Setting up a secure wireless network with the AirLink+ RT210W.

View all Router Screenshots.

Open a web browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox. Enter the internal IP address of your router in the address bar of your browser. If you do not know your routers internal IP address please read our How To Find Your Routers IP Address guide.

In the picture above the address bar has http://www.google.com in it. Just replace all of that with the internal IP address of your router. By default the IP address should be set to 192.168.1.1.

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

Please visit our Default Router Passwords page if the username and password shown above do not work for you.

Click the Wireless LAN link near the top of the page.

In the box called SSID 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.

Select Closed from the Network Type drop down box.

When you are finished, click the Apply button.

Click the Wireless LAN Security link near the top of the page.

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.

Select WEP from the Data Encryption drop down box.

Select Optional from the Shared Key Authentication 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 Network Key 1.

Select 1 from the Current Network Key drop down box.

When you're finished, click Apply near the bottom 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.

Open a web browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox. Enter the internal IP address of your router in the address bar of your browser. If you do not know your routers internal IP address please read our How To Find Your Routers IP Address guide.

In the picture above the address bar has http://www.google.com in it. Just replace all of that with the internal IP address of your router. By default the IP address should be set to 192.168.1.1.

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

Please visit our Default Router Passwords page if the username and password shown above do not work for you.

Click the Wireless LAN link near the top of the page.

Put a dot into the MAC Address Access Control Allow radio button.

Now you need to know the MAC address of every device that you want to Allow access to. You can find the MAC address of a computer by following our MAC Address instructions. After you have found the MAC address of the computer you want to Allow, type the MAC address into the MAC Address section of your router.

When you're finished, click Apply near the bottom of the screen to save your changes.

And that's it! You're done!