Q&A: I need help with my linksys router! Please!?
Question by Mrs. B <3: I need help with my linksys router! Please!?
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 Gaytheist Buddha
No need to worry anymore.
Sounds like someone hacked into your wireless router.
Get a paperclip or pencil.
Turn off your Linksys
Press and hold the small indented reset button on the back of your router.
Turn power on and continue holding button for at least 10 seconds.
You many need to repeat process a second time.
Connect your Mac to the Linksys using the provided Ethernet cable.
Login to your Linksys by going to http://192.168.1.1
The username is “admin” and the default password is “admin” or BLANK.
Choose a new password to protect your router from your miscreant neighbors.
Next, click on Wireless tab, then click on Wireless Security tab.
Select WPA security and choose a passphrase.
Now you put that WPA passphrase into your Mac wireless network profile.
Huzzah!
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