Securing Your Router - Comments Page 1

I have turned on MAC filters on my wireless access point/router. This should allow only *specific* computers to enter wirelessly. I think this makes me more secure, but I'd value other opinions.

i know what a 'ping' is in sonar,but what is it in internet?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Pretty much the same thing... it's a command you can use to send an "are you there?" packet to another server on the Internet. The remote server will respond if it's running. You can do it from the command prompt. Enter "ping yahoo.com" for example.

wow! are you fast! after my 'ping' post,i went to connect to my router,but windows says that it cannot display the webpage. it says that my default # is not set up to establish a connection on port ""world wide web service http" with this computer....a brand new dell inspiron. what now?? (your so fast i think i'll leave it here for your reply)

strike two,bob! i opened my command prompt and put in "pingyahoo.com" and it said it did not reconize it as being any type of command at all.i tried it a few different ways,all with the same rejection. has someone been buying you two many snickers bars, or am i just kinda on the edge of the twilight zone?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Add a space between the "ping" and the "yahoo".

The ping command isn't as useful as it used to be as many server managers have now turned off their ping responder. For instance, "ping www.microsoft.com" will get a response along the lines of "pinging 207.46.192.254 with 32 bytes of data", followed by "Request timed out" four times.

So you need to know which hosts you can reliably ping when troubleshooting a connection problem.

After I receive the login box, if I enter a password and check "Remember my password", I am returned to the same box. If I don't check "Remember my password", I am sent to a window that says "401 Authorization needed". I am the administrator. What should I do next?

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm pretty sure that means the user/password was incorrect. Note that your router's login info is NOT the same as your Windows login.

The same as Bob Rodgers, I use MAC filtering for security. With the variety of systems on my home LAN, WPA was a big headache. I see no reason MAC filtering would not be secure, since it allows only specific computers to connect.

I have learned a lot from your tips. I don't know how to do most of what you just described. A friend setup my wireless router and I love the mobility of a laptop. However, it is not secure. Iam afraid to attempt, really don't know how to attempt, what you descibe because I am afraid I will mess up something.

Isn't there a simple software program that will take one through the steps and do this for us? If not, maybe you could develop one and make some money.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Like I said, there are many different routers and different admin interfaces. But you won't break anything just by logging in and poking around. Most of the items I mentioned are pretty easy to find and change if you explore the options in your router's admin interface.

I wish I had gone to your school to learn about router security. Looks like I need to visit the local library cuz I just can't follow your instructions. Duh.

Bob Rodgers:

Yes, limiting wireless connections by MAC address is a great way to help secure your router. You are effectively shutting out any computer or device that is not listed in the table.

larjo:

Are you connecting to your router, or you DSL/Cable box? Most DSL/Cable boxes that are connected between the wall and the router will use the same address as the router, so insure that you are connecting to your router, not the DSL/Cable modem.

Also, make sure that you are using a WIRED connection anytime you are changing network settings - for safety. Connect the computer you are using to make admin changes to your router directly with a hard cable - do not use a wireless connection, especially for "flashing" an update to the router's firmware.

Finally, most routers can be "factory reset" if you lose track of your password/user name. The manufacturer's website should have specific instructions. Be sure to check your model name/numbers; using the wrong method can spork your router.

Happy Surfing! :)

Lest someone think router access depends on Windows, it doesn't. You can just as easily be on a Mac, or use Linux, or any other OS for that matter. You do, however, need to use a browser, any browser, to reliably get in to the router and change things. (And even that statement may be up for debate.) IPconfig is only for Windows as far as I know.

You forgot the most important one! Make sure remote administrator access is turned off! If you must have remote access enabled, change the port number to a random number and use a strong password for access.

I don't know my "UserName/Password" as noted in this context. How do I get it?

EDITOR'S NOTE: The default (factory supplied) password is blank, "admin" or "password" on many manufacturers' routers. Lists of default administrator passwords for hundreds of popular wireless routers are readily available here: http://www.routerpasswords.com/

But more likely, your ISP set the username and password when they installed your router. Ask them for this info if it's not printed somewhere on your router.

Managed to miss this first time round, very glad to have caught up.Thanks again, Bob, you do an amazing job. This is not a comment but a question, but you said it would more likely get answered if I put it here. How do I find my MAC filters (if I have any) and what do I do with them please ?

EDITOR'S NOTE: You'd have to login to your router, and look around in the wireless settings. The setup screens are different for every brand of router. But if you don't remember creating any, why are you concerned?

I tried running ipconfig but after I run the dos screen opens for a split second (much too fast to read)? What's going on?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Open a command prompt (CMD.EXE) first, then run IPCONFIG.