Paphos People

Hi, I wonder if anybody can help.

About 4 months ago I installed a Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router Model No. WRT54GL. I've got 8 computers on a network. When I installed it, I didn't encrypt it, and last night looked out the window and 2 people were using their laptops across the road using my connection So when I went home I just disconnected the router so they couldn't use my wireless.

Can anyone tell me how to encrypt the connection any other way apart from re-installing the thing, as i had a whole lot of trouble in the first place.

Hope somebody can help as its a pain when I come to work in the morning and have to restart it all, as my ip address keeps changing on all the computers and it affects my internet cafe software. Phew.... Hope I have not garbled on and on.

Carollynne

We had a Linksys modem/router in the UK but were unable to use it over here, something to do with the type of conection cable needed to connect to our Cytanet modem

As for encrypting the connection, I'm guessing you have all 8 pc's connected via wifi also

From what I remember, you need to have a hard connection to be able to encrypt the wifi connection but I maybe wrong

Big Dutch or Martin will be bale to help you I'm sure

Thanks Pete

My other pcs are all ethernet connected. I only really need wireless for laptop customers.

Just seen someone else walk past with a laptop, now i'm getting paranoid in case they're going to sit outside lol

Carollynne

I suppose thats a problem with unencrypted wifi, anyone with-in distance can use it for free & you have no idea what they are using it for

You should have had an instruction booklet with the router/modem that tells you exactly how to encrypt your wifi connection, then those only paying for it get to use it one problem with that is, you'd have to change the encryption password all the time, as once you give it to someone, they will be able to use it even if not paying for it

I would ditch the wifi side & go for hard connection points only, that way you have complete control of who gets to use it & when

Hi Carollyne

Hopefully you're using win XP!

Press start
Press Run
Type CMD in the box then enter
In your command prompt box type ipconfig /all - press enter
This gives you all of the network info you're running on
Look for default gateway. Write down the ip address number of this (I think when I used a linksys 454 it was 192.168.1.1 but it may not be)
Load internet explorer
Type in the address you just wrote down and press enter
In the user name box type the user name (on mine the default was admin)
In the password box type the default password (mine was admin again)
Check your instruction manual if not, it's in there
You are now looking at your router config
I can't remember the exact options, but there is one for security
Press it
It takes you to the security option
Go to Wep Key
Enter a password using the numbers 1 to 8 and the letters a to f
make sure you write it down! You probably need to enter it again. Apply the settings and save

If the instructions down follow the screen, then post back with where you get up to and I'll see if I can decipher

Always connect to your router by cable when setting up wireless passwords, as soon as the code is accepted you get disconnected if you're on wirelss!

Hope this helps

Lee,
Thanks very much, I've been 'playing' around all morning and most of the afternoon, the bit I wasn't sure of was.. what to choose i.e. WEP, or WPA 1, 2, blaa blaa, but I chose WEP and generated a passphrase, then saved the settings. So hopefully it has encrypted the connection now. I'm waiting for hubby to come home from work so he can go outside and try and use my wireless on his iphone, and if it doesn't work then BINGO, if it does work, I'll be back on here

Thanks again Pete and Lee

Carollynne

Hooray it worked.. thanks very much.

The guy who was on his laptop outside has just come in to my shop to use the internet

Carollynne

Glad it worked Carollynne

WEP is the most basic of the protections, I couldn't remember whether there was WPA on the 454. WPA is harder to crack, but it'll be unlikely that anybody will crack the WEP
All the best

Lee

hello. Sorry for delay in responding, i had missed this post !

Instead of encrypting your wireless network, you could consider introducing some sort of server running software that allows anyone to connect to your network but they can't get on the internet without paying some money via credit card

You could then be earning money whilst you sleep !

hmmmmm that sounds good, i like the idea of earning money whilst I sleep

Off to do some investigating

Carollynne