Port Forwarding for the Actiontec R3010W-AP

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Setting up a secure wireless network with the Actiontec R3010W-AP

Open a web browser like internet explorer or Netscape. Enter the ip address of your router in the address bar of your browser. In the picture above the address bar has http://www.google.com in it. Just replace all of that with the ip address of your router. By default the ip address should be set to 192.168.0.1.

You should see a box prompting you for your username and password. Enter your username and password now. By default both the username and password are admin. Click the Ok button to log in to your router.

Click the Setup / Configuration link near the top of the page.

Click the Advanced Setup link near the left side of the page.

Click the Begin Advanced Setup button near the center of the page.

Click the Wireless Settings link near the left side of the page.

Turn on the option called Wireless.

In the box called ESSID put a name that you make up. You will need to remember this name because it will be used to connect to your wireless network. Do not make it obvious to guess, the network name should be difficult for your neighbors to guess. If you can not think of anything, simply use your first name.

In the box called Channel, pick a random channel number. Channels make it so that you and your neighbors can use your own wireless networks without interfering with each other. By picking a random channel you reduce the chance of your neighbor using the same channel as you.

Choosing your network security type can be challenging. Use the table below to help you decide which encryption type is best for you.

Security Strength	Encryption Type	Description
Best	WPA2	Stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access. This is the newest version of WPA, and is generally considered the most secure. However, most users do not have WPA2 available yet. If your router supports WPA2, and you are running Windows XP SP2, then this is most likely your best choice for security. WPA2 is generally not compatible with small, standalone devices like game consoles, MP3 players, phones, and cameras.
Excellent	WPA	Stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access and is generally the best choice right now for most users. If your router supports WPA, and you are running Windows XP SP2, then this is most likely your best choice for security. WPA2 is generally not compatible with small, standalone devices like game consoles, MP3 players, phones, and cameras.
Better than nothing	WEP - Open Key	Stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. This is the old security method and should only be used if WPA is not available to you. WEP comes in different bit lenghts, usually 64 bit (sometimes called 40 bit) and 128 bit. Pick the largest number that you see. There is no reason to use a small bit lenght anymore. Shared Key means that you must share your key (password) with other users before they can use your network.
Not secure	WEP - Shared Key	This version of WEP is generally considered not secure. Do not use it, unless it is your only choice.

Put a dot into the WEP radio button.

When you are finished, click the Next button.

Select Open from the Authentication Type drop down box.

Put a dot into the Key 1 radio button.

Select 128 bits from the Key 1 drop down box.

If you are using WPA

Now you need to make up a passphrase.

Your WPA key can be a plain text, human readable sentence. Make sure it is long, however, because recent hack attempts have exploited short WPA passphrases. Your WPA passphrase should be at least 30 letters long.

Onnce you have made up your passphrase, write it down somewhere. You will need it at each computer that you are going to connect to your network.

If you are using WEP

Now you need to make up your network key.

It doesn't matter what this key is, as long as it is random. A network key is a password that is 26 characters long, and made up of only the letters A,B,C,D,E,F and the numbers 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. If you are using 128 bit WEP, then your key must be exactly 26 characters long, and the more random it is, the better it is. Here is an example of a random 128 bit network key:

7F5B3FD23A8EC290AC682DF8FA

Onnce you have made up your key, write it down somewhere. You will need it at each computer that you are going to connect to your network.

Now put the key you made up in the box called Key 1.

When you are finished, click the Next button.

Click the Wireless Advanced Settings link near the left side of the page.

Turn off the option called SSID Broadcast. This turns off the broadcast of your networks name making it more difficult for other people to find your network. You do not want to broadcast your networks name.

When you are finished, click the Next button.

Click the Save and Restart link near the left side of the page.

When you're finished, click Save and Restart near the center of the screen to save your changes.

And that's it! You're done!

Wireless Filters

Now that you have secured your wireless network, you may want to check out our guides on how to setup some wireless filters. Filters will help keep people out of your network who are smart enough to figure out your wireless keys. Wireless filters are the final step in securing your network. A wireless filter guide for your router is located here.

Connecting to your Secure Wireless Network

You may want to read our guide on how to Configure Windows XP to connect to your wireless network.