Wireless Broadband security at home

Livzz

New Member
Hi,
networking is something relatively new to me, i only know a few basics about wired networks, let alone wireless...
What i want to know, is if i have a wireless broadband modem and two wireless computers (laptop and desktop) in a 10 storey apartment block, do i need to have a server to provide security? or is there a way to prevent other wireless laptops in apartments above and below me from using my broadband connection??
 

cthomas10uk

New Member
when you install a wireless network it should give you choices, put a password on or not to have a password, i would sugest that you put a password on to stop other ppl getting into your wireless internet :D
hope this helps
 

apj101

VIP Member
sure, when you buy your wireless router you will be able to specify an encryption keys (WEP or WPA), also you should prevent you router broadcasting the SSID (that is the name you give your network), i would also recomment turning of DCHP and using MAC address filtering but these may be too advanced for you. Google will have loads of sites explaining wireless security. Dig around for 10-15 mins. You should be able to set up a secure wireless network no probs, and without the neighbours steeling your bandwidth
 

randruff

New Member
As stated above, change the default password to access your router. Also, enable MAC Filtering. Each wireless component (eg each one of your wireless cards) has a MAC address assigned to it that is unique to that card only. Its kind of like a VIN on a car, there are no two the same. By enabling MAC filtering, and only allowing the MAC addresses of your two wifi cards to access the router, any other attempts made by other wifi cards (eg other MAC addys) will be blocked. Next, change and disable the broadcast of your SSID. Simply put, your SSID is the name of your network. With the broadcast disabled, someone would have to know the SSID and manually input it into their wifi software. Lastly, you can enable WEP encryption. My advice would be to consult your router's manual or google how to utilize these features. Hope this helps.
 

silver 95

New Member
you can also change the LAN IP address. this won't really add any security except again people who try the default addresses. it's probably 192.168.0.1 or something like that. you can change it to a 10.x.x.x or a 172.x.x.x address. You can also (usually depending on name brand) set up the router to deny ping requests. This combined with what the others said here would make your router mostly invisible to the rest of the world
 

apj101

VIP Member
Setting a pasword to your router or changing the IP address of your router whilst being an important step is not really the top point of your sercurity list since someone will have to be on your network already to be able to access your router. And to be honest it more likely that you're worried about someone stealing your bandwidth and files. In which case setting a WEP/WPA key, turning of DCHP, tunring off SSID broadcasting, using MAC filtering etc will all be good steps.

i personally wouldn't bother changing the address of my router, if someone is good enough to scan and sniff out your network, collect enough data packets to crack the encrytion, AND mask their MAC address so as to finally get onto you network. Then they are almost certainly good enough to know how to type in "ipconfig /all" and find the address of your router.
 

Livzz

New Member
ok..... what i got from all that was:
1. I dont need a server
2. disable SSID on the router
3. enable WEP encryption
4. Turn off DCHP (whats that??)
5. change my routers address (although not essential)...

that should be able to get me up and running!
thanks!
 

randruff

New Member
Livzz, to simplify, Disable the broadcast of your SSID, change your SSID to something other than the default name, enable MAC addy filtering, change password to access router, enable WEP encryption. Ultimatly, that will layer your security on your wireless LAN. Hope this helps.
 

apj101

VIP Member
Short for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, a protocol for assigning dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network. In some systems, the device's IP address can even change while it is still connected. DHCP also supports a mix of static and dynamic IP addresses.

Dynamic addressing simplifies network administration because the software keeps track of IP addresses rather than requiring an administrator to manage the task. This means that a new computer can be added to a network without the hassle of manually assigning it a unique IP address. Many ISPs use dynamic IP addressing for dial-up users.
 
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