Securing a Wi-Fi Network

 

Once upon a time, it was considered safe, and helpful, to use an unlocked wireless network around the home. It made it much easier for people for household members to connect to the Internet and, if some random passerby happened by, the original family could be the good Samaritans who gave them a little free internet. Alas, those days are long gone. Even someone who means you and your family no harm can eat up large amounts of your bandwidth through innocent downloads which may raise your rates and slows down your web service. Even worse is someone who seeks to invade your privacy, steal your personal data and even carry out crimes with your own IP address. With all this mind it is vitally important that home or business owner learn how to secure their Wi-Fi Network against these possible threats. The tips below should, with any luck, render your network secure and untouchable.

Change the password

This first tip is rather obvious but it is something that many people forget about. A wireless router comes with a preset user name and password that, unfortunately, many people do not change. The list of these preset passwords are readily available on the web and so, if someone doesn’t change the password, they are leaving their network wide open for whoever wants to penetrate it. With only a few short keystrokes you can make your network much more secure.

Be careful of changing your SSID

A SSID is the default identification of your router. For example it could be Wireless48, or use a corporate name to identify it. Many people may be tempted to change it, especially those in larger population areas, so as to make it easier to identify their individual network. However, this can be an extremely bad idea. Some people actually go so far as to identify their location like “Apt3b” or “Smithfamily85”. These personal SSID’s provide location and personal data that can allow potential thieves to find, and exploit, your wireless network. While it is good to change it so that you can distinguish your network, avoid making it something that’s too obvious to an intruder looking in.

Better Network Protection

While someone may feel safe by adding an encryption service to their network, that can be false confidence. It’s important to see what, exactly, encryption is being used. If it’s WEP encryption, then it’s probably time to change it. WEP is the lowest tier of protection and, thus, is the easiest for people to hack into. It’s much better, and safer, to change to either WPA or WPA2. These use much harder encryption which will, hopefully, scare off opportunistic criminals.

Conclusion

The virtual world is a scary place at the best of times and having a Wireless Wi-Fi Network is opening a gate that anyone might be able to stroll in to see, and steal, your most important information and, in the worst case scenario, even your own identity. Thus, it pays to be extremely careful. With the above tips and tricks hopefully criminals will be discouraged with your protection and decide to move on to easier prey.