TechCOW - The Geek Within

I have been configuring other people's routers and this time I am going to configure mine. I have always planned of hooking up my place with WIFI and this is the perfect time to do so. I have several laptop users at home so here I go putting myself to the test if I can secure my own wireless network. I know this will be a cinch!


Steps for Wireless Security on my WRT54G2

1. I went to my desktop and double clicked on the Internet Explorer browser/ Mozilla Firefox (Located on the Start Menu in Windows XP)

2. When it opens type http://192.168.1.1 into the "Address" bar and hit Enter

3. An "Enter Network Password" window will appear/pop up.

4. Skip user name and type admin (admin is the default password) as the password, click OK. If it does not accept the default password, try the password you might have typed in when you ran the RUN ME FIRST CD that came with your router. Or if this is another router with a different model, try admin on the username and admin on the password.

5. On the SETUP page of the router, click the WIRELESS Tab on the top and take note of the wireless network's SSID, change the channel to 1 3 5 7 9 or 11 to get a better frequency then click the save settings button on the bottom. You would need this for the wireless settings on your laptop computer.

6. Click the WIRELESS SECURITY Sub tab then take note of the KEY1 if WEP is enabled, or just the WPA Preshared key... if this part is disabled then your router is for open access(means no security is enabled and any device should be able to obtain a connection). You should have no trouble connecting if this part is disabled but of course other people would be able to do the same and access your network without your permission. Make sure you do!

7. Go to your laptop or wireless desktop computer then view the wireless networks. Click on your network (which you can identify via SSID) then it is going to ask you for the keys or pre shared key. Then after typing in the keys and confirming it, your wireless connection should be established. Launch your Internet Explorer/Firefox and you should be connected to the Internet afterwards.

It is very important for you to be able to secure your wireless network so you won't have neighbors connecting to your own and use precious bandwidth. This is what you pay for with the ISP. You need to make sure you keep your passwords private so no one will hack into your internal network. They may be able to retrieve files or personal data without you knowing about it. Be smart and call Linksys if you are having trouble with it!

Purenetworks is owned now by Cisco

Cisco the worldwide leader in WAN, LAN Networking Devices introduces an update in their propreitary software called Network Magic 5.0 Release.This software helps consumers and Networking pros easily setup, manage and secure their home network. It's a suite of network management software that makes anyone work like an IT professional.

The software is much like the Linksys' LELA which is bundled with their routers but this update for the Cisco line introduces more features:

* Connect and share content or a printer across a network
* Manage, monitor and control how computers on the network access the Internet
* Diagnose and repair connection and performance problems
* Optimize performance and reliability
* Track network history and usage through reporting capabilities
* Manage active connections and get status updates
* Control user access and help secure the network from intruders

The software makes home networking simple and easy to use. It's monitoring capability gives a new level of visibility for information they need to tell what users specifically are doing on the network. This also comes with Parental Control features that seems to me work much like AOL's free software.

Network Magic 5.0 is available for download now from www.networkmagic.com, suggested retail price are as follows:

* Network Magic Essentials - $29.99
* Network Magic Pro - $49.99
* Network Magic for Mac Add-On - $25.00
* Network Magic Upgrades:
- From previous Network Magic versions to Network Magic Pro 5.0 - $24.99

These packages come with different capabilities from minor setups to advanced ones. Network Magic 5.0 is the first product to be released by Cisco as a result of its acquisition of Pure Networks earlier this year. A great tool for anybody who wants networking to be easy!