I bought the LINKSYS E2000 for my parents so that they could receive a wireless signal on their (also new) Panasonic DMP-BD85k Blu-Ray Player.

Probably because of their building and walls, the Panny is having trouble getting a signal and goes in and out, mostly out.

I bought a Netgear Powerline Adopter and that seems to be helping. A bit.

The computer and router are rooms away and that's how it has to be.

My question is, when I set up the LINKSYS, I was confused by some of the settings and what I had seen on some self-help videos on YouTube and such about security settings. I am setting this up for my parents and what the highest security for them so NO ONE can get on their wireless signal, but they can still use the Blu-Ray for streaming NetFlix and such.

When the Panasonic asks for my SSDI name and password, which I chnaged from factory preset and made my own, or it shows my "access point", there are one or two other names listed, I assume other wireless accounts in their
building. They all have the little padlock icon next to them. My new account does not and I fear i am not protected.

It also has my new SSDI name like this: "NAME-guest", is having guest there a problem? How do I change it if it is and how do I get a little padlock icon next to my name or am I worrying for no reason?

I know this is a lot, but I am brand new to ALL of this, wireless, blu-ray, etc. and I know only a bit more than my technophobe parentals.

I leave here on Monday morning. Lol. Good luck to me!

Thank you!

Well there are a lot more folks around here more knowledgeable than me. But some basics;

There is no way to 100% secure your system. If someone has the time and really wants in, they will get in. What you want it to set it up so most will pass you by and go to the next network. Just like deadbolts, lights and alarms at your house. You want the bad guys to find an easier target. Doesn't mean they can't get in.

Yes, you want to change the network name from the default. But this by itself is just a convenience thing. So as you have seen, if there are multiple networks, it is easy to tell them apart.

You can set your router (or at least you use to) to not broadcast you network name. This way it won't pop up when someone brings up a devise. Still not technically secure, but at least it won't broadcast the name and let others know it is available.

You also need to set up a security key. One word of warning, if you are setting this up for your parents you want to give it to them to write down in a safe place. And YOU keep it in a safe place as well. I keep my router information in a secure app of iPhone.

You change the name, don't broadcast it and set up a security key will be about as secure as your going to get. Any device they want to add or friends/family come up can still get on if you or your parents give them the network name and security key.

Use WPA2 security, not WEP. It should be right in the router setup and allow you to choose from a couple different types. WPA allows you to use a normal password, and the longer it is, the better the security. String a few words together to make a password, and keep it somehow for when you need it again, like in an iPhone as mentioned.

Spiky, Sdallnct, Thank you so much!

I assume by security key you mean the password or "encryption" for the network name...man, I am bad at this!

Also, I too, thought the opportunity to choose which kind of security would be offered to me, but it was not on the LINKSYS E2000 set-up site. In the Blu-Ray it asks me which and I just randomly chose WPA, not WPA2 both of which were choices, and it connects, sometimes, that is. I will look again.

Do you know which, if any of these processes gives you that little padlock icon next to your network name? Mine doesn't have that and I'm sure it's because I haven't done something I should have!

Thanks again!

You have to set it up in the router first, that should give you the lock icon. Then match it in the bluray player or any other wireless device. WPA is fine, too.

@Spiky: Did just that. No padlock icon on the Panasonic though. I did use WPA, though, is that in lieu of the padlock thingy are you saying?

Anyway, things did not work out that well at my parents and we all decided to scrap the Wireless router for now. They have a BluRay that just plays BluRay, but there's so much more to the story.

Once I hooked up the wireless router the internet on their computer went all screwy. Password crazy, couldn't get on Facebook, Netflix.com said I needed my cookies enabled when they were fully enabled, couldnt log on to You Tube, my parents couldn't access their AT&T e-mail, it was a nightmare.

I don't know why all that happened, but when I undid the router and plugged the ethernet for internet back into the computer directly, everything was fine.

So until I can figure that all out, they just have the BluRay to play Blu DVD's. Which they like very much.

The lock icon generally means that your player recognizes that the network has security enabled, and you would have to enter your password into the player at that point. WPA is a form of security, so using it should have made the icon come up. It sounds like you had some settings incorrect, causing all the problems. Networking is a PITA. You probably had some redundancy between the routers or other issues. To fix it you may have to get some help to go line by line in the setup and get it fixed up. I'm not exactly an expert in this area, I've just dealt with my own.

Thank you. I gave up. I will try and learn more for my next trip home. I am having wireless issues now myself with my PC, so the learning continues, but you are so right, it's a PITA!