TrendNet wireless network - not secured

Hi. This is in regards to a Home Network Setup.

I have internet service from Rogers. Since we have more than one computer at home, I went and bought a TrendNet wireless 4 port router so all my computers (we have 3) could get internet.
{TrendNet TEW432BRP 54 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router]

We are all connected fine.
My problem is that my network is NOT secure. And since it's wireless, any neighbours can jump onto it without me even being aware of it!

Please someone, help explain to me how to secure my network!
(2 laptops (1 has a wireless card, the other is wired to the router) and 1 PC that uses a wireless USB [TEW-424UB] BUT I'm installing a wireless network card into the PC this afternoon because the USB heats up too much.

I would love any info on how to make my network secure!

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

From the weakest to the strongest, Wireless security capacity is.
No Security
MAC______(Band Aid if nothing else is available).
WEP64____(Easy, to "Break" by knowledgeable people).
WEP128___(A little Harder, but "Hackable" too).
WPA-PSK__(Very Hard to Break).
WPA-AES__(Not functionally Breakable)
WPA2____ (Not functionally Breakable).

Note 1: WPA-AES the the current entry level rendition of WPA2.

Note 2: If you use WinXP and did not updated it you would have to download the WPA2 patch from Microsoft. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893357

The documentation of your Wireless devices (Wireless Router, and Wireless Computer's Card) should state the type of security that is available with your Wireless hardware.

All devices MUST be set to the same security level using the same pass phrase.

Therefore the security must be set according what ever is the best possible of one of the Wireless devices.

I.e. even if most of your system might be capable to be configured to the max. with
WPA2, but one device is only capable to be configured to max . of WEP, to whole system must be configured to WEP.

If you need more good security and one device (like a Wireless card that can do WEP only) is holding better security for the whole Network, replace the device with a better one.

Setting Wireless Security - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Security.html

The Core differences between WEP, WPA, and WPA2 - http://www.ezlan.net/wpa_wep.html

.

 

Wow, thanks for all that info, but I don't really understand alot of it.

Let me start over....

I have 3 computers - all are running XP.
The PC is an HP Pavillian a1320n - Media edition 2005 (using a USB wireless device).
1 laptop is an IBM Thinkpad T42 (wireless)
and the other laptop is IBM Thinkpad T40 (wired)

We are all up and running under the "blahblahblah" wireless network.
This network is unsecured.

#1 - I want to change the name of the network - how do I do this?
#2 - I want to change the name of the computers on the network.
#3 - I want to make my network secure - how do I do this?

Thank you.