Remote Router Access For Linksys WRT54GL

Question

I just set up a wireless network at home using a Linksys WRT54GL. All was fine except that I can still access 192.168.1.1, the configuration setup page of the router, within the local wireless after I disabled "Remote Management". I think if remote access is indeed disabled, one can access my router setup page only by using a cable connecting from his computer to the router. Is this true or am I wrong?

Answer 1

Correct. Remote Management is disabled by default and when enabled, it allows web access through the WAN port (basically the internet) on port 8080 (again default). LAN access - both wired and wireless - is unaffected by this.

WRT54GL User Guide, pp. 19:

Remote Management To access the Router remotely, from outside the network, select Enable.

Management Port Enter the port number that will be open to outside access. You will need to enter the Router’s password when accessing the Router this way, as usual.

Use https To require the use of HTTPS for remote access, select this feature.

Answer 2

Hyperslug's right, "Remote Access" here only covers the WAN side of the router. Anything LAN or WLAN is "local access".

There is a separate option to cut off wireless access to the router's config. According to the same page of the User Guide (p.19) that hyperslug posted, on the Administration > Management config page, these two options can secure the local wireless access to the router config:

Access Server HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) is the communications protocol used to connect to servers on the World Wide Web. HTTPS uses SSL (Secured Socket Layer) to encrypt data transmitted for higher security. Select HTTP or HTTPS. The default selection is HTTP.

Wireless Access Web If you are using the Router in a public domain where you are giving wireless access to your guests, you can disable wireless access to the Router’s web-based utility. You will only be able to access the web-based utility via a wired connection if you disable the setting. Keep the default, Enable, to enable wireless access to the Router’s web-based utility, or select Disable to disable wireless access to the utility.

If wireless access to your router's administration pages is a concern for you, you should change the first option to HTTPS (encrypt local access, for protected wireless access -- note this is not the same as the "Use https" option in the Remote Management section), or switch the second option to Disable (for no wireless access at all).