How to make Wi-Fi secure. Other options for restricting access. Enabling MAC Address Filtering

Securing your private WiFi network is the most important aspect when creating a HomeGroup. The fact is that the access point has a fairly large range of action, which can be taken advantage of by attackers. What to do to prevent this? How to protect a private wireless network from attacks by unscrupulous people? This is exactly what this article will discuss.

How to protect your home WiFi networks

Before moving on to the question of how to protect your private home WiFi network, you should understand how it works. So, to organize a home wireless network, as a rule, a router is used, which acts as an access point. In order to become a member of the group you need to connect to it.

This suggests that to protect confidential information, it is necessary to deny access to the router to unauthorized people. How it's done? There are several points here:

• A long and complex password to enter the router settings menu.
• A strong password for connecting to a Wi-Fi network.
• Selecting a secure encryption type.
• Using a MAC filter.
• Access settings in the operating system.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of security settings. This is necessary, since protecting the confidentiality of the Wi-Fi network depends on it. However, most of them are in the router settings.

So, let's look at all these points in order.

WiFi network protection: Video

Key to enter the router settings menu

Since almost all security settings are set in the router, we need to come up with a complex password to enter the settings system. In addition, a login is used here, which must also be original and complex. How to do it?

First of all, it is worth noting that each router has a different interface, but the principle of operation is almost the same for all. We will look at how to change the router login password using the D-LinkDIR-615 model as an example.

First, connect to the router wirelessly or via cable. After that, open a browser and enter the address of your router in the address bar. It is indicated on the bottom cover of the device, as well as in the instructions.

How to easily find out the IP address of a WiFi router: Video

In the overwhelming majority, this is the following address - 192.168.0.1 (the following addresses can also be used - 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.2.1).

After entering the address, the system will prompt you to enter your login and password. Initially specified as admin, admin respectively. It is these values ​​that will now need to be changed, since the manufacturer uses an insecure login and key so that the user can easily enter the settings and change the data at his discretion.

After entering, press “Enter”. Here we are in the router settings menu. At the bottom of the screen you need to click “Advanced settings”. Several additional sections will appear, among which you need to find “System” and select “Administrator Password” in it. This is the very key that we need to change.

In the window that appears, you just need to enter a new password and confirm it. Next, just click “Apply”. This completes the process of changing the key, and now the security of your home wireless WiFi network has become higher.

How to find out the password for your WiFi connection in the router settings: Video

Please note that this router model does not allow you to change the administrator login. However, devices from other manufacturers or even just other models allow you to set any login to log into the system.

Wi-Fi network key

A very important parameter on which the protection of information in Wi-Fi networks depends is the network password. It prevents unauthorized attackers from connecting to the router via wireless communication. That is why the network key must be long and complex.

It is worth noting that initially the router does not have Wi-Fi connection protection at all. In other words, anyone within the coverage area can connect to the device without entering passwords.

To fix this, we need to go back to the router settings menu. Now we are interested in the “WiFi” section, in which we need to find and open the security settings. In the window that opens, we will need to select the encryption type (type of authentication). This is also an important parameter that affects network security.

So, select the encryption type WPA-PSKWPA2-PSKmixed. This is the recommended secure authentication type and provides the most security. A line will appear below in which you must enter the network key. Enter the invented values. It is recommended to use a mixture of Latin letters and numbers. Moreover, the number of characters must be at least 8-12.

Router MAC filter

Each device equipped with a network adapter, computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc., has a unique MAC address. In order to increase network security, it is recommended to install a filter for such addresses. In other words, in the router settings you can allow connections only to trusted devices by specifying their addresses.

To do this, go to the router settings menu again. In the “WiFi” section we find the MAC filter and open it. The window that appears has two tabs:

• Filter mode.
• MAC addresses.

The first is the regime. Here you can choose one of three options:

• Allow – the specified MAC addresses will be allowed access to the network. Everyone else will not be able to connect to the group.
• Deny – denies network access to the specified addresses.
• Disable – filter mode is disabled.

In the first tab, select the appropriate mode. And in the second we enter the required MAC addresses. If you select the “Allow” mode, you must enter the addresses of only trusted computers. If the “Deny” mode is set, then you only need to enter the addresses of third-party PCs.

How to set up a MAC filter in a router: Video

Setting up access in the OS

The operating system also has built-in data protection features. In order to increase security, we need to enter the Network and Sharing Center. This is done by right-clicking on the connection icon in the tray.

In the window that opens, you need to open the “Change sharing settings” item. A menu will open in which you can configure access, enable or disable PC detection on the network, and much more. First of all, you need to enable password protected access. In this case, the system will independently generate a complex password. Write it down, because if you want to provide access to any files in the future, you will need it.

In order to configure maximum system protection, you should disable access in all points. There is nothing complicated here, carefully read the prompts on the screen.

