Tag Archives: router

So you Bought a Router, What Now? (For the Beginner)

So, you bought a router today? Not sure how to hook it up? The diagrams below will show you waht to do! Click the images for a larger view.

Follow the instructions that came with your new router!

  • Phone cord: thin (usually flat) wire with 4 pins in the connector
  • Cable: thick round cable with a metal connector and a single copper wire in the center of the connector
  • CAT-5: round cord thicker than phone cord, but not as thick as cable with 8 pins in the connector
What you have now (if you have DSL) diagram
If you have DSL
What you have now (if you have a cable modem) diagram
If you have a cable modem
What you need to do diagram
How you need to hook it up
Back of router diagram (what goes where)
Where the wires go

How to Attain WEP and WPA Simultaneously

First and foremost, I must give credit to one of my twitter pals, TroyBrownBBNews, without whom this post would not be possible. Without his help, I would not have gotten it to work.

So, you might be asking yourself, “Why would I want to have anything to do with WEP?” The answer is, you shouldn’t, but there are still many devices out there that have not yet made the switch to full WPA, let alone WPA2. Simply stated, much like the age-old adage about a chain and a weak link, your network can only be secured up to the level of the lowest security-enabled device. In other words, if you have a device that you must have on your network that’s highest level of encryption is WEP, the highest level of encryption you can enact would be WEP. A WEP-only device will not connect to a WPA network. For instance, and in my case, if you have a child who happens to own a Nintendo DS Lite or DSi, you understand why. For the longest time, I refused to lower my encryption for the home network to allow for online game play. However, in today’s market there are several games that cannot be fully played unless an internet connection is made available. Therein lays the conundrum. Do I lessen the level of protection, or do I deal with purchasing games that my son cannot fully enjoy (and also listen to the repeated pleas for internet connectivity)? The answer is: I can have both with a little work. And so can you. Let’s get started, shall we? Continue reading How to Attain WEP and WPA Simultaneously

Securing your Wireless Network

wirelessSo, you have a wireless network. Now it is time for you to take security seriously. Most people think that setting up a wireless network and hiding the SSID is all you need to do. I have been in networking for several years, mostly as a service tech. I cannot tell you how many times I rolled on a service call to find that a customer’s wireless network had been compromised, often without them even knowing. In my experience, internet leaching neighbors is the most common form of network compromise. However, wardriving is an even bigger threat. When a wardriver finds your unsecured (or weakly secured) network, it is often loaded to a server with GPS coordinates letting others know where they can go to leach internet, or worse. While there is little you can do to stop a truly dedicated hacker, it is rather simple to keep your network from being labeled as a prime target. Continue reading Securing your Wireless Network

Manually Reset your Router

Personally, I like to reconfigure my home network every now and then to make sure no one who may or may not have gained access to my system without my knowledge does not enjoy free internet for as long as they live near me. There will be times that you will need to restore your router to factory settings…say, if you have forgotten your admin password, for instance. Hey, it happens to the best of us. Luckily, you do not have to buy a new router. Continue reading Manually Reset your Router