Router bridging

[halo2_god]

OK, well for one what im trying to do is make my Netgear WGR614 v6 run as a hub/switch for my linksys WRT54G and as of right now im using my linksys as my main one. I got the netgear router once i purchased high speed internet for free special offer thing. anyway it didnt come with the disk so i downloaded the firmware from the web site. File format is .chk and for one i dont know how to install it onto the router and second i know in my linksys i have this option to make it run as hub/switch but im not sure if i have the option in my netgear one.

Please help i am having this problem with some one hacking into my linksys router around my area. And i tried every thing what i was going to do use my netgear one for its more secure functions. I even changed freqency to like every one advailable but then when i open my network monitor and i look at list of PCs it says "black hobits pc" and i dont have any computers named that i changed my SSID i even put tin foil around the entena to reduce the signal strength but its eaither ther purson above me or below me or posible the person acrose the hallway but i dont want to acuse people.

I even blocked there mac address but that still didnt help me. my dads friend took a look at my router. (he is like a security crazy guy he monitors networks for some bank or something like that) and he was saying if i used the netgear router aka used it as a hub with the linksys the NAT firewall and the SPI firewall on netgear one would work and mostlikely help block him out because the linksys firmware is really out dated but still we need a larger wifi feild do to my dads work laptop signal doesnt reach 3 rooms down to his office (yes i know confusing i live in an aprtment that has like 6 rooms lol.)

[Park_7677]

You didn't mention what kind of security there is on the wireless. WEP? WPA? Nothing? This is the first place to start. Once you enable encryption (WPA[2] hopefully), you can enable MAC Filtering to only allow the 1 or 2 wireless PCs you have. It's unlikely that someone is going to jump two (large with WPA2) hurdles to get on your network.

Read the manuals for both the Linksys and Netgear routers to update them both. Running old firmware is partly your problem and whatever you do do will be undermined by the old firmware. It's very simple and usually spelled out right in the manuals.

Using one router as an extension of the other via switching will do nothing for your security. Period. The wireless seems to be your weak point so fix that the proper way with updated firmware and proper encryption/security features enabled.

Also the SPI firewall most likely will not help you since it's designed to stop things from the INTERNET port from coming to the LAN. Wireless is on the LAN so SPI doesn't care about it and assumes you are in control of it. That's why the wireless encryption and MAC filtering are in place.

[halo2_god]

OK, thanks for the help. I did find a program that basicaly filterd pakets sent threw the routers to only the internal ips and mac addresses i choose. then i changed my DNS to opendns and basicaly i saw what websites he would goto alot of decryting sites and cracking on my linksys WRT54G with that firmware. So i basicaly connected to his C: he had it on share mode option. Then i went in and dropped a batch in the startup folder which closed every port (I found it online). i made one two open all ports couldn't figure out how to close them :) no longer a problem.

[rapture]

i even put tin foil around the entena to reduce the signal strength
Maybe you should make yourself a hat too :)