[Ham-Computers] Change User Name & Password in Router Settings: Is it more Secure?

[nn6o]

Hi all,

A little late to this discussion, but I'll through in my $0.02 anyway. =)

192.168.1.xxx is the most common subnet for SOHO routers, but not all products
default to ".1".  For example, AT&T branded products (regardless of
manufacturer) uses 192.168.1.254 these days for all of their gateways (DSL &
Uverse), AFAIK.  Also, some companies use a different subnet depending on what
the device is - for example, Netgear routers are usually on 192.168.1.xxx, but
their products that are or have built-in modems usually use 192.168.0.xxx.
This makes sense as a router is often placed "behind" a stand-alone modem, so
you didn't want both to use the same subnet (lest there be routing problems).

In Jim's case, the product is a "wireless gateway" router with a built-in
cable modem by Netgear, so it sits at 192.168.0.1 (unless Cox modded the
firmware to default to something else).  If opening a browser to 192.168.0.1
doesn't work, then, as others have noted, PING, TRACERT, and/or IPCONFIG can
be used in a command line in Windows (or similar tools in Linux) to determine
where the router "sits".  There are also GUI tools built into Windows for
this, but each flavor of Windows moves that GUI around; however the command
line (CLI) tools are still there, and thus, more useful.

IPCONFIG is the most common CLI to determine the local IP address and possibly
the router address.  In most SOHO cases, the "Default Gateway" listed by
IPCONFIG is the address of the router/modem and entering this address in a
browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome, etc) will open the router's GUI admin page.
Unfortunately, in newer flavors of Windows, IPCONFIG spits out so much info
that it's hard to find exactly what you're looking for (unless you've done it
enough times).  That's where another Windows CLI tool comes in handy...

NETSH - this is the Windows CLI "power tool" for network settings.  Just about
everything related to the Windows networking stack can be configured via
NETSH.  So, to find out which network "interface" your PC is using, use the
following in a command prompt:

  netsh int ip show int

NETSH will respond with a list of all the active interfaces and their
connection state - look for the one(s) that's "connected" and make note of its
"Name" (in Windows XP thru 7, the name is usually "Local Area Connection" with
possibly a number added if more than one adapter is installed.  I believe
Windows 10 uses "Ethernet" and "Wireless".).  Then use the following to get
the IP address info:

  netsh int ip show addr "Name of interface"

replacing "Name of interface" with the actual name found one step earlier.  If
the interface name has more than one word, then you need to enclose the whole
name in quotes (").  For example, use "Local area connection" for most Windows
XP/Vista/7 systems.  NETSH will respond with the local IP address, the
gateway, and some additional info.  BTW, NETSH commands can be abbreviated as
I have done above - "int" is interface, "addr" is address (minimum of the
first 3 letters of the command).

Yes, it seems harder to run two commands than to just use IPCONFIG, but with a
computer novice, it's actually much easier as you don't need to parse through
the 50+ lines IPCONFIG returns (let alone the additional info given by
IPCONFIG /ALL) and explain how to read the info.  

Once you have the address of the gateway, PING it.  If it replies, then ping
4.2.2.1 (Level3 DNS server - always up).  If it replies, you know your
internet connection is working.  Then ping ping.symantec.com (a ping
responder).  If it replies, then your DNS configuration is working and you
should be good to go.

And, if you're unlucky enough to be running Windows 8(.1), NETSH can be used
to manage your wireless profiles.  Remember how you could add or delete WiFi
profiles in Windows XP and 7?  They removed the GUI for this in Windows 8, but
NETSH can be used to manage these profiles.

  netsh wlan show profiles
  netsh wlan show profile "profile name"
  netsh wlan delete profile "profile name"

Replace "profile name" with the actual name of the profile.  These three are
probably the most asked for to show what profiles are stored by Win8, the
basic info about the profile, and how to delete the profile.  And the last
useful NETSH command for now (as we're now waaay off-topic):

  netsh wlan show networks

This will show all the currently detected wireless networks in your area.

OK, back to the security question - as someone earlier mentioned, it's always
best to change a default password.  If someone visits and you let them on your
network, they can screw with the router settings unless the password is
changed.  Same with the wireless encryption - always enable it (WPA2/AES or
better preferred) and make it strong.  Better yet, stick a second router
behind the modem and double-NAT.  Yes, this use to be discouraged, but it's no
longer problematic and many do it to add functionality - let the modem be
"just a modem" and use a router with better capabilities (such as QoS,
better/faster WiFi, etc) do the routing.

At home, I have a UVerse modem running in "passthru" mode feeding an ASUS
wireless router.  I'm currently partial to ASUS routers that run 3rd party
firmware - TomatoUSB (by Shibby) or AsusWRT by Merlin.  AsusWRT is more
stable, but TomatoUSB has much more functionality.  For basic needs, the Asus
RT-N12 is cheap and reliable (with 3rd party firmware).  I also run Asus
RT-AC68, RT-AC56, and RT-N66 models (all with Tomato/Shibby); these are
supported by 3rd party firmware - other models may not be supported.

Anyways, (as always) I hope I've made things clear as mud!  <g>


73,

  - Aaron Hsu, NN6O


-----Original Message-----
From: Ham-Computers [mailto:ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf
Of Jim Hill
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 12:06 AM
To: ham-computers at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Ham-Computers] Change User Name & Password in Router Settings: Is it
more Secure?

In the past, I entered 192.168.1.1 and changed my user name and password to
increase security, but recently rented a Netgear N450 CG3000Dv2 modem-router
from Cox Cable.  Cox seems to be having Internet problems from time to time,
and having a device they "bless" might make troubleshooting easier.  Also, I
didn't like my Ciso Linksys EA2700 router.  If I like the Netgear, I'll buy
one.

I can't access 192.168.1.1.  I have not contacted tech support yet, but then
thought preventing access might be intentional to make it easier for them to
resolve problems.

Then I had another thought - is there any real security benefit for the
average home user to make the changes?  There is nobody in my home that will
involved in "bad" things.

Jim, w6ivw

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