Technically Easy

Category: Networking

Posts that discuss networking hardware, such as routers, switches, and network adapters can be found under this category.

  • How to Reset the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router

    How to Reset the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router

    One of the most popular pages on Technically Easy is the post titled Securing Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router. In that post I outlined the steps needed to secure these particular wireless broadband routers to maintain your wireless network security.

    The one problem I didn’t mention is how to reset the router back to the factory defaults. You may need to do this if you forget your router’s password or made a mistake and you can’t connect to the router. In this post I’ll outline two methods you can follow to reset your Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G router.

    Reset Button

    Note:

    Resetting the router to the factory defaults will delete any changes you have made to the router, including any security settings. This should be used as a last resort.

    The first method involves simply pressing a button located on the back of the router. The image below (courtesy of Linksys) shows where the button is located.

    Linksys WRT54G Reset Button Location
    Linksys WRT54G Reset Button Location

    To reset your router, use the following steps:

    1. Press the reset button for 30 seconds.

      2. The settings should now be returned to the factory default settings, meaning any changes you had made would be deleted.

    2. Open up your Web browser and enter “192.168.1.1” in the address bar.
    3. For the login, leave a blank ID and enter “admin” as the password.

    The router has now been reset. Follow the steps in Securing Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router to secure your router and for securing a Linksys wireless network.

    Through the Web Administration Pages

    The second method involves logging into the Web administration pages of the router. Use the following steps to reset the router using this method:

    1. Open your Web browser and enter the IP address of your router. By default, the address is “192.168.1.1”.
    2. Enter your user ID And password when prompted. Hopefully this has been changed, but if it hasn’t, the default is no ID and “admin” as the password.
    3. At the top of the Web page, click “Administration” and then “Factory Defaults”.
    4. Beside “Restore Factory Defaults”, click “Yes”.
    5. Now click the “Save Settings” button at the bottom of the Web page.

    Your WRT54G wireless router should now be reset to the factory defaults. Ensure you follow the steps outlined in Securing Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router to secure your router and for securing a Linksys wireless network.

    Summary

    This post has provided two methods you can use to reset your Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G router. If you are having problems with your router, try to reset the Linksys WRT54G to the factory defaults, and then make the changes again and see if the router starts working again.

    You should also consider using a VPN once you have reset your router. Over at VPNTeacher.com you can find out how to install and use a VPN on your computer.

  • DNS Issue when Accessing a Web Page

    I recently experienced a problem that looked like a DNS error. The error appeared in the web browser after trying to load a Web page. I have never seen the error message before, but after reading the message it was easy to determine it had to do with domain name servers.

    After doing some testing, and then research, I was able to find a solution to the problem.

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  • Types of Broadband Internet Access

    I remember when I first connected to the Internet I used a 56Kbps modem over the phone line. Back then, that was considered fast as many users were using 14.4Kbps or 288Kbps modems. Since then, however, the Internet has evolved and so has the connection methods.

    In this post I explain broadband, and the various types of options available to a home user. This post will not touch on all options, but it will explain the types of connections currently common today.

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  • Different Methods of Connecting Multiple Computers to One Internet Connection

    One of my most popular posts is titled Connecting Multiple Computers to Broadband which explains how to connect a router to your modem to allow many computers to connect to your Internet connection. The post explained the simplest method of connection multiple computers, but there are other ways to connect multiple computers.

    I will explain several other methods that you can use to connect computers to one Internet connection.

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  • Wireless Security: WEP and WPA

    I have written several posts with regards to securing your wireless network connection. In many of those posts I have talked about choosing WPA over WEP, and briefly explained why I do that. In a post titled Network Glossary of Terms I provided a simple definition for both security protocols.

    I have decided to expand on those definitions by providing a more information post about WEP and WPA. Hopefully, this post will help you better understand how a wireless network is secure.

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  • Network Glossary of Terms

    I have written several posts regarding networking your home computers to the Internet. With more and more people using broadband as their Internet connection, it is becoming more common to see home LANs to allow multiple computers to connect to one Internet connection. To setup a network, it is also important to understand some of the terminology used so you have a better understanding of what is involved in establishing a home LAN.

