Home network help... need to make a password!?

Hi there! :)


There is currently a home network set up over at my house.


But the problem is, I'd like to add a password to it.


I had it before, but then we had router problems... I tried setting up a new network but my laptop won't connect to it... it says it's out of range...


I have Windows XP on both my laptop and the main computer downstairs.


I just want to add a password so my neighbours won't steal our internet connection! Lol. Right now it's "default", unsecured... basically like a blank network I guess.





Is there software that will help me with it? Or is it just a preference I need to change?? I don't want any bad software please, just maybe a network manager?





Thanks in advance!! :)

Home network help... need to make a password!?
If you log into your router from the computer that is hooked upto it directly, then you can use WEP encryption, which is basically adding a password. Usually you would do this simply be typing the IP address into Interent Explorer. Try 192.168.0.1 which is pretty standard. If that doesn't work, then you would want to look at your manual. From there, you would most likely click on a security tab and then select WEP encryption. If you do 64 bit encryption, you would just need to enter a 10 digit password and then reenter it. Once you have done that, you would want to save and restart the router.





Then on your laptop, you would double click on the wireless icon in the systray, which is in the lower right corner of your screen by the clock. It looks like a computer with radio waves coming out of it. Then click on properties, wireless networks, add, then type the name of your network, which yours is "default", uncheck the box at the bottom where it says the key will be provided automatically, then enter the same password you entered into the router in the first paragraph. Then click on OK. Your network should now be password protected.
Reply:Type in the IP address of your router into your browser. From there find the option to use WEP to secure the connection.





Dont know the IP address?





Start


Run


Type cmd in the box


from the command line type


ipconfig /all





The default gateway will be the IP address of your router
Reply:An unsecure network is the one whose connections are not encrypted. Network connections are made secure by encrypting. Encrypting needs to set up a key. Which ever system which needs to connect to this secure network will need to provide that key to connect. So, create a network encryption key.