Question about D-Link router settings...

Hi Gabe,

I'm late to the party again :)

It is real easy to get WEPs and WAPs and so on mixed up.

WAP is going to stand for Wireless Access Point:

Short version is ... that is what you would have if you connected a router and did not enable DHCP on that router. It simply would be a wireless access point.

WPS stands for Wireless Protected Setup:

WPS was intended to allow "one button" wireless setup but due to some known vulnerabilities it has been recommended to disable this function.

Remote Access and other "cloud" type functions can leave a network vulnerable and many sources recommend not enabling or setting up these remote accounts.

There are THREE different parts to a router:

#1: The "internal settings" pages ... this is where configuration settings are stored.

That area is accessed by entering the routers LAN IP into a browser. For a Hughes connection a LAN IP of 192.168.1.1 is suggested so as to avoid any addressing conflicts with the Hughes Modem which is hard wired for 192.168.0.1

The router will come from the manufacturer with a default username and password.

It is important that these default values be changed in order to limit access to the routers internal settings and permissions.

We have to remember that that username and password does not offer any protection against outside connections both wired and wireless.

#2: Wired connections:

There is no practical protection against wired connections. Any device connected to one of the Routers LAN ports will have access to your Internet services.

Physical possession is everything. The LAN ports are there as well as the routers "factory reset" button.

The above refers to the wired aspects of the router.

#3: Wireless connections:

Wireless security is handled a little differently.

It its default state there is no wireless encryption enabled. Any device within range can and will connect to the network.

To that end there are various encryption levels available.

They would begin with "none" that is to say an open network

Other levels are:(in increasing strength)

WEP

WPA-PSK [TKIP]

WPA2-PSK [AES]

WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES]

WEP is no longer recommend due to the ease of breaking that encryption level.

Use the strongest method all of your devices can handle but the "norm" is WPA2.

I do have to say that I use WEP because of the age of a couple of my older devices BUT ... I am so far off the beaten path that no one can come within range and I use that minimal encryption levels simply to exclude a connection by someone's cell phone that comes to visit.

But again .. I'm really out in the sticks.