    In this post I will provide a glossary of networking terms (alphabetically) that you will see when creating a home network. This will be helpful when you configure your router but are unsure of a specific networking term.

    Networking Terminology

    AES – An acronym for Advanced Encryption Standard. A symmetric encryption algorithm used to protect data. This is aimed at replacing DES. It is one of the encryption options for a wireless network when WPA or WPA2 is used.

    DHCP – An acronym for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. This is a communications protocol that allows network administrators manage and automate the assignment of IP addresses through a network. Every time a device connects to the network with DHCP it can be assigned a different address.

    DNS – An acronym for Domain Name System. This is a system that translates the Internet domain names into their respective IP addresses. This information is usually stored in a database and a service will then lookup the IP address for a specific domain name. When an address is type in a Web browser, a DNS lookup is performed to find the actual IP address.

    Gateway – A network point that acts as the entrance to another network. The router acts as the gateway to your local network, when you access the Internet through the router.

    IP Address – Short name for Internet Protocol Address. This is a series of four numbers separated by dots, for example 192.168.1.1. Every computer connected to a network has its own unique IP address.

    LAN – An acronym for Local Area Network. This is a network that covers a small, local area such as a home or office. A LAN network can be configured to transfer data at a high rate of speed.

    SSID – An acronym for Service Set Identifier. A unique keyword of up to 32 characters (letters or numbers) that a wireless network card can connect to. For home users, this identifier can be set within a wireless router. This SSID of a wireless network can be broadcast to all computers within range of the signal to allow the computers to connect to the network.

    TKIP – An acronym for Temporal Key Integrity Protocol. A security protocol designed to replace WEP on wireless networks without replacing legacy hardware. If can select TKIP when you specify WPA within your wireless router.

    WAN – An acronym for Wide Area Network. Unlike a LAN, a WAN covers a much larger geographical area, and is usually comprised of one or more LANs.

    WEP – An acronym for Wired Equivalency Protocol. A security protocol that provides a minimal level of security for a wireless network. It has flaws that skilled hackers can exploit. Use WPA if both your router and computers of capable of using it.

    WPA – An acronym for Wi-Fi Protected Access. This is a replacement data encryption method that replaces the much weak WEP protocol. It is an improvement over WEP because it uses dynamic keys when encrypting the data. This is done by utilizing TKIP to encrypt the data.

  • Securing the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router

    Securing the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router

    I discussed establishing good wireless network security in a post titled Securing a Wireless Network, but now I will discuss securing the Linksys WRT54G wireless-G router. I currently have a Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G router. When I work from home I use this router to connect to work through VPN, and have done it without any problems. It has made a great cable router for my broadband connection.

    The big issue with wireless networks is security. As anyone with a wireless network card within a few hundred feet of your router can connect to your router. To prevent this from happening, it is important to secure your router.

    Securing the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router

    Note:

    If you need to reset your router back to the factory defaults, then please read How to Reset the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router.

    To secure your Linksys WRT54G wireless router, follow these steps:

    1. Open your Internet browser and enter the following in the address bar: http://192.168.1.1.

      2. Note:

      If you have changed the IP address of your wireless router, enter that into the address bar. By default, the address is 192.168.1.1.

    2. Enter the user ID and password for your router. If you haven’t changed it, the default password is “admin”. We will change it later if you haven’t already changed it.
    3. You should now see the “Basic Setup” Web page display in your browser. Scroll down the page until you see “Maximum Number of DHCP Users”.

      4. This option will assign a specific number of IP address to computers. If more than this number of computers tries to connect to your router, they will not be able to.

