the red circles on the picture I attached to this post.
The final button is "edit MAC filter list" where you specify your laptop's MAC. After clicking that you click "Wireless client MAC list" and as long as your laptop is connected wirelessly, it will show up. You just click the check box and save changes.
This is also a way to see if any 'unauthorized' computers are connected to your router.
Last edited by LogicIsYourFriend; 01-07-2010 at 09:00 PM..
I can't imagine a worse possible solution than getting geek squad involved.
Yeah, you'd be better off leaving the connection unsecured than letting the Screwdriver Bandits have at it.
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