How to Remove WEP From a Westell DSL Router

Routers allow multiple computers to share a single Internet connection by managing the influx and output of data to the modem. Computers that use the router may do so either by connecting to it physically via an Ethernet cable, or much more commonly these days, through a wireless connection. Since wireless connections can be picked up and used by anyone, individual wireless routers utilize WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, a password that is required to access the wireless network.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Open your Start menu located at the bottom left of your screen. Select the "Run" icon, and in the dialog box that appears type "cmd" (without quotation marks) and press "OK."

2. A command line box should appear. Type "ipconfig /all" and press "Enter." Write down the values for your Default Gateway (this is usually 192.168.x, where x is different for various users depending on the router).

3. Open your Internet browser, which in many cases is Internet Explorer. In the address bar, enter the value of the default Gateway you found in Step 2 and press "Enter." You will be prompted to enter a username and password. If you have not changed these values before, the default should be "admin" (without quotations) for both the username and password. Press "OK" when done.

4. You will be taken to the configuration and setup page for your Westell router. On the left side of the window there will be a navigation pane. Click on Wireless Settings, which will bring you to the security access page for your router.

5. In the Encryption area of this page, locate the drop down box that is currently set to WEP. Click on the box to show more encryption options, and select "None." Click on Click on "Save Settings" at the bottom of the page, and restart your computer.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to change your router's username and password settings from the default, since other people may be able to change settings without your knowledge.
• Removing WEP encryption allows others to access your wireless Internet network, which may result in other stealing your broadband connection and causing slow browsing speeds.

Resources

• Official Westell Company Website