So, now you know how to protect your private WiFi network from intruders. Now no one else will be able to connect to your group and harm information or steal important data.

How to determine who is connected to the network

We've sorted out the security settings. Now we can move on to the question of how to determine who will connect to my home WiFi network. Everything is very simple. The router registers the MAC address of each group member. Therefore, we just have to go into the router settings and look at the statistics. We are again interested in the “WiFi” section, only now we select the “Station List” item. If you are using a TP-LINK router, then you need the “Statistics” section.

The station list displays the MAC addresses of everyone currently connected to the network. Here you can disconnect one or another connection. As we already know, every computer has a unique MAC address. Now you know how to check who is connected to my private WiFi network.

To find out the value that your computer is using, just go to the Network and Sharing Center. You will see your connection in the center of the screen that appears. In the right half you will see the “Connect or disconnect” section, and a little lower - the type of access and connection. Click on the connection type and select “Details” in the menu that appears. Here you will find the "Physical Address" line. This is the MAC address of your network adapter.

How to find out who is using my WiFi: Video

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How to protect your home router from hackers and neighbors

Why being big can cost you money

Evgeniy did not set a password for Wi-Fi in his apartment. Why bother? You can forget your password. And the fact that neighbors can use it is not a pity, the Internet is still unlimited. That’s what Evgeniy thinks, and he’s seriously mistaken.

Nikolay Kruglikov

young hacker

Let's figure out why open Internet at home is a bad idea and what it can mean for you.

Listening

Access points without a password are also called open, and it’s not just about the password. At such points, data via Wi-Fi is transmitted without encryption, in clear text. Since Wi-Fi is the same as radio waves, it is very easy to intercept traffic: just tune the antenna to the desired frequency and you will hear everything that is transmitted between the router and the computer. Without a password on the router, you simply broadcast to the entire neighborhood what you are currently doing on the Internet.

If you are on a porn site, any of your neighbors will be able to find out which video you are watching. If you send a letter, there is a high probability that it can be intercepted at the moment of sending. If you have VKontakte without encryption, then any neighbor will be able to read your personal messages.

Wifi without a password is easy to listen to

How to protect yourself

You need to set a password for Wi-Fi. Of course, connections to some sites are encrypted using HTTPS, and you can also enable a VPN, but it is still much more reliable to protect the entire communication channel at once.

Exercise: set a password for Wi-Fi

1. Open your browser and enter the numbers 192.168.0.1 into the address bar. If nothing happens, try 192.168.1.1 and 10.0.0.1. A window will appear with fields for login and password.
2. Enter the username admin and password admin. If it doesn't work, look at the standard password in the instructions for the router. Most likely it's something simple. Sometimes the login and password are written directly on the router body.
3. Find the link on the page that says Wi-Fi or Wireless. A screen will open where you can change your password.

If all else fails, call a professional. The master’s task is to password protect your Wi-Fi.

Set a Wi-Fi password that is at least ten characters long and consists of numbers and letters. Password 12​345​678 is the same as no password.

All instructions are designed for a home router. At work or in a cafe, they are unlikely to work, because network administrators disable access to the router settings for outsiders

There may be several encryption options in the settings. Each router has a different set of options, so choose the option that is most similar to WPA2-PSK (AES). This is the most secure encryption protocol available today. Combined with a good password, it will give you the best possible protection.

A strong encryption protocol is important. A bad protocol, like a bad password, makes it easier to crack. For example, the legacy WEP protocol can be cracked in a few hours.

Selecting an encryption algorithm in the router settings. WPA2-PSK is the best option from this set

Make sure you have WPS turned off. This technology allows you to connect to the router using an eight-digit pin. Unfortunately, after the widespread introduction of WPS, it turned out that it is extremely insecure: it takes only 10 hours to hack a connection even with the most secure protocol. The WPS settings are somewhere in the same place as the Wi-Fi settings.

Manipulating router settings

When hackers connect to your Wi-Fi, they gain access to the router's control panel and can reconfigure it in their own way. To get into your router, you just need to connect to Wi-Fi - you don’t need to be in the apartment. Some nasty schoolboy might be tinkering with your router’s settings right now.

Usually getting into the router settings is not so easy: you need to enter your username and password. But most people have a standard login and password on their router - admin / admin. If you did not change this setting on purpose, there is a high probability that any hacker will be able to break into the router.

Having gained access to the control panel, hackers can easily carry out a man-in-the-middle attack: they will make sure that between you and the site there is a malicious service that steals passwords. For example, the address tinkoff.ru will open not a real, but a fake site that will send them everything you enter. You won’t even know that you have accessed a malicious service: it will look exactly like a real online bank and will even let you in using your username and password. But in this case, the login and password will be in the hands of hackers.

