This is the problem, I am using True ADSL on a Mac using a Tactio Altera wireless router.

My laptop is not wireless enabled so I only use a cable connection, however I do connect wirelessly with my Palm.

I don't want others to be using my wireless connection so I went into the router config to protect it, but when I do, I cannot connect on my laptop anymore.

Can anyone shed any light on this for me please. I am quite new to wireless and just hoped i could apply a password in the router setup. Naiive? Any help much appreciated.

You should be able to access your router from the browser, usually url 192.168.1.1.

Logon to the router.

Check the options.

One will allow you to turn off the wireless, or at least secure it with encryption for use with the Palm

Look at the "WLAN" settings in the router you should find encryption/security features somewhere, try to see if you can do wpa protection (you need to provide an alphanum password of at least 8 characters). Then check it with your PDA, note that depending on your PDA you may or may not be able to connect with WPA encryption, then you will have to revert back to the less secure method : WEP.

WEP is easy to crack (and don't use foolish passwords like 123456789 ) but you need the right equipment to do so (a linux distro, and the right wireless adapter) and the computer knowledge to do this is not for beginners (so hopefully you may not encounter computer gurus where you live). Another thing too, WEP uses HEX type passwords wich means you can only use 0123456789 and the letters ABCDEF to make your password, i recommend 128bits encryption (well 112 in reality) and your password if i recall will be 26 chars long.

Good luck in securing your wireless connection .

Edit : Example of WPA password (FLk345tUvO89), Example of WEP password (18965ED58962AB698CCAAA) (without "(" and ")" )

You could also configure your router to only accept connections from your computer and laptop. You do this with MAC address filtering.

Chris

Open a browser window (e.g. Internet Explorer)

Enter "192.168.16.1", without the quotes

Enter "admin" for the user name, and "admin" for the password (again without the quotes, tip: change these ASAP.)

This takes you to the user interface for the management of your router.

Maybe look at "Access Management"? Or a "Wireless" tab. You should be able to find a radio button to "disable WiFi access".

Ok guys, thanks, I have been trying these things for a couple of days now and have finally cracked it. Appreciate your help. My palm is able to do wpa but for some reason when I set the router to that I can't connect with the laptop. Anyway, it is all done now so thanks again.

Just hoping on some level it might help with my speed if someone is using my connection, however, being a True customer, I doubt it.

You could also configure your router to only accept connections from your computer and laptop. You do this with MAC address filtering.

Chris

But don't fool yourself into thinking this is any sort of security. It's very easy to clone MAC addresses, thus allowing anyone access to your wireless network. Also, your data are still transmitted without any sort of encryptation and they are open to sniffing unless you have WEP or WPA enabled.

You could also configure your router to only accept connections from your computer and laptop. You do this with MAC address filtering.

Chris

But don't fool yourself into thinking this is any sort of security. It's very easy to clone MAC addresses, thus allowing anyone access to your wireless network. Also, your data are still transmitted without any sort of encryptation and they are open to sniffing unless you have WEP or WPA enabled.

Google Etherchange. Only 41K to download.

Nothing illegal in changing the MAC address.

I was on a cable system that was restricting access based on the MAC,

then the ethernet card blew up.

Installed a new one, but it would not until I used this little programme to set the MAC to the address of the old board.

Bubba is right MAC blocking alone is not enough, it is just another level to add on top of encryption.