Tag Archives: Router

Computers Internet Networking

How to reset and secure my wireless router?

April 30, 2011 – 12:00 am

Q.

I was wondering if you could please help me!

I was trying to configure my wireless settings so that they are secure for all of my computers. However, I completely messed everything up! I don’t remember exactly what I did…just that I need a REDO button! I am able to connect wirelessly from my desktop computer, however, when trying to connect from my laptop, it says that it is unable to connect. I think the settings on my laptop have been messed up…and maybe it would be better to just reinstall the router?? My “dlink” connection is available but it will not let me connect. I was wondering if you could please help me.

My router is a DIR-615

The only thing I remember about what I did was that it printed the following when I tried changing things so my network was secure:

Wireless Settings
Network Name (SSID): Wagner
Network Key (WEP/WPA Key): ***********
Key Provided Automatically (802.1x): 0
Network Authentication Type: WPAPSK
Data Encryption Type: TKIP
Connection Type: ESS

A.

On the back of the router will be a small reset button, usually recessed into the plastic.  Using a paper clip, a pen, or something similar, depress the button for a full 30 seconds.  This will reset the router to it’s factory default.

As far as the D-Link software goes, if it were me, I’d uninstall it from the computer(s).  You do not need the D-Link software to access the router’s configuration, you just need to enter it’s IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.268.2.1) in a web browser.

As far as security goes – there is no such thing as a “secure” wireless connection, but there are steps you can take to make it very hard to crack.  Most important is using WPA for the encryption, and making the password as long as you can, using “special” characters (things like -’><}{][|\)(*&^%$#@!, etc…) – this will make it extremely hard for someone to crack. In your example (which I blanked out with *’s), you were using all numbers for the Network Key. NEVER use all letters or all numbers for a password with wireless – it makes it simple to crack. ALWAYS use a mix (something like “!a1^b2^c3!”).

Hope that helps.

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Computers Internet Networking

What’s the best way to link two computers to one modem, without using a router?

March 26, 2011 – 3:27 pm

Q.

My brother works at home and uses a VPN and needs to be directly plugged into the modem, making the router useless. This sucks cause that means I can’t use the Internet while he’s working. Is there any two ported modems or anyway to both use the Internet at the same time?

A.

The router is not useless, it just needs to be set up with port-forwarding to direct the VPN traffic directly to his PC. If he’s using VPN, I would assume there is some type of tech support at his company that should be able to give him the information required to set this up.

If not, another option is using an Ethernet switch – it’s the Internet equivalent of a phone line splitter. As long as the modem supports DHCP (which most residential Cable and DSL modems do), this will work just as well.

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Computers Internet Networking

What is a good router for multiple computers and a PS3?

December 19, 2010 – 1:31 pm

Q.
My router sucks! I want to be able to play PS3 without lagging. I want a router where I can be on the computer or laptop and on the PS3 without the connection being interrupted. What would be a good router for this?

A.
Using multiple connected devices will cause any router to lag a little, but a cheap router will definitely have more of an issue. What you need is a decent router that has QoS abilities.

QoS (Quality of Service) is just a fancy way of saying “load balancing” – making sure no single device gets priority over the others. QoS can also be tailored to give a specific device priority over others.

Most Linksys routers are capable of decent QoS on their own, it’s simply a matter of setting it up properly. The best solution though, in my opinion, is using a router with the DD-WRT firmware.

DD-WRT is free, and can turn an off-the-shelf router into a workhorse router. You can check out their site to see which router models will support DD-WRT. Personally, I’ve had the best luck with the Linksys WRT610N.

Another option that might work (or might not, depends on what router you have) is to put the PS3′s IP address in the router’s DMZ. You’ll have to look at the documentation for your router to see if it supports DMZ (most do).

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