How to Enable an Encryption on a Wireless Router

A wireless router is a networking device that acts as a gateway between your computer and your high-speed modem. It also acts as a wireless access point, or "WAP," allowing your wireless-enabled devices--such as laptops and video game consoles--to communicate with the router in order to access the Internet wirelessly. To prevent others from accessing your wireless router and "siphoning" your Internet service, you must implement the security and encryption options available on your wireless router.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Router URL Web browser Router's username and password

1. Enter the router's URL in your web browser. The settings of your wireless router are accessed through its own URL address. Entering this address into your web browser will cause your computer to communicate with the wireless router and load the router's main settings page. Use the computer on which you first installed your wireless router and open up any web browser. Type the router's address, found in the router's manual or on the manufacturer's website, then click "Go" or "Enter."

2. Type in the router's username and password. After you click "Go" or "Enter" in your web browser, a dialog box will appear in which you must type a username and password. The default username for most wireless routers is "admin," and the default password is "password," unless the password is blank. If you changed the password or username from the default ones when you first installed the wireless router, you must enter those instead of the defaults.

3. Click the security settings link. There are several links on the wireless router's main page that allow you to change your router's settings. Find and click the link for changing security settings. On this page you can change your wireless network's SSID from the default name (usually the brand name of the router) to a customized name, and you can secure your wireless network by enabling encryption.

4. Select an encryption type and create a password or passcode. Most routers offer two encryption types to secure your wireless network. WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy) is the least protective---and most outdated---encryption setting, as it provides the same minimal level of security offered by a wired connection. To log in, users must enter a numeric key. WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), is a more protective encryption setting and requires users to enter a alphanumeric password before they can log on to the wireless network. To set the password, simply type it into the textbox and again in the "Confirm Password" textbox.

5. Save your changes and log out. After making these changes in security settings, click "Save" or "Apply" before exiting the security settings menu. To log out of the wireless router, return to the main page and click the "Logout" link. You should note that if you leave the router's page open for more than five minutes, you may automatically be logged out.

Tips & Warnings

• Security changes you make to your wireless router will affect your wireless devices' ability to connect to it. Remember to change their settings to reflect the security changes you made to the router. Some wireless routers have more than one URL you can use to access the settings page. You can use whichever of these addresses you prefer. When you successfully load your router's settings page, save the URL as a bookmark in your browser so that you can easily access it the next time.

Resources

• Wi-Fi Alliance
• Microsoft.com--Strong Passwords and Password Security
• Microsoft.com--Wireless Network Security: Prevent Wireless Hijacking