Wireless Networking Tips for Homes

Wireless Networking Tips for Homes
About Wireless Networking at Home
Today's homes are getting more and more high tech as the number of computers per home increases and people use computers for both business and entertainment. Wireless networking at home using broadband is a convenient, flexible and mobile way of computing without messy cabling.
However, you should take great care not to expose your wireless networks to security risks. Wireless networks use radio signals for transmission and if they’re not secured, other people can access your network, intercepting your emails, accessing your documents and using your internet connection.
Why is it important to secure your wireless network at home?
Wireless networks are easy to find and hackers are always on the look out for vulnerable and open unsecured networks. An unsecured network can: · Compromise your privacy and lead to loss or corruption of data · Lead to a slow internet connection due to bandwidth usage by the hacker · Leave you legally responsible for any criminal activities carried out by the hacker.
Securing your wireless network at home
Enabling the router's firewall will block intrusions through the Internet. However this will not stop hackers accessing your network directly through the wireless gateway. Below are a few recommendations that you may follow to increase the security of your wireless home LAN.
1) Change default admin logins on network equipment.
Equipment manufacturers use a standard username and password on all their equipments and these are well known to the public. As a first step, you should change the admin username and password for your router.2) Change default SSID.
Service Set Identifier (SSID) is the unique name assigned to each wireless network to differentiate them from other wireless networks. Wireless devices have a default SSID set by the factory. Hackers may be aware of this default SSID and will try to use the same to access your network. Hence customers are advised to change the default SSID to a personal one, in order to make it difficult to be identified by others.
3) Do not broadcast the SSID.
Hackers use applications that can detect SSIDs and try to log on to the network. Hiding the SSID may not be the perfect method to secure your network, but by not broadcasting the SSID it becomes difficult for the hacker to detect your SSID and get into your network.
4) Enable encryption.
The most important step in securing your wireless communication is enabling encryption. In order to protect your data from hackers you can either use WEP encryption or WPA encryption.
a. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP Encryption).
The first generation of wireless network equipment came with WEP encryption, which provides security by encrypting data over radio waves. Enable WEP encryption and use a non-obvious encryption key. WEP encryption doesn’t provide foolproof protection, but it does make the hacker's job more difficult.
b. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA Encryption).
WPA is the latest, enhanced security standard for wireless networks, providing more sophisticated data encryption and better user authentication than WEP. WPA technology is designed to work with existing Wi-Fi products that have been enabled with WEP.
5) Use non-obvious WEP keys and periodically change them.
Don’t use simple keys like 123456 and keep changing your WEP keys every now and then to help keep your LAN secure.

6) Disallow router administration via wireless.
If possible, use the feature on your router/modem to shut off and disallow router administration of your access point via wireless.
7) Use MAC address based access and association control.
The MAC address filter lets you decide exactly who has access to your wireless network. You can find the MAC address on your network adapter device. MAC addresses can be imitated or copied, so it's not a guarantee of security, but it adds another obstacle for potential intruders.