Linksys mystery
December 31, 2010 10:54 AM Subscribe
A confusing question about my wireless internet connection and "linksys".
I'll try to make this brief by putting it in list form.
1) I was repeatedly having problems with one website that would disappear for up to 2 hours every day, then reappear.
2) I called Cogeco (my ISP) and was advised to reset my router.
3) I did this and it worked.
4) The site went off again a few hours later, I did this again and everything got weird. My wireless service seemed to have disappeared.
5) Now, I click on the computer icon in the lower right tool bar and get "Wireless Network Connection Status", click on "Properties" box, then click on "Wireless Networks" tab, and I find my account with a small red X next to it, and "linksys" with a green circle. So somehow my account has ceased functioning, but "linksys" is working. I know linksys is a generic term for wireless networks; I don't think it's a neighbor's, I think it's mine somehow. But it's unsecured.
6) Very simply: how do I put it back to how it was before?
7) I hope all this made sense. Thank you!
If more info is needed to help me figure out this strange situation, please feel free to ask questions, I will monitor this question for the next while.
I'll try to make this brief by putting it in list form.
1) I was repeatedly having problems with one website that would disappear for up to 2 hours every day, then reappear.
2) I called Cogeco (my ISP) and was advised to reset my router.
3) I did this and it worked.
4) The site went off again a few hours later, I did this again and everything got weird. My wireless service seemed to have disappeared.
5) Now, I click on the computer icon in the lower right tool bar and get "Wireless Network Connection Status", click on "Properties" box, then click on "Wireless Networks" tab, and I find my account with a small red X next to it, and "linksys" with a green circle. So somehow my account has ceased functioning, but "linksys" is working. I know linksys is a generic term for wireless networks; I don't think it's a neighbor's, I think it's mine somehow. But it's unsecured.
6) Very simply: how do I put it back to how it was before?
7) I hope all this made sense. Thank you!
If more info is needed to help me figure out this strange situation, please feel free to ask questions, I will monitor this question for the next while.
Linksys is the default name of your router. Which you reset. All the settings were reset, including the name.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:59 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by elsietheeel at 10:59 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I'm connected through "linksys", but it's an unsecured network, so I assume not ideal; would rather go back to how it was. I'll try to get a picture up right now...
posted by crazylegs at 11:00 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:00 AM on December 31, 2010
Here. Go back in and put all your settings back in order.
posted by elsietheeel at 11:00 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by elsietheeel at 11:00 AM on December 31, 2010
When you "reset" your router, do you mean you turned it off and on again or did you restore it to factory settings?
posted by griphus at 11:03 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by griphus at 11:03 AM on December 31, 2010
(I have no idea why the ISP would want you to restore your router to factory settings, which is what would do what elsietheeel is assuming happened.)
posted by griphus at 11:04 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by griphus at 11:04 AM on December 31, 2010
Response by poster: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9ohhWErNI_Y/TR4pMVtD7dI/AAAAAAAAAU4/8SBdQdLSBVQ/s1600/DSC02931.JPG
posted by crazylegs at 11:05 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:05 AM on December 31, 2010
Response by poster: I didn't restore it to factory settings as far as I know. I just unplugged it and plugged it in again the first time, and the second time I pressed the small "reset" button on the back.
posted by crazylegs at 11:07 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:07 AM on December 31, 2010
Looking at your profile and assuming it is not some sort of crazy coincidence, your router is "foljambe" not "linksys." And it is currently off. Did you turn it back on?
posted by griphus at 11:07 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by griphus at 11:07 AM on December 31, 2010
Response by poster: I've been trying to turn it back on. How do I do that?
posted by crazylegs at 11:10 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:10 AM on December 31, 2010
Okay, then you did reset it to factory settings and your router is linksys (that's the generic name it resets to.) Is the only problem you're having that it is unsecured?
posted by griphus at 11:12 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by griphus at 11:12 AM on December 31, 2010
Response by poster: OK, if unplugging it returns it to factory settings, then I did that. Yes, as far as I know the only problem is that it's unsecured, because it seems to be working perfectly. So I guess it doesn't matter if I continue with "linksys" rather than "foljambe", as long as I can secure it and be assured that it's secure and that I won't have any problems with it. How do I secure it?
posted by crazylegs at 11:14 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:14 AM on December 31, 2010
You've just reset the router to its factory defaults. You can change its name and make it secured by logging in to its web interface.
First, you need its IP address. Type this in the address bar of your browser (while connected through the "linksys" network): "http://192.168.1.1/". I believe that's the default IP address that Linksys routers use.
You will be presented with a username/password dialog. One of the following combinations should work:
admin/admin
root/admin
root/root
Now you will be logged in to the web interface. Poke around and find a textbox where it says "Network name" or "SSID". That will let you change the name. Find a tab that says "Wireless Security" or some such. That will let you change it to being a secured network.
posted by Idle Curiosity at 11:15 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
First, you need its IP address. Type this in the address bar of your browser (while connected through the "linksys" network): "http://192.168.1.1/". I believe that's the default IP address that Linksys routers use.
You will be presented with a username/password dialog. One of the following combinations should work:
admin/admin
root/admin
root/root
Now you will be logged in to the web interface. Poke around and find a textbox where it says "Network name" or "SSID". That will let you change the name. Find a tab that says "Wireless Security" or some such. That will let you change it to being a secured network.
posted by Idle Curiosity at 11:15 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Just a bit of lingo: there's a difference between turning it on and off (power cycling) and resetting it. Power-cycling should not affect your settings, it's just a standard computer thing to do when there's a problem. Resetting it, on the other hand, changes all the settings back to how it came in case there's a really big problem. Unfortunately, everyone uses the terms interchangeably, even the customer service people.
