Recently I setup a Netgear WGR614v6 router for our home network. All works correctly and we are able to access the internet through the router. However, I would like to secure the wireless on the router so that other people are not able to use my internet connection. Netgear technical support were not able to provide any advice and the shop where I purchased the router also could not assist. When I attempted to setup the security myself I visited the router administration page at www.routerlogin.net but it has been rejecting my username and password. Can you provide any assistance?

My experience with the WGR614 router is that it should be a relatively straight-forward process to setup security. I am glad you have decided that it would be worthwhile to implement security on the wireless router. Most people do not implement security because they may have an unlimited internet plan. However, having an open wireless access point creates more security risks than people simply stealing your internet bandwidth. When a computer associates with your wireless network that computer is on the same network as all of the computers in your home that use that wireless router (via a wireless connection or cabled connection). The potential security risk is that, depending on the setup of the other computers on your network, they could access data on the other networked computers or potentially infect those computers with viruses or other malware. Just bear in mind that whenever a computer associates with your wireless network they are connected to your internal, private home network. Therefore, you should take the necessary precautions to ensure that access to your network is protected.

From your question it seems that you have encountered two separate problems. First, you are unable to access the router administration interface to actually make any configuration changes to the router. Second, you are still unsure about how to enable security on your wireless router. To begin, we will need to deal with the inability to login as without it you will not be able to make any configuration changes, including implementing security. You mentioned that you are able to access the router login page, but it is rejecting your credentials. That is a good start, as it means that you can connect to and access the router and the problem is just related to the username and password combination to access the router. For the benefit of other readers, most Netgear routers use the IP address 192.168.1.1 for the router, so you could also access the router by typing 192.168.1.1 into your web browser. Additionally, most router manufacturers write the default IP address and configuration URL on the bottom of the router for ease of reference. Once you have opened the router administration page and are presented with the logon prompt you should first try the factory default username and password combination. This should be written on the bottom of the physical router, or alternatively in the manual for the router. In the case of the Netgear WGR614 the default username should be “admin” and password “password”. However, you should double-check that these are correct if they do not work.

Should the default username and password combination not work then it is likely that at some point the username and password on the router was changed. In this case, the only option which you have is to perform a factory default on the router. This will cause all settings to be lost and will also reset the username and password to the defaults. Before completing this procedure, make sure you have a record of all the required configuration details for the router (such as internet usernames and passwords) so these can be reinput into the router once it has been defaulted. If you are ready to proceed, find a paperclip as this will be necessary to depress the required button on the router. With a paperclip handy, on the back of the router find the Default Reset button. It should be a tiny button recessed within the router housing. Using the paperclip, depress the button about 10 seconds until the power light blinks. Once the power light starts to blink, release the Default Reset button and wait for the router to finish booting. After the router has finished booting access the configuration interface by visiting www.routerlogin.net or 192.168.1.1 in your web browser and login using the default username and password. Assuming that all is well, you should be able to gain access to the router. If you are still rejected, it is likely that the factory default procedure did not complete properly. In this case, try completing the defaulting procedure again.

Assuming that you have been able to access the router configuration page, before doing anything else you will need to reconfigure the router to access the internet (as the factory default procedure wiped all settings and restored the router to the factory default state). Once you have configured the router, ensure that you can access the internet from your computer and other devices which are connected to the network (such as laptop computers). After this has been done, you should then update the firmware on the router. Firmware is the software running on the router. It is likely that the firmware on your router is quite old and there may have been new firmware released which addresses known problems on the router or otherwise improves performance and security. To check for new firmware in the router configuration interface, click the “Router Upgrade” link. On the next page that loads there should be a “Check” button allowing you to automatically check for any firmware updates. Click the button and the router will communicate back to Netgear to check whether any updates are available. If there is an update available, proceed to install the update.

After the router firmware is up-to-date we can proceed to implement security on the router. In the router configuration interface, click the “Wireless Settings” link. This will show you all the wireless-related settings, including security settings. As a first step, you will probably notice that the SSID for your wireless network is a default name such as “Netgear” or like. The SSID is the Service Set Identifier, otherwise known as the name of your wireless network. This name is broadcast out to anyone that wishes to listen and is used to identify your wireless network. It is a good idea to change this to something other than the default name, as this makes it more difficult for anyone to guess the type of wireless router that you are running (and when you are broadcasting information about your network, the less information disseminated the better). You should also ensure that the SSID of your network does not personally identify you (for example, do not use your name or your address) for security reasons. I suggest that you choose a network name that is meaningful to you, but other people would not necessarily associate with you.

Once this has been done we can commence configuring a wireless password for the network. First, you need to select the type of security you would like to run on the router. To maintain a good level of security, while providing the most compatibility for different devices, I suggest that you choose “WPA-PSK [TKIP]”. This security option will encrypt all data transmitted between wireless clients (e.g. laptops, smartphones) and the wireless router. Additionally, it will require all wireless clients to enter a password in order to connect to your wireless network, thus preventing unauthorised clients from using your network and internet connection. You will notice that once you have selected the “WPA-PSK [TKIP]” security type a text field appears allowing you to enter a passphrase. This is essentially a password that you will have to enter on any computer you wish to connect to the wireless network, so make sure you choose something that is memorable. However, I do suggest that you make it relatively complex (e.g. using a combination of numbers and letters) to ensure that it cannot be broken by someone guessing passwords. Once you have finished configuring the security options click the “Apply” button to save the settings.

Now that you have enabled a passphrase/password on the wireless network you will need to enter that passphrase on any computers that you wish to connect to the wireless network. You will notice that when you attempt to connect to the wireless network a message will appear informing you that the network is secure and you need to enter a password. Once you have entered the configured password on the computer it should be able to connect to the wireless network.