Should I install my router software?

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dbc47
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Should I install my router software?

Post by dbc47 »

I recently upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7 Professional (not by choice). When I brought my computer home from the shop Windows 7 automatically found my Cisco router and everything seems to be working fine. Question is: Since everything is supposedly working OK should I load the software that came with my router anyway or could that just cause me grief? Not sure at this point how to handle the security aspect as I'm still figuring this out, but I remember the Cisco software gave me several options as far as allowing someone in the network etc.
The router model is M10 if that helps?

Thanks
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CyberBob
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Re: Should I install my router software?

Post by CyberBob »

The software is likely just a simplified version of what you can access directly from the router. Personally, I prefer accessing routers directly through their IP address. In your case that should be http://192.168.1.1 Default username and password are admin.

But regardless of which method you use to access it, you should at least check that your wireless is secured.

Bob
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kwan2
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Re: Should I install my router software?

Post by kwan2 »

might help, if you share what router you use, and search internet for "how to secure a router(your router name" of course
“The history of Paris teaches us that beauty is a by-product of danger, that liberty is at best a consequence of neglect, that wisdom is entwined with decay."
srinivas
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Re: Should I install my router software?

Post by srinivas »

dbc47:

I concur with CyberBob's suggestions.

After logging into the router per Bob's input, you may want to read the software user guide to determine if it provides any compelling features that might make it attractive to install.

In addition to ensuring that your wireless network is secured, which causes the wireless network traffic to encrypted and a password to be required for someone to be able to use your wireless network, and that guest logins are disabled, I would recommend changing the default password. The router should disallow remote management (logging in to the router from an external computer) by default, and you would want to make sure to not change that.

Curious as to why you _had_ to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional.

Best wishes,
Srinivas.
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dbc47
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Re: Should I install my router software?

Post by dbc47 »

srinivas wrote:dbc47:

I concur with CyberBob's suggestions.

After logging into the router per Bob's input, you may want to read the software user guide to determine if it provides any compelling features that might make it attractive to install.

In addition to ensuring that your wireless network is secured, which causes the wireless network traffic to encrypted and a password to be required for someone to be able to use your wireless network, and that guest logins are disabled, I would recommend changing the default password. The router should disallow remote management (logging in to the router from an external computer) by default, and you would want to make sure to not change that.

Curious as to why you _had_ to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional.

Best wishes,
Srinivas.

Thanks for all the suggestions! As to why I had to upgrade.........My XP version got nailed with a sudden power outage right in the middle of an update. From that point on it would not reboot. Couldn't get it into safe mode, or any mode for that matter. The computer shop had equally bad luck in getting it to boot back up. Long story short......They had to format the drive and I told them to go ahead and put in Windows 7. I guess I wasn't specific enough on which version, and I honestly didn't even think about it, but Windows 7 Professional is working just fine for what I need. I had all the important stuff backed up on Google Drive and Microsoft Skydrive. Downloading files back into the new system worked just fine.
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kwan2
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Re: Should I install my router software?

Post by kwan2 »

well you don't need any software application/app generally

you use any web browser and type into address bar 198.162.0.1 or whatever

and up pops your access, i believe generally type 'admin' into username and leave pw blank as a default

so nothing to do with the computer or It's OS ...
“The history of Paris teaches us that beauty is a by-product of danger, that liberty is at best a consequence of neglect, that wisdom is entwined with decay."
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