coralreefer
Active Member
if i enable a wep key on my router will it mess up my internet connection?
WEP key question
- Thread starter coralreefer
- Start date
bgbdwlf2500
Member
Originally Posted by coralreefer
http:///forum/post/2701111
if i enable a wep key on my router will it mess up my internet connection?
no but the easiest way enable security is to go by mac addresses if your router will let you...it will only let specified mac addys use your internet... thats what i do on mine. its a netgear router..
http:///forum/post/2701111
if i enable a wep key on my router will it mess up my internet connection?
no but the easiest way enable security is to go by mac addresses if your router will let you...it will only let specified mac addys use your internet... thats what i do on mine. its a netgear router..
scsinet
Active Member
Originally Posted by coralreefer
http:///forum/post/2701111
if i enable a wep key on my router will it mess up my internet connection?
It won't affect the internet connection in the router but it will knock all of your wireless clients off your network until you reconfigure them all to use the wep key.
Also make sure you have at least one PC connected to your router wtih a hard wire (cabled) connection. When you enable WEP, if you make an error and the only way to get into your router is with a PC that was connected through wireless, you'll need to reset your router back to factory defaults to be able to get back into it (which will ruin your day). By making sure you have at least one PC that is hardwired, you can get back into the router if you can't get the wireless working for troubleshooting.
I'm not fan of MAC address filtering for wireless security. It will keep out casual ISP squatters, but it can be cracked so insanely easily it's almost not worth doing. WEP is decent, WPA is better if your router supports it. You can also use MAC filtering on top of WEP for an even more secure setup.
http:///forum/post/2701111
if i enable a wep key on my router will it mess up my internet connection?
It won't affect the internet connection in the router but it will knock all of your wireless clients off your network until you reconfigure them all to use the wep key.
Also make sure you have at least one PC connected to your router wtih a hard wire (cabled) connection. When you enable WEP, if you make an error and the only way to get into your router is with a PC that was connected through wireless, you'll need to reset your router back to factory defaults to be able to get back into it (which will ruin your day). By making sure you have at least one PC that is hardwired, you can get back into the router if you can't get the wireless working for troubleshooting.
I'm not fan of MAC address filtering for wireless security. It will keep out casual ISP squatters, but it can be cracked so insanely easily it's almost not worth doing. WEP is decent, WPA is better if your router supports it. You can also use MAC filtering on top of WEP for an even more secure setup.
coralreefer
Active Member
its a d-link router and all of my computers are away from the router (wireless). im just afraid that if i enable a WEP key, i will have to mess with reconfiguring everything.
coralreefer
Active Member
how do you enter ther wep key into all computers?
scsinet
Active Member
Originally Posted by coralreefer
http:///forum/post/2701820
how do you enter ther wep key into all computers?
WEP is an encryption key. It's one of the oldest security standards available for wireless networks.
That means good news and bad news.
Good news: Just about anything out there that uses wireless (any reasonably modern operating system, etc) supports it just fine
Bad news: It's insecure. Not as insecure as MAC filtering, but it will not take a determined intruder long to crack it, such as the teenager next door trying to access instructions on a closet-herb-garden without his parents knowing.
If your DLINK router supports WPA (Wireless Protect Access) and you have either Windows XP with the latest service packs or Vista (any edition), then WPA is the better security setting to use. It's similar to WEP, but better. Setup is similar.
Whatever you plan to use, the keys used in WEP and WPA are encryption keys. Both sides need to know how to encrypt and decrypt information. That means that the router has to know the key, and every PC connected via wireless needs to know the key. So YES, you need to touch your router and everything that connects to it via wireless.
Now, the pain about setting up wireless security is that you need to enable it on the router before you enable any of your clients. Once you set it up on your router and hit save, the router becomes security enabled when you have not yet configured a PC to use security. If you can't get that PC to connect for whatever reason, such as you wrote the wrong key down when you entered it into the router, you need to do what we IT guys call a "roll back" - rolling back the old settings. Problem is, at this point you've configured WEP/WPA/Whatever on your router and have therefore locked yourself out of it. You're hosed... unless A) you have a computer you can connect to the router that bypasses the wireless by using a CAT5 network cable or B) you have those wep hacking skills I talked about.
So save yourself the trouble. First, get the IT guys at work to loan you a cat5 network cable if you don't have one and get one of your PCs hooked directly to the router before beginning. Use this PC to configure security on the router. WEP/WPA does not apply to wired connections. Therefore, if anything goes wrong, you can access your router and troubleshoot, change settings, even revert to the previous config. Use one of your wireless PCs to configure security on for your first PC. Once you get ONE PC talking using your new security settings, the whole thing gets easier, because if anything goes wrong with the second, etc PC, you know it ain't the router.
