How to Restrict Access to a Wireless Network

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Chris Bryce, with superservice.com. I'd like to talk to you about how to restrict access to a wireless network. Now, the first thing to keep in mind with your wireless network is we need to make sure and get the IP address or the web site address for the web based configuration program that will change the settings on that wireless router. Now, for NetGear routers or newer NetGear routers that address is going to be www.routerlogin.net, but for most other routers out there it's going to be an IP address based web page. Now, that IP address normally is 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. Now, once you get to the router configuration page some routers make you enter in an user name and password right away just upon entering the page. Other routers, like the one that we're going to show in the example make sure that you enter in a user name and password only when you're actually going to change a setting or change a configuration. For this router we're going to be going to 192.168.1.15. Once we get to the configuration page we're going to select configuration from the top, and then go down to wireless and wireless security. Here, we're going to select the type of wireless security that's going to be used. I always recommend using WEP encryption, so we're going to select WEP, and then below that we'll enter in a key or pass phrase that's going to be used to access the wireless network. On this example, we're going to use 12345. This can be a five to ten digit password or pass phrase or if you use 64 bit it, or if you use 128-bit encryption which is a tougher security measure then you'd use either a thirteen or twenty six digit pass phrase or key. Once you enter this in we're going to hit save, and then it may ask for that user name and password. Once you've saved it you're then going to go and restart the router, or it may restart automatically in most cases. Then the next time that you want to connect to that wireless network it's going to ask you for that same pass phrase or key that you entered in a minute ago, and you'll be able to connect and restrict access to that wireless network."