what does securing the wireless network do? my signal used to be fine(11mbps low signal) but recently my status keeps saying 1mbps and no signal but i am connected and have like short periods where its runs fine(altho slowlike dialup) yet constantly says 1mbps and no signal. does adding a wep key or whatever it is also affect comps connected by ethernet cables? cause theres 2 comps connected to my wireless router but they arent mine and they dont have administator priviledges and i dont know who set them up so i cant do anything with them. some ppl say someone might be piggybacking my signal but unless they are right outside the building i dont see how. and i have a utility to see other wireless signals and thier channels and im on channel1 while others are on 6. past 4 pm and weekends no one uses or has acess to the 2 comps but i dont know if they are shutoff but that shouldnt matter right? the only thing between my laptop and my router is some walls and a floor.
im looking into getting a direcional antenna thing for my dlink router but i dont want to waste the money if it wont help. can anything on my laptop be messing with my incoming signal to confuse it or something or any tweaks i can mak to my laptop/wifi card(its built in)
Start by changing your ssid, then see if a similar machine is nearby, they would both come with the same ssid, and one can mask the other. If so change you channel. Then set encryption for your own protection. How did others get a wired connection to your router? You need to move the router to a better position if this does not cure the problem.
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i agree, change your network name (SSID) so that you can easily identify your network then set up a security key… wep keys will not affect computers connected to the router via ethernet…
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To secure your wireless netwrok, you have following choices:
1. Enable WEP -
2. Enable WPA-TKIP –
3. Enable WPA2-AES -
4. Enable MAC address filter — most secure one.
5. Change your AP’s SSID and enable “Hidden SSID”(or non-broadcasting SSID) – easiest one, and you need create configuration profile in client side manually, your AP’s SSID doesn’t show up in the “site survey(scan)” result.
Option 1-3 will slower your AP’s performance a little(5-20%), and if you don’t select key carefully, it’s still not safe.
I would say option4 is good enough for your situation.
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