It really isn't a surprise based on the e-mail I receive
that people are very confused when it comes to setting up a home computer
network. If you don't have a computer-savvy neighbor, outcalls for service can
be very, very expensive ($120- $150 per hour in my home town). I came across
some pretty useful info on Microsoft's website.
There are a couple of things I would like to add to
Microsoft's 4 step setup. Step 5, make sure you select a different admin
password. If by some reason your system remains open to other users, at least
they cannot hack your setup. Here's a table that shows the default network
addresses and usersname/passwords for the most popular routers.
Router
Address
Username
Password
3Com
http://192.168.1.1
admin
admin
D-Link
http://192.168.0.1
admin
Linksys
http://192.168.1.1
admin
admin
Microsoft Broadband
http://192.168.2.1
admin
admin
Netgear
http://192.168.0.1
admin
password
Step 6, change the
SSID to something you will remember but nothing obvious. In my neighborhood,
there are too many routers with family names. It makes you easy to identify.
Step 7 - Enable the
Firewall in the router. That is usually a pretty easy thing to do. Firewalls
however can interfere with on-line gaming. Most do have simple ways to allow
gaming...but it varies router to router.
Step 8, once you feel
comfortable with the router and the software, enabled MAC address filtering.
This takes some skill, because you will need to enter the MAC address of you
wireless network card. This isn't as hard as it seems. Here's how to do
that
1) Open up a command
window (Start -> Run-> cmd.exe)
2) Type ipconfig /all
3) You will see info for your configuration. The Physical Address is your MAC
address. If you have more than one NIC card, make sure you get the info for the
wireless one and not the hard-wired NIC.
4) Enter that address into your router's MAC filter table.
If you do this, only those
physical (MAC) addresses are allowed to connect wirelessly to your router.
Between WEP, firewalls, MAC Filters, changing the admin password, you will have
a system that is fairly secure. Remember, any system can be hacked given enough
time. But if your's is the hardest in your neighborhood, hackers will look
for easier targets.
