It’s easy to get excited about the flexibility and convenience of a wireless home network, but don’t forget that securing it is a necessity.
Why should you secure your wireless network?
An unsecured wireless network is an open invitation to allow all your neighbors, their teenage kids and every hacker in the vicinity to access your Internet connection and all your computers. An open network also makes it convenient for young children inside the home to access the Internet.
If your network is unsecured, all those unauthorized users can slow your connection to a crawl. Plus, malicious users can access your files, passwords, and any other private data on your computers.
So how do you secure a wireless home network? Begin with a three-layer approach:
Step 1: Change and Hide Your Network’s SSID
Your wireless network’s SSID is the ‘name’ that identifies your network. If your network cannot be detected, then oftentimes, changing and hiding your SSID may be your first line of defense.
Step 2: Change Your Default Administrator Password
A secure password will prevent unauthorized access to your wireless router or access point to change any configuration settings that are enabled.
Step 3: Enable Encryption
Whether it be WEP, WPA or other encryption types, some form of encryption should be enabled on the wireless network to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access.
For more information on how to complete each of these steps, visit the Wireless Home Network section on 24HourSupport.com.