Security Question

[Lockjaw]

I have a linksis wireless G router that I connect to the home network on my laptop. It runs a Cat 5 cable to the firewall, then the cable modem. My connection is encrypted between the laptop and the wireless router.

Question is, can someone hack in through my cat 5 to my router, or does it have a built in firewall? Do I need some sort of firewall?

What if there is another wireless network in the house? I want to be hacker proof enough to seriously frustrate someone.

[sixpac]

both routers and modems [most modems] come as plug and play, you would not believe the amount of open access networks.

do yourself a favor and setup security on both with strong passwords and security settings, for wireless networks use ' PSK' [pre shared key] with 8 digits or more.

really good forum for learning how to http://www.dslreports.com/forums/all

[sho305]

I looked into this too. First get a router that has a firewall some don't, then that protects you from the net much better, it protects from anything from the modem. Then set up the wireless with security, use the WPA security and enter a long password not in the dictionary, this guy says 21 digits http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/unwired/the-difference-between-wep-and-wpa-20092

I put nearly a sentence in mine with assorted numbers too. Then not sure it matters that much, but I turned off the broadcasting the SSID. IIRC if someone drives by your house with a sniffer they don't see the network. However when you turn on the laptop you have to tell it to look for the network and it will find it, it does not automatic connect. I did see mine blink some after that I need to check it, I think my desktop was asking who was out there but now is not doing it. I only use that laptop once in a while, had wireless turned off until I got it as the other PCs are cat5. But I don't have many people that could get on mine in range, and it would look pretty funny if they stopped in front of the house anyway. Also put it in the basement that will give the lowest range, I only need it to work in the house or very close to it. They say to change the SSID name to something strange too so nobody can guess it.

I forget the page, but I searched up a nice page at the time told how to do it step by step and what everything was for. Its not that hard, the WPA is the better security and most of what keeps others out. I also put the MAC address of the laptop in the router and set a list to allow only those addresses on the network. Do an 'ipconfig' in run/command window on the laptop to find the mac physical address, enter it in the router list. That should also make it harder for anyone to get on it.

Also the router I have, the manufacturer has a nice page that walks right through everything.