Mac Security on a wireless router that includes Windows PCs

Just yesterday I took the plunge and purchased my first Mac---a MacBook Pro 2.4GHX with 4G of Ram. I am 62 years old and up until now have been using PCs my whole life (or that part of my life since personal computers became available). I have not as yet set up the MacBook but before I do I have one question (maybe many more in the future). I did not plan on installing any security software on my MacBook because friends and Apple Store employees told me it was not necessary and would only hog resources, etc. Good enough. However, I will be using the MacBook exlusively at home. My family and I have two Windows PCs that are connected to our ISP via a wireless router and I will be setting up the MacBook Web Access through the wireless router as well. My question is, although I am aware there has never been a successful reported Mac exploit in the wild would my MacBook be at risk if a virus or spyware or bot were to infect one of the PC's on our home network? Also, since the router employs a hardware firewall do I need to turn on the Mac firewall when I set up my MacBook. Since I am a brand new user and also not exactly a techie I hope someone can answer these questions. Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.

I answered the questions that were asked. "What will be, will be"
If you want to talk about security in relation to malware in general:
While there are no known viruses that attack Mac OS X at the present time, it is possible for spyware to get onto your Mac.
So I go to lenghts to protect my user. A hosed system can be replaced but a compromised user folder is compromised forever. Along with all your important data like bank records, credit cards, ... I.e. your "identity" stolen.
The best way to avoid that is by using your built-in firewall which is industrial strength and/or a hard wired router, downloading only from "trusted" sites, installing all security updates and being careful about what you give administrative power to. It is also recommended to run day to day tasks from a non-admin account.
Don't use Limewire or any other P2P service to download your software, get it from reputable sources. In addition, always keep at least your users backed up, preferably a clone of your entire system on a separate disk. And put your sensitive passwords, bank accounts, credit card numbers in a "secure note" in a new keychain or in an encrypted folder.
If and when a Mac virus does appear it will be headline news and you can download the AV software then. If you feel you have to run an AV program I'd suggest ClamXav a mac friendly freeware app that is very stable with OS X. It will check for known virus signatures at any rate.
Hope this helps.
-mj
Message was edited by: macjack

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Good Wireless Router for Both Windows and Mac

Anyone know of an outstanding wireless router that's compatible with both Operating Systems (Windows/Mac)? Should I get an "n"? Will that work for both? Does the new Airport Extreme router fit that bill?
Thanks,
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If you can still find one, I'd get the old Airport Extreme (round snow). Right now, the new 802.11n is in the process of suffering growing pains with third party equipment.
This is only my opinion. If you review this discussion topic area and read the posts you can make a decision.

HT204409 I have a new iphone 5 and it won't connect to a wireless router that my old iphone 3GS would pick up. Is there a compatibility issue with some routers or is the antenna weaker in the new iphone 5?

I have a new iphone 5 and I can't pick up a wireless router that I could use with my old iphone 3GS. Is there an issue with the new iphone and is the antenna weaker than the 3GS?

Please read this :
https://discussions.apple.com/message/20053332?ac_cid=tw123456#20053332
Well I copyed it to you here.
Re: Anyone still having IOS 6 wifi issues?
created by mpa9366 in Using iPad - View the full discussion
Having done a lot of reading today and having found a very good online tablet magazine (will post link tomorrow) there seems to be a few tech bods onto the problem.
The magazine I was reading identified wifi problems within hours of the ios 6 release and have been analysing since then with almost daily updates - the story seems to be:
The apple authenthication transmission is normal, it should slip through event prior to a full handshake with the host network being completed - however if not authenthicated then apple will not permit the device to connect (kills the connection) this is designed to protect apple from counterfeiting. So thats problem 1 if you dont receive a token from apple.
Problem 2 is that ios 6 only supports ipv6 (the new ip protocol) whereas outside silicon valley a large proportion of routers modems etc are still ipv4 protocol.
So youre locked into ipv6 in a world where ipv4 devices are everywhere and apple have not allowed for the ability to handle both protocols. This is like GM telling you your car requires an upgrade, everything will improve etc and as part of the upgrade fits a fuel cell motor and stays silent when their upgraded vehicles are simply parked up because they cannot get fuel.
A very basic expectation would have been dual protocol handling - we know the HW supports ipv4 as all wad fine on ios5.
So its going to be hit and miss with networks - more hit than miss in techy areas like silicon valley, but more miss in places like where I am - a small town in rural Switzerland.
Only apple can fix this with a patch to enable ipv4 protocol handling.
There you go. you just need to buy a new router, I'm sure Apple has one for sale, cause it's not there fault for sure.
Wonder why people start to migrate to other devices ?

