wireless router

[TOOT-TOOT]

Tips /info plz
  I have just brought a router, and to be honest I'm a bit worried . I have heard that other people can access your site . I know this has a pass word , but I am now in two mind weather to even take it out of the box let alone install. So some one please advise me , but beware I'm a right div when it comes to computers , so be gentle.

             Thanks

[JK]

Maybe what you have heard is that other people can use your wireless connection, I have never heard that people can 'access your site', not quite sure what you mean by that. Just means others can hook up to the net on their computers using your router in nearby houses/area. If you password protect it this is not possible. Does that help? My router isn't password protected but when i log in i can see that one of my neighbours is also wireless and has put a lock (password) on theirs. We visited friends in Yorkshire recently who don't have a wireless internet connection but we managed to get online on our laptop using someone elses unlocked  network in neighbourhood, doesnt mean you can access any of their information.

[Uncle Reff]

If you are worried about using a wireless router, see this article on how to protect it;

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39223889,00.htm

I have to say that my one won't even cover most of the ground floor, 100m indeed 

John

[RJ_Paton]

When you set up a wireless network in your home (or business) if you leave the network without the security enabled this allows anyone nearby with a computer which is fitted for wireless access to then "piggy back" on your connection and gain access for free. this is as far as most people go (or are capable of going) and the likliehood of anyone accessing your data on your machine by this method is much much smaller

One of the stages when setting up a wireless network is to enable the security by setting a password generally between 8 and 25 characters long and a mixture of letters symbols and numbers ...... with this in place only someone with the password can then access your network and further precautions are also available to make any such network even more secure.

Enable the security and you should have no problems.

[TOOT-TOOT]

Thanks
 Every one , for all your  feed back .

[1000xlch]

Hi Toot Toot

When setting up the software for your router you use a cable to get it to work.  When you access the internal web page you can disable the broadcast ID of the router which stops people snooping around for it.  Also you can generate a sequence of numbers in one of the pages and assign that unique code to each computer on your network by entering it on each computer and the router.  This means that only those with that number are authorised to use the router.

Cheers

John

[millymcb]

Hi Toot Toot,

If you don't enable the security features on your wireless connection then it is possible for people to access your broadband connection for free - for example someone with a laptop could sit in a car outside your house and just connect to it.   It won't affect your service and you wouldn't even know they were doing it.  HOWEVER there are criminals out there who are very clever and if they wanted to could not only access your connection but have programmes which can see which sites you are accessing and what you are doing.   Very dangerous if you are using online banking or something like that.  Not a huge problem for most of us at the moment but dangerous none-the-less. 

There was a programme on TV a few weeks back where some Fraud Police drove around London with a laptop to see how many wi-fi networks were unsecured. The number they found was huge. They could narrow it down to which house the signal came from. Then they went through the bins and found old bank statements, utility bills and letters - and created false identities.  Absolutely fascinating but a bit scary! 

My advice - always secure your network. 

[Koromo]

- for example someone with a laptop could sit in a car outside your house and just connect to it.   It won't affect your service and you wouldn't even know they were doing it. 

Good point, millymcb.  You won't know what they are doing whilst using your broadband connection - downloading videos and pictures, using up huge amounts of your broadband? And what sort of pictures, etc. are they downloading? 

Like millymcb,  I would strongly advise setting proper passwords on any wireless router.


Koromo

[TOOT-TOOT]

Will do thanks very much !