A router with standard settings can easily be redirected to a fake website

How to protect yourself

Change the default administrator password to your own in the router settings. It should be no less secure than the Wi-Fi password, and at the same time it should be different.

Remote access

Hackers are rarely interested in you specifically, unless you are a top manager of a large company. More often, ordinary people fall under automated attacks when a hacker program searches for potential victims and tries to apply a standard hacking algorithm.

Some routers have the ability to connect to the web interface from an external network - that is, you can go into the router settings from anywhere where there is Internet, and not just from home.

This means that your router can be attacked not only by mischievous schoolchildren. The attack may not be targeted: just some hacker in Peru scanning a certain range of addresses for open routers. His program sees your router. Connects. The hacker doesn't even know who you are or where you are - he just sets up a redirect and goes back to his business. And your Facebook login, for example, falls into his hacker program.

Wi-Fi has become so popular that having a router is the rule rather than the exception. But, despite all the conveniences, you should take into account that it is visible to others. See for yourself how many available connections are shown in your home. Hardly one or two, usually their number reaches a dozen or more. Likewise, neighbors can see your network among other available ones.

Few people want strangers to gain access to their personal wireless network

But if certain precautions are not taken, others may be able to connect to your connection. What does this mean? At the very least, a loss of Internet speed. You will not receive the full speed of your communication channel if someone connects to it at your expense. But the situation is much more dangerous if an attacker connects to your Wi-Fi and can use the transmitted data to his advantage.

To avoid this risk, you need to limit access to your Wi-Fi. Read below for recommendations on how this can be done.

Internet access for a specific list of devices

What is a mac address and how to find it out

Each network device is assigned a special mac address when manufactured at the factory - a kind of unique digital fingerprint. It looks like "A4-DB-30-01-D9-43". For further settings, you need to know the mac address of the individual device to which you are going to provide access to Wi-Fi. How to find him?

Windows

Option 1. Through the “Network Sharing Center”

• Between the battery and sound icons there is an Internet connection icon. Right-click and select “Network and Sharing Center.”
• “View active networks” - line “Connections”, click on the connection name - “Details”.
• The “Physical address” line will contain the mac address of the laptop.

Option 2: Through Settings (for Windows 10)

• Click “Start” - “Settings” - “Network and Internet” - “Wi-Fi” - “Advanced settings” - “Properties”.
• “Physical address” is the mac address of the laptop.

Option 3. Via the command line

• Hold Win+R - enter cmd (or Win+X - Command Prompt (Administrator) on Windows 8.1 and 10).
• Type the command ipconfig /all.
• In the section “Wireless LAN adapter. Wireless Network" in the "Physical Address" line contains the required information.

Android

• “Settings” - “Wireless networks” - “Wi-Fi” - menu button - “Advanced functions”.
• The required data is in the MAC address line.

iOS

“Settings” - “General” - “About this device” - “Wi-Fi address”.

Once you have discovered the device ID, write it down or simply remember it. Now let's proceed to the next stage - we will establish access to the required equipment through the router.

Setting up the router

First, log into the settings web interface. Using a browser, go to 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. Enter your login and password - admin/admin or admin/parol. These combinations work on most devices. If there is no access, check the information on the bottom surface of the router or in its instructions.

The layout of menu items may vary depending on the manufacturer, but the basic principles apply to all devices.

1. In the “Wi-Fi network settings” section, enable filtering by mac address, because it is initially disabled.
2. In the “MAC Address Filtering” tab, add the addresses of the devices to which you are going to provide access to Wi-Fi.

Now you can use Wi-Fi only through those devices for which you have reserved addresses. Attackers will not gain access to your data.

Other access restriction options

Replacing the network and router password

If you haven't changed your Wi-Fi password, change it. Moreover, it is advisable to do this regularly. In your network security settings, create a new password. It is equally important to replace both the factory password and login login when installing the router. The standard combination is the easiest way to access the connection.

Neighbors don’t necessarily steal Wi-Fi, but someone does it unscrupulously. And it seems that the connection speed allows you to share with neighbors, but sometimes it drops. What needs to be done to load the network like this? At the very least, lose your conscience and use someone else’s Internet without permission. But let's get to the point.

Situation - you are surfing the Internet through your wi-fi router. And suddenly the speed drops sharply so that pages are difficult to open. And this is not the first time. It is a completely reasonable idea that someone is stealing Wi-Fi. How to find out if someone is connected to my wifi and how to turn off strangers.

Important! All descriptions of the router are not universal - we are talking about a specific TP-LINK model and may vary for other devices. If you are not confident in your actions, you should not continue.

Find out if anyone is connected to Wi-Fi

Method one. Program. SoftPerfect WiFi Guard

This method is for those who do not want to bother too much and who will carry out diagnostics through a personal computer. To determine who has connected to the router, you will need the SoftPerfect WiFi Guard program. We find it, for example, through Google and install it. The program is in Russian and installs quickly. Minimum settings required.

