Security with wireless router

smashingpumpkin

Hi

I recently got a wireless router , with one laptop and PC using it.

I am worried that it is possible for outside people to connect to my network.

Because when i turned on my laptop for the first time it was so easy to connect.

How do I prevent this? Is there a password I could set up?

Thank alot

mikeruurds

Have a look at the section named "WEP encryption" in your router manual. You will need to put a password on the router (WEP key) and then put the same password on your PC & laptop.

There should be a decent sized section in you router manual on all of this.

Good luck

Mike

neacy69

hey sorry for posting in your forum but i think this might be relevant to your situation also:

Does anyone know of an application (freeware) that can give you info bout nodes currently connected to your wireless network? is name, IP so on for identifying if someone has hijacked your connection (cos its pretty easy to decrypt a WEP using snort or net stumber so i hear)

Karoma

neacy69 wrote:

Does anyone know of an application (freeware) that can give you info bout nodes currently connected to your wireless network? is name, IP so on for identifying if someone has hijacked your connection

Depends on your AP/router TBH,as it is the one serving up the connection. Typically, this information isn't stored for security reasons, but it might be stored for functionality i.e. DHCP -> it'll typically provide the IP address assigned/used, and resolve it's hostname..

(cos its pretty easy to decrypt a WEP using snort or net stumber so i hear)

you misheard.

neacy69

Karoma wrote:

Depends on your AP/router TBH,as it is the one serving up the connection. Typically, this information isn't stored for security reasons, but it might be stored for functionality i.e. DHCP -> it'll typically provide the IP address assigned/used, and resolve it's hostname..


you misheard.

so there is no way of telling exactly who is attached to your wireless network? surely not....if DHCP allocates the dynamic IP address to the node then surely there is some program which can tell what network addresses have been assigned? and to which mac addresses?

bingo9999

You could set up mac filtering and just keep everyone but yourself out and that way you don't really need to worry. Unless you want to catch some neighbour already stealing it! (and break his legs)! There is WPA encription too which is better apparently but I had problems setting ti up myself so i let it go

Valentia

Do a google for Airsnare. It's free but doesn't work with some routers. It will tell you who is connected to your network. You can treat the ones you want as friendly and it will tell you when an alien attacks.

Karoma

neacy69 wrote:

so there is no way of telling exactly who is attached to your wireless network? surely not....if DHCP allocates the dynamic IP address to the node then surely there is some program which can tell what network addresses have been assigned? and to which mac addresses?

The phrasing of my post could have been much better. What I was saying was that the route/AP should log this information for DHCP purposes -> logging info such as MAC,etc. -- this is not for security purposes, and the logs may be deleted after a while, and most likely after a reboot.
There are applications that you can use to watch for other clients but not from the AP [Although, I would imagine that there exists such capability for some routers, LynkSys perhaps!)