Hi, I need help to secure my linksys wireless router, i tried the setup guide but i didnt work..

hello
I need help securing my linksys wireless router with speed boosters. In august me and some friends took over this rented house, and with the house we got their old internett system, we use a linksys router, This nett is open for everyone, but we want to secure it for other users. We didnt get the manual and i've tried the guide on your site but it says it cant be changed. The old owners didnt either know what to do. Is there some help i can get with this? Is there some buttom i can push to reset it and then make it possible?

Connect your computer using wire to router. Open setup page of router by typing http://192.168.1.1 in browser's address bar, and typing password as "admin" and no user name, if admin doesn't work reset router and do above step again. Go to wireless tab, here change wireless network name from linksys to any other name. Save the settings. Go to wireless security sub-tab here change security mode to WPA personal etc, and enter you secret key in passphrase/shared key, Save the settings.This secret key will be security key of your wireless network.

Cheap wireless router that plays nice with macs??

Greetings:
I have the older cone-shaped airport extreme base station...
it's working fine & I'm very happy with it.
My situation is this....
Periodically I go thru times of network degradation when I pull my hair out trying to ascertain if the issue is my ISP mothership, my cable modem, the airport extreme base station, or any of the myriad of links in the chain along the way.
It's struck me on more than one occasion that it sure would be handy if I had *another wireless router on the shelf that I could grab & go with.
At issue, however are several matters:
--the fact that many other routers don't play nice with macs
--the fact that I **need to do WEP security (it seems to be being dropped by a lot of newer routers).......but my TIVO won't do WPA & also I still have 2 older imacs on my home wireless network.
I would LOVE to hear a recommendation of something cheap & locally plentiful (like at the local best buy) that still does WEP & will play nice with macs.
Thanks for your help.
tm

You have the option to configure both your AirPort Extreme and the AirPort Express to "participate in a WDS network, so the Express will connect to the AiirPort Extreme using wireless only and then "extend" the reach of the wireless network.
Or, connect the Express to the Extreme using an Ethernet cable and configure it to "create a wireless nework", which will also provide more wireless coverage.....with greater bandwidth because you are connecting routers together using Ethernet, not wireless.
The following Apple document will give you all the options:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145

I have a Linksys WRT54G wireless router that has a MAC address

A month ago, I could print from my PC and my Mac to my Epson printer over my Linksys WRT54G wireless network. Now, for some reason, I cannot connect and print from either computer. An Epson tech asked me to check the MAC address of the Mac and the printer to see if they were the same. They were not. He then opined that might be why I couldn't print.
I don't know what changed a month or so ago or why it changed. I have not done anything to change the MAC address on either the MAC or the printer.
The Epson guy said the problem might be fixed by adding my printer's MAC address to my router's MAC address. Something about "enabling MAC address filtering". Then he told me that was an issue to pursue with my router manufacturer. Naturally.
Speaking of that problem...someone else had it, too...another technician at another site wrote: "...by default, routers don't come with mac address filtering enabled...and if that's the case....then adding the printer's MAC will not solve any issue that you may be having..."
So, three qustions:
(1) Can I add my Epson Workforce 545 printer's MAC address to my Linksys router? Is that possible?
(2) If I can do it, how do I do it? I saw no "add" or "edit" functions on the Linksys WRT54G Status Page.
(3) What causes MAC address mismatching to happen? What is unstable in that assembly?
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Mac addresses with different devices will differ. No two devices will have the same mac address. this is also called the hardware address. This is designed so that it will serve as a unique identifier of your devices in the network which you can check thru the router. Now it is possible that wireless mac filter might be blocking it from connecting to the network. But it would be best to check as well and make sure that the printer is connected to your network and has the same ip address segment as your router.
How to check if mac filter is enabled:
Setting up wireless MAC Filtering to permit users to connect to the wireless network on your Linksys...
Setting up wireless MAC Filtering to prevent users from connecting to the wireless network on your L...

