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General discussion

wireless network key

by andre744 Jul 21, 2009 12:51AM PDT

hello! I have a question. Recently, there was a tech guy here at my house who helped setting up my network conenction. He even set up my network key. My question is, is it possible for him to open my connection/ or see my files just by having my newtowrk key?


Thank you!

Discussion is locked

3 Posts
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Theoretically, Yes, But....
by Grif Thomas Forum moderator Jul 21, 2009 1:16AM PDT

It's important to define the term "network key".. Are you referring to the password which allows computers to access the network wirelessly..? Or are you referring to a password which allows you to access the router and and make changes to the router's network settings..

Remember also, YOU should have the ability to change the network password/key by accessing the router yourself.. Do it now.. If you don't know how, then you should have asked the tech to teach you.. Or.. let us know the make and model of your internet connection and router and we might be able to help.

In addition, most home networks have limitations which block wireless access to the router's network settings.. Make sure those limitations are enabled so only "wired" connections to the network are allowed to make changes to those settings. It's much more secure that way.. Even if you use a laptop to connect to the network wirelessly, whenever you choose to change network settings occasionally, it's easy to plug in an ethernet cable to make those changes..

Hope this helps and let us know more.

Grif

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network key
by andre744 Jul 21, 2009 1:26AM PDT

Hi Grif! Yes, I'm referring to the password that allows my laptop to access the network wirelessly. My router model is Wirelss-G WRT54G2 but I don't know how to change the network key.
Also, when I connect, it often shows that the laptop is unable to find a certificate to log on. How can I change that?

Thank you.

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Default Access For Your Router
by Grif Thomas Forum moderator Jul 21, 2009 2:12AM PDT

From a wired computer, open Internet Explorer, then type 192.168.1.1 in the address bar, then press the "Enter" key.. The router access login should load.. Guessing the tech didn't change the default access passwords, I believe the default username should be left blank and the password should be type as: admin.. (Sometimes it's reversed with "admin" as the username with the password line left blank. Try my first example first.. If that doesn't work, try the second option.)

Once you're able to access the router settings, then you'll need to access the wireless access key settings and reset the WPA password. If the tech set up a WEP password, please change your's to WPA1 or WPA2 depending on which option is best for your computer.. (WEP is easily cracked and as such, you should use other options.) WPA2 is more secure but some types of computers are not advanced enough to use it therefore, go to WPA if your machine doesn't connect well with it. This could explain the "certificate" problem you have but you'll need to check those options once you access the router's settings.

To obtain the manual for your router, you can download it from the link below:

http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/support/WRT54G2/download

Hope this helps.

Grif

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