How do I secure an unsecured wireless router?

[plonker]

Exactly as the title says

My Belkin-G-Plus-Mimo router is currently unsecured and I want to secure it. How do I do it?

Hope someone can help - TIA

Cheers LG

The router is connected directly to the laptop (which can't be accessed because the charger isn't working ) and I am accessing the internet via my notebook.

Do I need to do the above via the laptop or can I do it via the notebook?

I don't know what a URL is - how do I connect?

paste 192.168.1.1 into the http: bit at the top. took me ages to work out that i had to do that with my belkin router

There are three main elements to securing a Wireless network. For all of them you'll need to follow the instructions for the router but they all should be supported.

The first, and most important, thing to do is to encrypt the connections. That might be referred to as a WEP or WPA key (WPA is better) and is something you'll enter into your router and any device that wants to connect wirelessly with it.

The second is that you can usually lock a router down to only accept connections from a set list of devices using their MAC address (that's got nothing to do with Mac computers).

A final quick thing to do is to stop the router broadcasting it's name (SSID). Do that once a machine has already made and stored a connection to the router or enter the name on a machine when it makes it's first connection.

There are ways around all of these things, however each one in turn just makes a hackers life that little bit trickier and will hopefully make them go somewhere else.

Oh and turning off the router when you don't use it is also a good and bullet proof idea.

If your notebook has no ethernet cable facility, then getting a replacement charger for the laptop is a high priority.

If you do something wrong from the notebook when setting the wifi to be more secure, it will lock out your notebook from even using the web, and bang goes MN (or searching online for a replacement charger for the laptop).

Is there no friend or relation who has a computer they can loan you to have a connection via cable to the router - it really does help when you are testing your settings, to know you are able to change the router settings whether your wifi devices are locked out or not...

Oh yes, that power button is a great defence in the meantime. Just switch the unit off whenever you are out or asleep.

I noticed one of the recent Netgear models (DG834G cost me 40 quid + delivery at Misco.co.uk) has a push-button on the side of the case for someone to disable wi-fi without needing to go through the router console pages.

Handy if you have teenagers and want them to sleep not chatter all night!