Router

For the past couple of months I have been having a problem with my router. The router itself works pretty well, but ever since I had a computer problem that I mentioned over and over and over again in this blog, the router won’t let me set up a secure network.

I am one of those people that like to think he trusts everyone, but the reality is that I don’t trust too many people at all. I trust that even though their intentions are good, they will do what is in their best interest. Some people will lie, cheat, steal and even get violent if they can only justify it to themselves. Louise has a saying that applies here, “Man is not a rational being, he is a rationalizing being.” Too true! Yes, I know that I am going into a dark place, when you thought that I was going to talk about a computer peripheral device.

I am, but I just wanted to establish that I don’t trust people. I don’t lock my car in the garage, but I lock the gates and the garage door. I also have a fake garage door opener on the wall by the door which is meant to fool a thief. What it would do actually is piss him off enough that he would clean out the garage and come back in a week or two and strip the house. I picture thieves as kind of human Grinches.

So anyways, for some reason the router won’t let me form a secure network. It will take me through all of the steps, but at the last minute it asks for a PIN number which is on the underside of the router. There are more than a few numbers on the underside of the router, but not one of them is the PIN number. I know because I have tried them all. I have done a web search and I get the same information there. I have entered those freakin’ numbers about a hundred times and have had no luck.

I thought I was going nuts! My daughter suggested that I just not worry about it because the signal isn’t strong enough to go very far. Up until then I was under the impression that not only was I providing free internet to half of the city, but all of my important digital information was available to whoever wanted to take it. I thanked her and since I am not a very trusting sort, I took the iPad outside and walked down the street until it lost the signal, which was about ten feet from the property line. My immediate neighbours might be able to access the signal or perhaps someone parked in front of the house, but no one else really. Whenever I see someone parked on the street I unplug the router and I do it at random times so that I can piss off the neighbours if they are stealing my signal.

(I just got a wrong number, I wonder if it came from someone parked out front and is just messing with me?)

The other day I was talking to Ron the Lottery guy and he is having the same problem with his router that I am having with mine. He just hadn’t been using his computer for fear of the dreaded cyber theft. We talked about our mutual problem and I told him what I did. I could tell he didn’t believe me and I know that he would walking down the street with his laptop in his hands that evening. I also told him that if he was worried about someone violating him electronically while he was at work then he should just unplug the router.

You know that moment when you realize that not only was your problem not very complicated, the solution to your problem was simple as well. That was the look that came over Ron’s face. I took my losing tickets and left, confident in the knowledge that Ron will be unplugging his router when he isn’t at home. Unless he forgets.

I know that if times get tough I will be able to park in front of Ron’s house and post this blog. Ron seems to be a pretty forgetful person.