Can't get older mac to connect to wireless router

I have an older G4 mac, which had an Airport wireless snow type of router. I've currently upgrade to an iMac with an Airport Extreme router. I can't get the old G4 to 'see' the Airport Extreme Network, so I can use the other computer to check email and get on the internet. Do I have to load in the same Airport software on both machines? Any help will be appreciated.

On my G4, I have the software installed which I used when setting up my other wireless router, the snow M8440. Could this be the problem?
Yes. Let's take a step back. You can use any computer to configure your new Airport Extreme, but first be sure you have installed the Airport Utility program from the link I posted above. The earlier version of Airport Utility you used for your Snow Airport doesn't have the necessary features to configure your new Airport Extreme.
The only reason to keep the old Airport Utility program would be to configure your old Snow Airport Base Station, which you're not using any more. So put it aside.
Since you're having trouble getting your G4 to connect at all, it makes sense to use your new iMac to configure your new AirPort Extreme. So let's use it for now.
The ability to use the dual band feature of the new Extreme is described starting on page 20 of the following: Apple Airport Networks (early 2009). The document is very lengthy but don't let that bother you - Apple's Airport base stations are extremely versatile and the manual gets very detailed, but most of it won't concern you.
I made a wireless network named Airport Extreme on my iMac.
The way you worded this concerned me, so at the risk of sounding Presidential, "let me be clear"
Technically, you don't want to create a wireless network on your iMac - the wireless network with which you want to connect is created by your Extreme, and you use Airport Utility to make that happen.
Your Airport icons on all your computers should look like one of these:
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then you have created a "computer to computer network". You don't want that.
Next: the passage of the Apple Airport Networks manual above also describes how to set up your Airport Network's wireless security...
I click on the Airport Extreme, the next window comes up with Wireless Security: WEP password. I type in my password I used to set up the Airport Extreme network, and get the following error message: There was an error joining the Airport network "Airport Extreme". ...
I advocate using no security at first, to eliminate one roadblock when first configuring a network. After everything works, set up WPA or WPA2 Personal. I'm reasonably sure your G4 supports it. The older WEP protocol is no longer considered secure - it amounts to "feel-good" security.
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Unlocking security mode on wireless router

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Any mid range options would be helpful. Thank your.

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Apparently the "chat" participant simply read from Apple's web page. Anyone can do that
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Is there a wireless router that works with 10.9 I will also need an extender?

I upgraded to 10.9 and it or I killed my wifi that had worked rather well for 1 1/2 years. Linksys tech attempted to help me but wanted me to buy a newer model I felt she were clueless or shaddy at best or both.
Been online searching for a top of the line router with no luck since I have no way of knowing if it will work with 10.9. All I can find is routhers that do not work with 10.9.
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I want to set up my mac book as a wireless router for other computers to connect on

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Hello Francinette Pestana. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
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Wireless router that plays well with Apple Airport Express

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WRT54G Wireless Router - cannot map Windows 7 pc to a Western Digital sharespace drive

I have a WRT54G Wireless Router. I recently connected a Western Digital Sharespace external storage drive to the router using an ethernet cable. Initially, I was able to map to the Sharespace device shares and create backup plans. After a few months, I lost the drive connections (possibly during a power failure) and since then, have not been able to map to the drives again. I can ping the Sharespace device and I can see the device in the router configuration screens. I have another computer on the same network, running XP, that is functioning perfectly. I am wondering if I have a problem because my laptop is on Windows7 and this is a fairly old and unsupported router. Should I change to a newer router?

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Can I use Time Capsule with Broadband wireless router that also feeds a PC?

I have just bought Time Capsule but am afraid to open it in case it stops the wireless broadband connection to my Mac and a PC in another room. Any advice?

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Connecting my Power Mac G5 to my wireless router.

Hi,
I have a Power Mac G5 that I want to get connected to my wifi through my Cisco router at home. I know my Mac didn't have the airport express card, so I just bought one and slid it inside the tower. But now I don't know how to get it to connect to my Network.
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Additional info if needed:
About My Mac,
Mac OS X
Version 10.5.8
Processor: Dual 2.7 GHz PowerPC G5
Memory: 2 GB DDR SDRAM

You don't need an Apple-branded base station to connect your G5 to WiFi.
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Is the card you installed an M8881 Airport Extreme Wireless Card? If not, what model is it?
Also, under About This Mac/Network/AirPort Card, does information on the card show up?
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Mac Security on a wireless router that includes Windows PCs

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