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1. ADSL Wireless Router Security - Netgear D834G Routers.
1. Netgear D834G Router
2. ZyXEL 600 Series (Newtel)
3. Speedtouch 586 (Cable & Wireless)
4.3 Com Routers
Connecting to Wireless Network from a Laptop
Introduction
The very first thing you should do after installing a Router is change the default password. Without doing this everything else becomes a waste of time because all makes of router have a default username and password pre-installed and these are very widely known. For eg the username for most netgear routers out of the box is “admin” and the password is “password”, it's that simple. Buffalo, Linksys etc have similar setups see this site for a complete list of all default router user/passwords.
http://www.phenoelit.de/dpl/dpl.html
Anybody with access to your machine can log into the router and set it up to allow remote access in minutes, from there your network is an open book.
There are two types of Wireless Encryption, WEP (Wireless Equivalent Privacy) and WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre Shared Key). WEP is easy to break remotely and is not secure, it's just a straight password. WPA is a lot more sophisticated and should be used if at all possible. How to Set up Secure Wireless using WPA Encryption
1. Netgear D834G Series Routers
1. First get to your Router's set up screen, via a web browser, enter your router address ie 192.168.0.1 then enter the username and password when prompted. Default Username is "admin" Default Password is "password".
Once logged in you will see this configuration screen, if it does not appear disable your firewall and try again, the router has a built in firewall so don't worry too much just re-enable your firewall when you are finished with the configuration.
If its a new out of the box router go through the basic Setup Wizard to set up into your internet connection, just follow the wizard and supply your login and password (the one provided by your ISP for the account). If its already on line and in use click here
2. If you are using the default password change it, log out then back in again before you do anything else, scroll down the left window look for "set password" click on that, change the password use about 10 characters numbers and letters (all lower case) then click "apply" you will then have to log back in using your new password. The user name is always "admin". To stress this it is nothing to do with your ISP login or your Wireless Security password a router left in default password is an easy hack for somebody like me to take over your router - therefore your network - then I own your machine - change it.
3. When logged back into the router configuration screen go click on Wireless Settings in the left pane to get the setup screen below. Set up as follows.
The SSID (System Service Identifier) box contains the name your Wireless Access Point calls itself when offering a connection, you can leave this as default but its better to change it to something suitable, for eg I have a lot of routers about the place so I usually give them a simple name and channel number as the SSID so I know which one I am looking at. Do not use spaces in your new name, this can cause problems for some devices you may wish to connect later. Then ensure that “Broadcast SSID” is enabled, we will turn this off when finished, it should only be set to broadcast for setting up, if its left on it is announcing the presence of a Wireless Access Point to anyone in range but right now its needed to be switched on. You may also like to change the channel number, everybody leaves routers on default wireless channel, change it to something else to avoid interference from nearby routers.
4. Scroll down the centre pane now to secutiy options and select the WPA-PSK option then put a pass phrase into the network key box, 8 to 63 characters, put in a phrase you can remember but not a well known quotation. The phrase is not the actual password, it is used to generate a key, the longer the phrase the stronger the key.
NB - If you have no WPA option on your router either buy a new one (because it's obsolete without WPA) or go to the manufacturer's website and download, install the latest firmware.
Next click “Apply “ Once you have done this log out of your router and shut down to desktop, the "logout" command is at the bottom of the left hand scroll bar. When back on desktop re-boot your router, easiest way is to pull the power, count 10 and plug it back in again then wait until it loads up and connects to the internet, confirm it is OK by going online to check.
Thats it for now with the router, next you have to get connected to the internet via the wireless router using the WPA passphrase you just entered so fire up your Laptop or Wireless PC then go to Connecting to Wireless Network and follow the instructions. Come back to this page after you get a working wireless connection set up and running and follow part 2.
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Part 2 Netgear Routers
You can now set your router up so it will only accept connections from specific wireless devices, any other connection will be refused even if the device has the correct passphrase. This is optional but it is a good extra security measure to have, if you don't want to do this skip to Disable SSID to complete the setup.
1. Log back into the router configuration screen then select Wireless Settings as in part one of the setup where you entered the passphrase. This time select the "Setup Access List" button. NB you must have your Laptop switched on and connected wirelessly for this to work. 
2. OK this is a bit complicated, first tick the "Turn Access Control on" box then look at the Available Wireless Stations box. You should see your Laptop Wireless Connection listed, mine is called "TESTBOX2" next to it will be the MAC address which every wireless device has and is unique to that particular device. So what you need to do is tell the router to allow your Wireless Station and refuse all others but allow the ones you specify as trusted.
Click the button in "Available Wireless Stations" to select your Laptop connection then click on "Add" 
3. The device will now move up into the "Trusted Wireless Stations" box at the top as shown and will be allowed to connect to the router. Once it is added click "Apply" when you do this you will probably be asked to re-enter your router username "admin" and password to confirm this change. Once done log out of the router config screen and reboot your Laptop and your PC. Check the Laptop reconnects to your router and can go online after reboot is complete and the connection is re-established. You can add any other device using the same method, there is no limit.
6. Disable SSID Netgear
The SSID (Service Set Identifier) is what the Router broadcasts to announce its presence to the world, anybody can pick this up and connect to your wireless connection. With WPA security keys and access controls as above it is very very difficult but not impossible, once your network is operating you do not need it broadcasting any more so switch it off. People can still find your wireless broadcast but it needs far more sophisticated equipment and software to do so.
Log back into the router configuration screen then select Wireless Settings as in part one of the setup where you entered the wireless passphrase. Now untick the "Allow Broadcast of Name (SSID) box", click on "Apply and log out of your router configuration. Reboot PC and Laptop, make sure the connection is established and you can go on line. If you want to add more devices to your router you must re-enable SSID whilst you do it then disable it again when completed.
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7. Disable SSID (ESSID) ZyXEL
The SSID (Service Set Identifier) is what the Router broadcasts to announce its presence to the world, anybody can pick this up and connect to your wireless connection. With WPA security keys and access controls as above it is very very difficult but not impossible, once your network is operating you do not need it broadcasting any more so switch it off. People can still find your wireless broadcast but it needs far more sophisticated equipment and software to do so.
Log back into the router configuration screen then select Wireless LAN > Wireless as in the router setup. Now use the dropdown box next to "Hide ESSID" and change it to "Yes". Close down the browser then Reboot PC and Laptop, make sure the connection is established and you can go on line. If you want to add more devices to your router you must re-enable ESSID whilst you do it then disable it again when completed.
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Part 2 Speedtouch 585 Routers (Cable & Wireless)
You can now set your router up so it will only accept connections from specific wireless devices, any other connection will be refused even if the device has the correct passphrase.
1. Log into your router setup screen by opening a browser and typing 192.168.1.254 into the address bar then press the return key. This will bring up the following screen Look at the bottom for Home Network and click on the "Wireless" link then click on Configure top right as in the first part of the setup where you entered the passphrase etc. NB you must have your Laptop switched on and connected wirelessly for this section to work.
Look in the Security Section where it says "New Stations are Allowed" and use the drop down to change this to "Not Allowed" as shown. if you want to connect another wireless device in future you have to re-enable this first, connect up then select "not allowed" again.
Finally uncheck the box marked "Broadcast Network Name" then select "Apply" and log out of the configuration. 
This router is now as secure as it can be, reboot your Laptop first and ensure it will still connect automatically.
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