In the “main” tab of the “settings” item of the program, we find the column “network adapter”. We select the item, in my case it is Qualcomm Atheros. Click "OK". Then click “scan” in the program window.

The program will show all devices that are connected to our Wi-Fi. If only you are connected, you will see two devices (the “Info” column), which will be designated as “This computer” and “Internet gateway”. That is, your computer and the router itself.

If there are strangers, the program will show them - neighbors’ devices will be displayed in red circles. This is either your neighbors or your other devices.

Method two. Router admin panel

This method does not require additional software. We go to the admin panel of the router. After connecting to the WiFi network, enter the IP address of the router. Typically this is 192.168.1.1. The address may be different on different models; you can check it on the device body. Then enter your username/password. As a rule, this is admin/admin (you can check on the device body).

This is where the difficulties begin. The menu may be different on different router models. On my device, in the “Status” tab we find the “Wireless” item. There is a sign with the MAC addresses of connected devices. If you are connected alone, then there is only one MAC in this table. There are other addresses - neighbors steal Wi-Fi. But it’s important - at this point you can get information about the devices that are connected right now.

More information can be seen in the “Interface Setup” tab, “DHCP” item.

How to disconnect neighbors from Wi-Fi

We offer the simplest and most effective way to protect your Internet. Namely, we set a password. The neighbors connected to our Internet either because they hacked your password, or because you didn’t set it at all.

The algorithm may be different on different devices. On mine it’s like this - in the admin panel of the router, go to the “Interface Setup” tab, “Wireless” item. In the “WPS Settings” column we find the item “Authenticatio n Ty pe". If it is “Disabled”, then change it to “WPA-PSK”. Then the “WPA-PSK” column below appears in the same tab. In the “Pre-Shared Key” field we enter a password - at least 8 characters. All that remains is to click “save”. We reconnect to our Wi-Fi, now we are required to enter a password.

As a rule, you only need to enter the password once on each device (laptop, tablet, smartphone). The device will remember it and enter it automatically.

If you forgot your wi-fi password

If you forget your Wi-Fi password, it is impossible to recover it - it is stored in the device itself. It can only be reset. To do this, press the “reset” button for a few seconds. The router settings will be deleted and you will need to configure it again.

Today there will be a fairly large post on how to create a secure Wi-Fi network at home, protect home computers connected to this network, smartphones and tablets from hacking, using the RT-N12VP as an example.

So, let’s first understand that the security of your wireless network is determined by its weakest link. Today we'll look at the basic security settings you should have.

Let’s assume that at home you have 2 desktop computers, 2 laptops, 3 tablets and 4 smartphones. I’m not talking about other things, such as TV set-top boxes, wi-fi MFPs and media center servers on Android.

Check that you have antivirus installed on all devices.

It is important. If one of the devices is infected, then the others will be infected in the near future. Thus, Android smartphones can distribute advertising viruses over a local network with great success.

Disable automatic search for networks on mobile devices. The fact is that you may well become a victim of scammers who deliberately create open access points for the purpose of stealing data.

Clear the list of networks remembered by your devices. Leave only familiar secure networks: home, work.

To prevent theft of funds, “diversion” of email accounts, social networks and other sites, use two-factor authentication where possible.

Well, you protected your devices and didn’t fall for the scammers with “free” wi-fi. What's next? Setting up secure wi-fi.

The center of your wi-fi universe in your apartment is your access point (router). In the vast majority of cases, it is protected only by a password and login. Let's try to make your home Wi-Fi network more secure.

Install - Authentication method(security level) — WPA2-Personal

WPA-PSK key(network password) - something like this FD5#2dsa/dSx8z0*65FdqZzb38. Yes, such a password is difficult to remember, but also more difficult to guess. The fact is that there are programs for selecting wi-fi passwords using brute force. Selecting a password in this case is a matter of time. You can even download a similar program to your smartphone, for example, and try how long it will take before you guess the password to your network.

Go to settings Wireless network — Wireless MAC Address Filter

The Wireless MAC Address Filter allows you to control packets from devices with a specific MAC address on a wireless LAN.

Simply put, only those devices whose MAC addresses are allowed to connect will be able to connect to your access point. How can I find out these addresses? You can look in the device settings and enter it into the router settings. You can turn on Wi-Fi on each one in turn, compare the data with the data displayed in the router’s network map and enter these addresses into the Wireless MAC Address Filter.

On an Android smartphone, the MAC address is located Settings -> About the phone -> general information ->Wi-Fi MAC address.

If you live alone, or at least there is a period of time when you do not use the wireless network, you can turn it off. These settings are located in the section Wireless network — Professionally

Also in the section Administration —System disable access via Telnet And web access from WAN. This will make it difficult to connect to the router remotely. If there is a firewall in the settings, then enable it.

To be continued.

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