    4. Count the number of computers that will connect to the router, and type it into the “Maximum Number of DHCP Users textbox”.
    5. Scroll down to the bottom of the Web page and click “Save Settings”. Once the settings have been saved, click “Continue” to return to the Web page.
    6. At the top of the Web page, click the “Administration” option in the menu bar.
    7. On the “Management” Web page, you should see two password text boxes. This is where you should change your administrative password. Type in a new secure password into both boxes. If you need help creating a secure password, please read Creating Secure Passwords.
    8. Once you have changed your password, click “Save Settings” at the bottom of the Web page.
    9. You may be prompted to login again, if you are then enter you new password in the password field.
    10. Navigate back to the “Management” Web page by clicking the “Administrative” option in the menu.
    11. We will now encrypt your connection to your router setup from your computer. To do this click the “HTTPS” checkbox next to the “Access Server” option.
    12. Once again, click the “Save Settings” button at the bottom of the Web page.

      13. You won’t get the settings saved page again because the URL in the address bar is not longer correct. Since you have changed your connection to HTTPS, it you need to specify that in the address when you connect to the router setup.

    13. In your browser, change the address to: https://192.168.1.1.

      14. If you get a security error, ignore the error and continue to the Web page.

    14. Login with your password and then click the “Wireless” menu option.
    15. Beside the “Wireless Network Name (SSID)” option, type in a name for you network connection.
    16. Click the “Save Settings” button and the “Continue” button to return to the “Basic Wireless Settings” page.
    17. Click the “Wireless Security” sub-menu option at the top of the page. This is where we will provide the most important security setting.
    18. Next to “Security Mode”, select “WPA – Personal” from the drop-down list. If you have trouble connecting to your wireless connection, you can try selecting “WEP”, but your connection will be much less secure. For more information about WEP and WPA please read Wireless Security: WEP and WPA.
    19. Next to “WPA Algorithms”, select “AES”. Once again if you have trouble connecting to your wireless router, select “TKIP”.
    20. Now you must get very creative. Specify a long “WPA Shared Key” with a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and punctuation. Once again, please read Creating Secure Passwords for tips on how to do this. In this case the longer the better.

      21. Make sure you write down this key somewhere, either on a piece of paper or in a text document on your computer. You will need this information when you connect to your wireless network.

    21. Click the “Save Settings” button at the bottom of the Web page, and then the “Continue” button.

    Now you are all done securing your wireless router and network. All you need to do is connect to your network, and enter your “WPA Shared Key” exactly as you specified it. I won’t go into detail on how to connect to your wireless network, as I will save that for another post.

    Wireless Router Security Connection Questions

    Question: How come we didn’t disable the SSID broadcast? Won’t that help with securing my wireless connection?

    Answer: It has been mentioned many times that disabling your SSID broadcast will help secure your network. The reality is that those who attempt to get into your wireless network will be able to easily pick up or SSID whether it is broadcasted or not.

    You may also have problems connecting to your wireless router if you disable the broadcasting of your SSID. I keep it enabled.

    Question: Why don’t you filter who connects to your wireless router using the MAC address by turning on MAC address filtering?

    Answer: This is another tip you may see on the Internet about securing your wireless network. There are a few problems with turning on the MAC address filtering.

    The first problem is that a hacker can easily spoof a MAC address, and therefore bypass the MAC filtering. The second is that you need to manage the MAC addresses of all network cards attempting to connect to your router. Since it really doesn’t provide a lot of security, it is just easier to keep it turned off.

    Question: Why do you specify to use WPA – Personal first, and not WEP?

    Answer: The reason is that WPA is much more secure than WEP, and therefore you should use that security mode over WEP. An experienced hacker can easily crack WEP encryption so it doesn’t provide as strong security as WPA. If you can’t use WPA, use WEP because it is still better than nothing.

    After following the steps, you should now be confident knowing that you have established a good wireless network security which provides a secure Internet connection through your Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G router.

  • Connecting Multiple Computers to Broadband

    Broadband, or high-speed, Internet connection is what many users currently use in their home. Along with high-speed Internet, many users may also use a router to allow multiple computers to connect to the Internet. This post will describe how a router is used to connect multiple computers. To make it easier to understand, I will use where you live as a comparison to how your computer is connected to the Internet.

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