Router help?

[gean]

I currently have a linksys wrt54g wireless router. My wireless connection quit working. I have it set up wire wpa. I thought it was secure..ha ha found out that my nextdoor neighbor was connection to it. Well to find out he said that netgear was the most secure. Since i'm getting and imac on sat. I would like some advice from people who use apple, netgear ect router to get a better idea of what i should do


When i set it up should i set up for imac, and then have my gateway connect to it. Will this help my security?

thanks to all who respond.

gean

 

[ewilson6]

set up your router to use wep 128 bit encryption.

it is more secure.

After setting it up as wep, set up Imac using airport assistant.

Once it is set up and you got a connection to the router, forget about it, its that simple and keep firewall turned on your system will be 100% secure.

-Eric

 

[Goldenbear]

set up your router to use wep 128 bit encryption.

it is more secure.

After setting it up as wep, set up Imac using airport assistant.

Once it is set up and you got a connection to the router, forget about it, its that simple and keep firewall turned on your system will be 100% secure.

-Eric

Umm... No.

WEP was cracked long ago and is a joke.

Get a wireless router that supports WPA2 and use that. I'm fond of ZyXEL myself.

1) Turn off "Broadcast SSID" (that's the name of the network)
2) Change the "SSID" to something that would be hard to guess
3) Turn on "WPA2 Personal" and choose a good passphrase
4) Turn on "MAC Address Filtering" and add the MAC Address of all your computers (same thing as "Airport ID")

Will your network be totally secure? Not a chance.

Will this prevent your neighbor from accessing your network? Probably.

 

[cdlxxvi]

1) Turn off "Broadcast SSID" (that's the name of the network)
2) Change the "SSID" to something that would be hard to guess
3) Turn on "WPA2 Personal" and choose a good passphrase
4) Turn on "MAC Address Filtering" and add the MAC Address of all your computers (same thing as "Airport ID")

1. No point to it. Even a 12yold with minimal knowledge can get the SSID from a network that does not broadcast it, so the added protection against a possible intruder is minimal. And more hassle for you - you have to remember and type exactly the SSID every time you connect a new device to the network, as opposed to just clicking the network name on the list.

2. See 1. There is no practical difference in security between networks named "Tom" and "jkd9839bubuc2938c92bnc9b298". The practical difference is that "Tom" is easier to remember.

3. Of course. WPA is as secure, as its passphrase is.

4. Do not bother. If someone is skilled enough to crack your passphrase, MAC filtering will be no trouble for him. And again less hassle for you every time you want to add or remove a device.

 

[Goldenbear]

1. No point to it. Even a 12yold with minimal knowledge can get the SSID from a network that does not broadcast it, so the added protection against a possible intruder is minimal. And more hassle for you - you have to remember and type exactly the SSID every time you connect a new device to the network, as opposed to just clicking the network name on the list.

He's got a neighbor who he wants to keep off his network. Hiding and changing the SSID is probably the easiest way to do this. And I didn't say choose some random characters for the name. Just something other than "Tom's Wireless Network".

I guarantee you, this will prevent the majority of people from finding his network. We're talking average people, like the parents who can't program their VCR, not some wannabe hacker kid who spends his free time learning about how to break into networks.

3. Of course. WPA is as secure, as its passphrase is.

And your point was...?

4. Do not bother. If someone is skilled enough to crack your passphrase, MAC filtering will be no trouble for him. And again less hassle for you every time you want to add or remove a device.

Then you may as well leave your house and car unlocked, since there's always someone out there who will be able to bypass the locks

I simply offered four different things the OP can do to created a layered approach to wireless security. I also pointed out that it's in no way a totally secure network, since there are people capable of defeating each layer. However, this approach will provide a good system of defenses that will protect the OP from the majority of people who may want to try to access his network, including his neighbor.

 

[MacHappytjg]

all i have to say is i dont even bother with the firewall since it may slow down downloads anyway if im on bootcamp with xp it has its own firewall and a anti virse

 

[cdlxxvi]

He's got a neighbor who he wants to keep off his network. Hiding and changing the SSID is probably the easiest way to do this

No, the easiest way is enabling WPA with a decent passphrase. It solves all of the OP's issues in one simple step.

I guarantee you, this will prevent the majority of people from finding his network.

The aim is not stopping people finding the network, the aim is stopping people accessing it. Hiding the network does not solve the problem, WPA does.

And your point was...?

My point is that WPA is the lock on the door; setting obscure SSID, stopping its broadcast and MAC filtering is like barring the door with a coffee table - no added security, but still some unnecessary work added every time you want to walk through.

I simply offered four different things the OP can do to created a layered approach to wireless security.

Of which, three layers add nothing to the network security, but create problems for him and the others (example: your home WLAN suddenly slows down. How long will it take you to figure out that your neighbour enabled his WLAN on the same channel if his SSID A) is B) is not broadcasted?).

I also pointed out that it's in no way a totally secure network, since there are people capable of defeating each layer. However, this approach will provide a good system of defenses that will protect the OP from the majority of people who may want to try to access his network, including his neighbor.

Security of WPA relies on the security of its passphrase. If the passphrase resists dictionary attack (which good passwords do), the only way to crack it becomes brute force, which takes years for passwords of sensible length (20+ characters in case of WPA). This will stop not the majority, but all unauthorised access to the network, including the OP's neighbour.