How to Protect Your Wireless Network

You want to know how to secure your wireless network. First off let me just say that it can be easy for someone with the little bit of know how and a fair bit of determination to intercept your information over a wireless network. No network is ever completely secure, and a wireless network is even less secure. The manual that comes with your wireless network will have some procedures on how to protect your files, so take a little bit of time to read the documentation that is enclosed. The guide may seem a little technical in the terms used to explain the steps, but be patient and persevere - it will well be worth the time.

Remember you are protecting everything you have on your hard drive like pictures, emails, the places you visit, and even banking information, in some cases, if you do that sort of thing on your network. Consider using a difficult password key, something that is hard for someone to guess. Your key should contain upper and lower case letters as well as numbers, this will make it harder to access. Try to stay away from using your birthday or your dog's name, easy for you to remember but not very hard for the determined to figure out.

Use encryption software. All wireless network hardware come with some form of encryption software, make sure you take the time to go through the steps to set it up properly. They are sometimes so complex or wordy in steps that most may not even realize that they have not even turned it on. Trust me, if you finding it too daunting, go to the manufactures website for assistance, you will not regret it. Another thing to keep in mind is that you are on a network, so all your information is potentially at risk, know what information is on your other computers. Your tax documents or something like your family Christmas pictures, whatever you

value is at risk, because they are shared between computers on the same network. When you are online, take notice if the site is secured. You have seen the padlock symbol for years, that the website sign that they encryption protocols in place. You will want to make sure that all of your shared files, even the ones you do not think you need to protect. Do you want your pictures being used in some off shore online scam, no of course not? Stay away from open Wi-Fi networks like coffee shops, internet café's, and the city park all of these offer free and convenient Wi-Fi access, great for browsing or chatting, but are by no means

secure. In addition, remember to keep your computer up to date on your anti-virus protection and maintain your firewall. It only takes a few moments to update your software and in most cases, the automatic updates are already on, USE IT! Finally remember that no network is 100% safe and secure so do what you can to protect yourself, and the best way to protect yourself is if you are not using your computer turn you router off, there is no way anyone can access it if it's not on.