Download a manual for your router for instructions on how to set it up on the router. Then use google to find a good tutorial that reads well for you on how to set it up on the client PC. PRINT IN HARD COPY both pieces of information before starting. When you start doing this, you will loose internet connectivity for a bit, so you want to have printouts, you won't have web pages.
Even better, find a computer know it all friend and buy him a 6 pack to come over and do it for you if you find the whole idea daunting.
You should have security enabled though... if you don't, you're just asking for someone to leech off your network (wanna sound cool? It's known as "war driving") and download God knows what illegal crap that can get you sued.
coralreefer
Active Member
how do i enter the WEP key into my computer?
nano reefer
Active Member
type this into your URL bar: 192.168.1.1
set "admin" as username and "admin" as password (no " things). Click on "Wireless" in the tab menu. Click on "Wireless Security" in the smaller tab menu. select WEP or WPA and type in your password. once you have the key set, the internet on all your computers will stop working. do a hard reset on the router and cable modem. then go onto each computer and in the wireless settings (on Dell Wireless its the bars in the taskbar) select your network from the list and enter the key you typed. voila!
edit: this is only if you have Linksys maybe.
set "admin" as username and "admin" as password (no " things). Click on "Wireless" in the tab menu. Click on "Wireless Security" in the smaller tab menu. select WEP or WPA and type in your password. once you have the key set, the internet on all your computers will stop working. do a hard reset on the router and cable modem. then go onto each computer and in the wireless settings (on Dell Wireless its the bars in the taskbar) select your network from the list and enter the key you typed. voila!
edit: this is only if you have Linksys maybe.
m0nk
Active Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/2701855
WEP is an encryption key. It's one of the oldest security standards available for wireless networks.
That means good news and bad news.
Good news: Just about anything out there that uses wireless (any reasonably modern operating system, etc) supports it just fine
Bad news: It's insecure. Not as insecure as MAC filtering, but it will not take a determined intruder long to crack it, such as the teenager next door trying to access instructions on a closet-herb-garden without his parents knowing.
If your DLINK router supports WPA (Wireless Protect Access) and you have either Windows XP with the latest service packs or Vista (any edition), then WPA is the better security setting to use. It's similar to WEP, but better. Setup is similar.
Whatever you plan to use, the keys used in WEP and WPA are encryption keys. Both sides need to know how to encrypt and decrypt information. That means that the router has to know the key, and every PC connected via wireless needs to know the key. So YES, you need to touch your router and everything that connects to it via wireless.
Now, the pain about setting up wireless security is that you need to enable it on the router before you enable any of your clients. Once you set it up on your router and hit save, the router becomes security enabled when you have not yet configured a PC to use security. If you can't get that PC to connect for whatever reason, such as you wrote the wrong key down when you entered it into the router, you need to do what we IT guys call a "roll back" - rolling back the old settings. Problem is, at this point you've configured WEP/WPA/Whatever on your router and have therefore locked yourself out of it. You're hosed... unless A) you have a computer you can connect to the router that bypasses the wireless by using a CAT5 network cable or B) you have those wep hacking skills I talked about.
So save yourself the trouble. First, get the IT guys at work to loan you a cat5 network cable if you don't have one and get one of your PCs hooked directly to the router before beginning. Use this PC to configure security on the router. WEP/WPA does not apply to wired connections. Therefore, if anything goes wrong, you can access your router and troubleshoot, change settings, even revert to the previous config. Use one of your wireless PCs to configure security on for your first PC. Once you get ONE PC talking using your new security settings, the whole thing gets easier, because if anything goes wrong with the second, etc PC, you know it ain't the router.
Download a manual for your router for instructions on how to set it up on the router. Then use google to find a good tutorial that reads well for you on how to set it up on the client PC. PRINT IN HARD COPY both pieces of information before starting. When you start doing this, you will loose internet connectivity for a bit, so you want to have printouts, you won't have web pages.
Even better, find a computer know it all friend and buy him a 6 pack to come over and do it for you if you find the whole idea daunting.
You should have security enabled though... if you don't, you're just asking for someone to leech off your network (wanna sound cool? It's known as "war driving") and download God knows what illegal crap that can get you sued.
Go with WPA because WEP and MAC address filter each takes about 3 minutes to crack.
nano reefer
Active Member
Originally Posted by m0nk
http:///forum/post/2703734
Go with WPA because WEP and MAC address filter each takes about 3 minutes to crack.
and WPA isnt that much harder. the technology for people to do is there, but a lot harder to get and use than WEP cracking programs (Like: AircrackNG). just set up a MAC clone and use a hacker safe WPA key and you will be fine.
http:///forum/post/2703734
Go with WPA because WEP and MAC address filter each takes about 3 minutes to crack.
and WPA isnt that much harder. the technology for people to do is there, but a lot harder to get and use than WEP cracking programs (Like: AircrackNG). just set up a MAC clone and use a hacker safe WPA key and you will be fine.