Are You Securing Your Wireless Network?

Wireless Networks are great! They lack wires, hence why they are called wireless. If you have a laptop, you can work or play from anywhere within your home. You can even use your internet outside. You can connect your desktop computers without having to run cable throughout your home (or pay an Electrician to do it.) However, unless you live in the middle of nowhere, you have neighbors. These neighbors most likely also have internet access and use wireless connections for their networking needs. How do you know your neighbors aren't using your connection for their surfing needs?

Most people will simply be using your connection to do what they need to do. Most people do not have designs on your personal information. Some do. There are programs in production that can grab basically any information that you transmit. Packet sniffers can provide details as to the types of sites you visit. This can be bad if you are visiting sites you really shouldn't. Give the neighborhood gossip a packet sniffer, ten minutes and access to your traffic and the neighborhood will soon know that you enjoy "online gambling" (among other things.)

Excess people will not make your bill to your ISP go up. Most people with a broadband connection have an unlimited plan. The danger comes with the personal information. Your local hacker (if you haven't given your monthly offering of Mountain Dew and Doritos) can easily gain access to your computer and thus your personal information. There are ways you can protect your network! No, I'm not talking about a firewall. Any IT person knows a dozen ways to get around a firewall. This is primarily for guarding against malicious programs. Firewalls work by opening and closing ports that traffic flows through. Unless you close all of your ports, the firewall is still vulnerable. However if you close port 80, you can't surf the internet. That really isn't why you got your broadband connection in the first place.

Many (if not all) wireless routers have some sort of encryption system in place. WEP and WPA are the standard. Let me correct that. WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy) is the predecessor of WPA (Wifi Protected Access). Older routers will have WEP, newer ones will use WPA. There is also a version of WPA known as WPA2. The average person does not need to know the technical details. A general understanding is nice, but as long as you understand that the two protocols encrypt your traffic to prevent unauthorized access, you should be good. Any decent wireless card can handle either. If you have any doubts, go with a Linksys. Linksys is owned by Cisco, a well-known company that produces high-quality networking equipment.

Anyone with a little patience and knowledge can set this up. If you know your router's IP address, you are ahead of the game. If not, read your router's documentation or call your ISP for help. A Google search can also help also. Unless your router is from the Stone Age, you will be met with a friendly user interface that is easily accessed through your web browser. Each router's software is different, so this is where the documentation or Google can help. In no time you can have a secured wireless network. Will it be government-level? No. But for the average user, you should be able to eBay with peace of mind.