Anyway, what you did was reset the settings. So now instead of being called "foljambe," it is called "linksys" because that is the default name it gets out of the box. Windows still thinks there a network called "foljambe" because it has previously connected to a network with that name, not because it can see one with that name. It's a ghost.
Anyway, now you just do this (I got it off a webpage so I'm not 100% sure it will work):
posted by griphus at 11:19 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Anyway, what you did was reset the settings. So now instead of being called "foljambe," it is called "linksys" because that is the default name it gets out of the box. Windows still thinks there a network called "foljambe" because it has previously connected to a network with that name, not because it can see one with that name. It's a ghost.
Anyway, now you just do this (I got it off a webpage so I'm not 100% sure it will work):
Open your Web browser and enter the IP address of your router. By default, the address is “192.168.1.1″.There should be security settings in there. You may need to reconfigure your connection to the router in Windows, but I'm not entirely sure.
Enter your user ID And password when prompted. Hopefully this has been changed, but if it hasn’t, the default is no ID and “admin” as the password.
posted by griphus at 11:19 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
Just in case Idle Curiosity's list of username/passwords don't work, Linksys routers sometimes have a blank username, with password "admin", as default.
posted by jozxyqk at 11:21 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by jozxyqk at 11:21 AM on December 31, 2010
The 'reset' button on the back is a 'reset to factory settings' button.
posted by empath at 11:21 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by empath at 11:21 AM on December 31, 2010
OK, if unplugging it returns it to factory settings, then I did that.
That didn't reset it to factory settings.
I pressed the small "reset" button on the back.
That did.
posted by bitdamaged at 11:22 AM on December 31, 2010 [3 favorites]
That didn't reset it to factory settings.
I pressed the small "reset" button on the back.
That did.
posted by bitdamaged at 11:22 AM on December 31, 2010 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: OK, this is all hugely helpful, I think I'm on the verge of fixing this. Could one of you who clearly knows a million times more than me about this actually go to the page that I've accessed with "192.168.1.1" and tell me how to make a secure connection? It's not clear what I'm supposed to do on that page. I don't really care if the connection is called "foljambe"or "linksys", but I do want it to be secure.
posted by crazylegs at 11:26 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:26 AM on December 31, 2010
This FAQ and/or this video should do it. The video explains what you're doing a bit better.
posted by griphus at 11:31 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by griphus at 11:31 AM on December 31, 2010
Oh god, actually, ignore that FAQ. Just do what the video says.
posted by griphus at 11:36 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by griphus at 11:36 AM on December 31, 2010
Just to clarify the the thing about resetting vs. powering off the router. If you pushed in a little button on the back of your router with a pen or whatever, that will reset it to factory settings, not just power it off (you can also reset it by logging in as you have to do now and choosing to reset, but since you seem unfamiliar with this process, it doesn't sound like this is what you did). If you just unplugged it and plugged it back in again, that should not have reset it to factory settings.
posted by elpea at 11:40 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by elpea at 11:40 AM on December 31, 2010
Response by poster: OK, I did what the video said and everything's still working; how can I confirm that it's secure?
posted by crazylegs at 11:40 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:40 AM on December 31, 2010
Response by poster: elpea - I unplugged it the first time, and pushed the button the second time. Clearly I should not have pushed the button. : (
posted by crazylegs at 11:41 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:41 AM on December 31, 2010
Disconnect and reconnect to the network. If it is secure, it will ask you to enter the type of encryption (which will be WPA2 Personal and/or AES) and the password.
posted by griphus at 11:44 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by griphus at 11:44 AM on December 31, 2010
Response by poster: The info box still says it's unsecured...
posted by crazylegs at 11:46 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by crazylegs at 11:46 AM on December 31, 2010
That's odd. Did you need to enter a password in when you reconnected? Windows Networking is sometimes kinda dumb. There should be a "detect networks" button somewhere that refreshes the list and status of networks. Try pressing that as well.
posted by griphus at 11:49 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by griphus at 11:49 AM on December 31, 2010
Response by poster: Oh! I had forgotten to click "save settings". Looks like it's working now.
That's great! Thanks everyone! Metafilter saves me from myself yet again.
posted by crazylegs at 11:50 AM on December 31, 2010 [2 favorites]
That's great! Thanks everyone! Metafilter saves me from myself yet again.
posted by crazylegs at 11:50 AM on December 31, 2010 [2 favorites]
You problem's solved, so this is extra (ignorable) info ...
Could one of you who clearly knows a million times more than me about this actually go to the page that I've accessed with "192.168.1.1"
The address 192.168.1.1 is the *local* address of *your* linksys router on *your* network only. That is, the 192.168... address is not going over the internet, only your local network. Anyone else going to that address is either going to contact their own router or contact nothing at all (if their router uses a different local address.)
posted by anadem at 2:20 PM on December 31, 2010
Could one of you who clearly knows a million times more than me about this actually go to the page that I've accessed with "192.168.1.1"
The address 192.168.1.1 is the *local* address of *your* linksys router on *your* network only. That is, the 192.168... address is not going over the internet, only your local network. Anyone else going to that address is either going to contact their own router or contact nothing at all (if their router uses a different local address.)
posted by anadem at 2:20 PM on December 31, 2010
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posted by dougrayrankin at 10:58 AM on December 31, 2010