When you purchase your wireless router, it is not secured by default. The companies that manufacture and distribute the router (in this case LinkSys), leave the router unsecured to make it simple to set up for the average 
consumer. However if you leave your router configuration open, then you run the risk of having hackers “hijack” your routers connection to the internet, and maybe even gain access to some of your computers files! Here I will teach you how to avoid this by securing your wireless router.
1. Access your Routers Control Panel
First open up your favorite web browser and type either: 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.2.1 into the address bar. One of those numbers is the address of your router (where you will find your routers control panel)
2. Assign a New Password to your Router/ Change the Default Password
Most routers come equipped with a default password, which every good hacker knows is usually: admin, superadmin, 0000 or 1234. If you leave your routers password like this you are at HIGH risk. Change it.
3. Change your Routers SSID Name/ Turn Off Broadcasting
Your router also came with a default SSID name that usually has to do with the model type of your router. If you leave your routers SSID like this, you are giving hackers extra info that they can use to hack into your network! You’ll need to change it to something random or secret, but nothing that involves personal info like name or address! Next you should completely disable SSID broadcasting. For more on all of this see our guide “How To Secure a Wireless Network”.
4. Turn On Encryption
Your router comes with a service called encryption that is turned off by default. Make sure you turn it on and select either WAP or WAP2 encryption when configuring your router. Also it is crucial that your router and the wireless adapter of whatever device you are using (laptop for example), are using the same kind of encryption… or else they won’t be able to communicate with each other!
5. MAC Address Filtering
Your router has the ability to see the MAC address of any device that it can connect to. The MAC Address of a device (your laptop for example) is a series of numbers and letters used to identify a device. Make sure your router only allows access to certain devices (such as your laptop) by enabling MAC Filtering. You can find more in depth information on MAC Filtering in our guide entitled “How to Secure a Wireless Network”.
6. Update Your Routers Firmware
When you receive your router, it is equipped with whatever firmware was in use at the time of the router being manufactured. However, it is likely that the firmware of your router has since been updated, and there may be security flaws in the out-of-date version of firmware that is currently installed on your router. To update your router’s firmware, simply visit the home page of the router company ( in this case LinkSys.com) and download the latest updated firmware.
7. Backup Your Routers Settings
There are cases where you may need to reset your routers settings to default, and if this happens, you will have to repeat all of the step above over again! To prevent all of this unnecessary work from occurring, simply back up your routers settings as you are finishing the configuration process.
Hopefully these tips have helped your secure your wireless router, and will keep you from being a victim of a hacker in the future.