How to Make My Unsecured Linksys Secure
By Erin McManaway
If you use a wireless Linksys router as the basis of your home network, you should secure the connection to prevent outside users from tapping into your Internet connection and having access to your shared files. Linksys routers provide a built-in dashboard where you can log in and change the settings on your router. This also allows you to place a security password on your network connection. Only people who have the security key will be able to make a wireless connection to your router.
Step 1
Open a Web browser on a computer that has a connection to your Linksys router.
Step 2
Type in the IP of your Linksys router in the browser’s address bar. By default, this IP will be “192.168.1.1”.
Step 3
Log in to your Linksys router using the administrator username and password. You may have assigned your own username and password when you installed your router. If you did not, the default administrator login for a Linksys router is a blank username and “admin” for the password.
Step 4
Navigate to the “Wireless” tab in the router setup menu.
Step 5
Click the “Wireless Security” sub-tab.
Step 6
Select “WEP” from the “Security Mode” drop-down menu and allow the page to refresh.
Step 7
Choose “64 bit” from the WEP encryption setting.
Step 8
Type your password into the “Passphrase” text box and click the “Generate” button. This will generate four different security keys.
Step 9
Write down “Key 1.” This is the key that you will use to connect to your router.
Step 10
Click “Save Settings” to complete the security setup of your Linksys router.
References
Tips
- You will need to configure each wireless computer or device to use the new security key before it will be able to connect to your router.
Writer Bio
Erin McManaway holds a B.A. in professional writing from Francis Marion University, where she earned the Richard B. Larsen Memorial Award for Business and Technical Writing. She has worked in materials development, media and information technology in the nonprofit sector since 2006. McManaway has also been a writer and editor since 2008.