Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I want to secure my Linksys Wireless Network. How would I do that with the BEFW11S4?

A: Securing your wireless network is a simple process that generally does not require a lot of time. Use the following instructions to secure your wireless network.

Accessing the Router

  1. On your screen, double-click the Internet Explorer icon. If the Internet Explorer icon is not on the desktop, from the Start menu, click Internet Explorer.

  2. In Internet Explorer, in the Address box, type: http://192.168.1.1. Click Go.

  3. In the Enter Network Password dialog box, in the Password box, type (in all lowercase letters): admin. Leave the Name box empty. Click OK.

Setting Up Page Security Options

When you arrive at the Setup screen, you will see the bulk of your wireless security features. There are three things that you want to set on this page:

  1. Service Set Identifier (SSID)

    • In the SSID box, remove linksys.
    • Type your own unique SSID. We generally recommend something easy to remember, but secure enough so that people will not be able to guess it easily. Sometimes your best bet is to use your last name and add some numbers.
    • Click Apply, and then click Continue.

  2. SSID Broadcast (Firmware 1.42.7 and later only)

    • In the Allow "Broadcast" SSID to associate dialog box, click No.
    • Click Apply, and then click Continue.

    Note: If you are using Microsoft® Windows® XP Zero Configuration, the Linksys Site Survey will not be able to detect the AP any longer. You must manually encode the SSID for it to work.

  3. WEP

    • In the "WEP" Option box, click Mandatory.
    • Click WEP Key Settings.
    • In the Wep Key Settings dialog box, change the option from 64 to 128.

      Note: The 128-bit WEP option may not work with non-Linksys products. This is due to 128-bit WEP not being an IEEE standard that all devices will work with.

    • Type a passphrase that is different from the SSID. Try to make it alphanumeric. For example, instead of password, use password5532. Click Generate. After the key has been generated, copy the key into a Notepad document, and then copy that file onto a floppy disk.

      Note: The passphrase will not work with non-Linksys products. You need to use the same passphrase that you copied onto the floppy disk.

    • Click Apply, and then click Continue.
    • Close the window.
    • On the Setup page, click Apply, and then click Continue.

If you need help setting up WEP on your network interface card (NIC), please see How do I set up WEP on Linksys wireless NICs?

Setting up Station MAC Filter

The Station MAC Filter option is a very good security feature that has been added to Firmware 1.42.7 and later. This feature denies all wireless clients except those that you enter. To implement this feature, use the following steps.

  1. In the Setup window, click Advanced.

  2. In the Filters window, click the Wireless tab.

  3. Verify that all wireless computers are set up to the router and are currently able to access the Internet, and then click Active MAC Table.

  4. Move the Wireless Active MAC Table window, and then on the main window, click Edit MAC Filter Settings.

  5. When the Wireless Group MAC Table window opens, go to the taskbar and then click Wireless Active MAC Table so that window opens.

  6. With the two windows side by side, enter the MAC Addresses from the Wireless Active MAC Table window into the Wireless Group MAC Table window.

    Note: When you enter the MAC Addresses, do not include the dashes, and do not click Filter.

  7. In the Wireless Group MAC Table window, click Apply, and then click Continue.

  8. Close the Wireless Group MAC Table and Wireless Active MAC Table windows.

  9. On the main window, enable the Station MAC Filter setting.