Wirless Network Configuration

Ok so I just setup my old Linksys WRT54G (v3) at my new place, but I don't have the cd that came with it. It's been a while since I've used the router or setup a wireless network, so perhaps I'm a bit rusty. Before I remembered that I needed that cd to configure the network (encrypt wireless, etc), I tried to do so (within Windows) via Wireless Network Connection Properties, under Wireless Networks tab, then in Preferred Networks area, and then by clicking on my network (by default "linsys") and then the Properties tab. Once I get to this I'm able to change Network Authentication and Data Encryption. So I changed Network Authentication to WPA-PSK and changed Data Encryption to AES. I then entered a network key. The first time I did this it didn't work, and after doing this I was unable to connect to the network. So I restarted and was able to connect to the network but it wasn't encrypted. I tried this another time, and everything happened the same way except for that after I restarted, my network was encrypted. After trying the same method again, there were the same results as the first trying to encrpyt with this method. After that (where I'm at now) I am able to connect to the network but it says Not Connected in the Wireless Network Connection window. I'm a bit dumbfounded by all this. Any ideas how this happened? Suggestions for resolving this and correctly configuring and encrypting my network without the linksys cd would be much appreciated.

Note that there is button on the front left of the router that says Cisco Systems but I read that it is supposedly called Secure Easy Setup or something along the lines, not sure how it works or how I could use it in this situation if at all. Also, I'm running Windows XP Service Pack 2. Lastly, its a Toshiba laptop so it comes its own Network Configuration software, though I'm not using it.

 

It's generally a lot easier (IMO) to just log in to the router and configure everything manually, particularly if you already know how you want everything configured. That way everything is laid out and you can switch between areas. If you don't know the router's IP address, just go into the connection status and look at the Default Gateway. Put that IP address into your browser's address bar and log in.

If you haven't already changed the default password, then you'll definitely want to do so. It's also a very good idea to update the firmware to the latest before setting everything up if possible (some routers will save your configuration, some will allow you to save the configuration, some you just have to set up all over agian after updating the firmware).

Whenever possible I try to skip the setup CD and configure the device manually.

 

Alright I got the Default Gateway from ipconfig and entered that into my browser. Upon doing so a window pops up saying

It asks for a username and password. Not sure exactly what this is? Is it the SSID and network key? I tried entering 'linksys' (the default SSID) as username and the network key I chose when I last tried to configure the network within windows (as described in my previous post). That didn't work. Not sure what username and password it is asking for, but I'm pretty sure I don't have it unless its something default which I could retrieve somehow. Any suggestions?

 

Hi,

You can look it up here.

http://www.phenoelit.de/dpl/dpl.html

Cheers

 

WPA will only work if all of your network adaptors also support it. Also make sure the box in the Authentication tab of the network properties dialog box is checked where is says "Enable IEEE 802.1x authentication for this network".

 

It's the password to acess the administration page of the router where you can change the settings. If the setup CD didn't ask you for a password to access the router, then it would still be the default (likely just "admin" for both username and password, as noted on the page SteveS335 linked). That's another reason to get there manually, there are exploits out there to exploit your router if it still has the default password. Once you're in the settings in the router you will see all the wireless settings all in one place, separate from all the other settings.

 

Thanks everyone for your help. The default username and password listed on the website given by steve worked so I ended up just configuring the network manually. Everything is setup correctly now. I disabled DHCP, set it to a static IP Address, enabled WPA with AES encryption alogrithm, and enabled MAC filtering. I left UPnP enabled so that uTorrent could connect properly with UPnP enabled in uTorrent. Is leaving UPnP enabled a signficant security risk or is it not that big of a deal? Anything else I'm missing?

 

While UPnP is convenient, it can possibly pose a security risk. The idea of UPnP is to make configuring things easy for the end-user by automating the task. A UPnP client sends the request to your router and automatically configures the necessary port forwarding, when the client is finished and the requirement is no longer needed, the port forwarding is turned off. The risk would be if something malicious is running on your computer with the UPnP capability, opening ports with the end-user totally unaware.

Configuring Port Forwarding manually isn't difficult, but the user will have to enable the forwarding when needed and disable it manually. Bookmark the advanced router page for quick access, and check/uncheck as necessary. If you choose to do the configuring manually, set uTorrent to use a static port rather than uTorrent randomizing the port. Options -> Preferences -> Connection --- Enter the preferred port number in the first box, then uncheck the randomize option and disable UPnP. Don't forget to disable to also disable UPnP in your routers advanced options. You will then need to create the Port Forwarding rule for your router (and software firewall) using the port you set in uTorrent.

If you need guidance setting up the rules give a shout and someone will gladly walk you through.

HTH