How do I ensure that no one 'leeches' off of my Wi-Fi connection?##Shashi

Hi, can you tell me how I can recover the lost passwords of my Wi-Fi router? I have a feeling that somebody has hacked into it and I am not able to access it anymore. Can you tell me of any available software that can help recover lost passwords for my Wi-Fi router and help me change them too? It would be very kind of you if you help me with this problem. Thanks again.

Shashi

Hello Shashi. If you think someone hacked into your Wi-Fi router, the immediate step is to disconnect the Internet and any computer connected to the router to avoid the hacker gaining access to either. The next step is to reset the router to its factory default settings. The reset button is usually located on the rear panel of the router. You’ll need to press this switch using a needle or a toothpick for around 10 to 15 seconds till the router’s power and status LEDs start flashing. Different routers have different procedures for resetting it. Some routers need you to press the reset button, then insert the power connector and then release the reset button after a few seconds. Check which method is applicable to yours.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

To know the exact procedure for resetting your Wi-Fi router, refer to the router’s user manual or log on to the router manufacturer’s website for more details. Once the router is reset, secure it again with a stronger password. Tips for a secure password—use a combination of number and characters, do not use obvious passwords such as your name, address, mobile number and such, which can easily be ‘cracked’ by someone who knows you well enough.

Protect yourself from leeches

Finally, secure your wireless network using the 128-bit security such as WPA-2/PSK instead of regular WEP security, which can be easily cracked. Once secured, tweak your router to allow only known machines from logging in by using the access control option and permitting machines with registered MAC addresses to access the network. Also, ensure that the power of the wireless radio is sufficient enough to cover your required working area—a higher power gain in the antenna can let the signals wander out of your home/office and others in the area can see your network and try hacking it. If possible, disable the SSID broadcast to hide your wireless network.

If your router has a feature to disable the radio at particular times, you should enable and configure it to the timing you don’t use the router, especially at night. Also, when you don’t need the router, it is better to switch it off. More importantly, if you are allowing your friends to access it for a short time, make sure you change all passwords after they have left. You can also store your router’s configuration settings to your desktop computer and restore them back in case you have a similar problem. This way you can save time instead of reconfiguring the router all over again.