I need help with my linksys router with my MacBook Pro! 10 points!?
Question by Mrs. B <3: I need help with my linksys router with my MacBook Pro! 10 points!?
Okay we have a linksys router and only a MacBook Pro for our home. The software for our linksys is for PC only so we can’t setup a password on our router (I don’t know of any anyway).
The problem is we just moved into a new apartment complex and someone is stealing our internet hard core. It looks like they’re playing movies or games online because the send and receive lights are going crazy all the time.
My husband and I started shutting off both our router and our modem whenever we aren’t using it to peeve them off and maybe make them get their own but it obviously didn’t work because today when I turned on my modem and router “linksys” wouldn’t show up in my airport dropdown menu. THEN I realized that there was one showing up but it was PASSWORD PROTECTED!
At first I thought “there is no way someone else put a password on my own router because it would have had to be reset when they did it but if they did it when it was on the last time then I turned it off and turned it back on it could have done it right? I checked the back of the router and the security light (little lock looking thing) was lit up!!!! I’m so mad that someone would do this! I had to reset the router 3 times before that light went off and GO FIGURE all the sudden linksys was showing up in my airport as no password protected anymore.
My first question is how would someone even do that?! Second, how can I put as much security on my linksys rounter/internet in general so that this can’t happen again using my MAC. I have no access to a PC so a way to us my MAC to do this is my only option. I’m just at my wits end and ready to go banging on everyones doors to find this person! So any help would be greatly appreciated!
Also, I know there’s a way to see if any other IP addresses are using my internet. But not sure what to look for. I go to my airport dropdown menu and hit “open network preferences”, then under “airport” hit “advanced”, then I go to TCP/IP and it shows me “IPv4 address” which is my address but I also see something under that that says “subnet mask” with some address in it then the Router address thing. Would any of these show me the other person’s IP address or do I need to be looking somewhere different?
THANK YOU!
Best answer:
Answer by Mike M
Actually, all routers provide a web-based utility (in other words, a page you can open in your browser by typing in the right IP address) that lets you configure them. It seems your neighbour looked up the instructions before you did, and decided to put a password on the network since nobody else had yet, to assure himself exclusive access to your network.
First of all, get on Linksys’ website and find the instructions for that sucker! 🙂 Then, reset the router to its original settings. Next, using the browser-based configuration utility, set the network up again, but WITH your own password, and also change the password for the utility itself. Just because Windows users are spoiled doesn’t mean anyone has the right to steal your network connection.
What do you think? Answer below!
