Home Wireless Network Security

Why you should secure your wireless network

Home wireless networks are becoming more common every day. These networks provide the ability to have multiple computers set up all over your house or apartment without a mess of wires running through your home. With a wireless network and a laptop, you can surf the web from your couch, your kitchen table or even your bed.

However, with this increased convenience comes increased dangers. Hackers and identity thieves are targeting home wireless networks more than ever, looking for people that have simply plugged in their wireless router and taken no steps to protect their network. Being that careless is the same as moving into your home, but then leaving every door and window unlocked, simply hoping that no one will come in and steal your belongings. Only instead of walking off with your TV, wireless hackers are looking to steal your passwords, your credit card numbers and your bank account information over your own wireless network. Also, people may illegally download movies, music and other copyright protected material over your network without your knowledge. If that occurs, you can still be blamed for the illegal downloads.

While it will take a little effort to secure your home network, it is essential to do so. By following these steps, you can lock down your wireless network so you and your family can fully enjoy it, but intruders cannot get in.

Steps for securing your wireless network

Each wireless router and access point has their own interfaces, but the principles of wireless networking are the same. Use your wireless access point's instruction manual as you follow these steps to help you secure your wireless network.

• Immediately change the administrator username and password on your wireless hardware. The majority of wireless routers, by default, have a commonly known username and password. In fact, they are so commonly known that they are published across the internet. The manufacturers did this to make it easier to initially setup and troubleshoot your wireless access point. Hackers have quickly learned what these default passwords are and will try to use the default settings to gain administrator access to your hardware. You will make a hacker's life much harder by simply setting a unique strong password.
• Do not broadcast your wireless network's identity. Most modern computers will show a list of available wireless networks that people can try to connect to. You should not broadcast your wireless network's identity (also called SSID or network name). It's more difficult for random passers-by to connect to your network if they can't determine what it's called or if it doesn't show up in a list of available wireless networks.
• Use WPA encryption to secure communication between your computer and your wireless access point. Encryption will make it much more difficult for a hacker to read the information that is being sent across your wireless network. Although WPA has known security vulnerabilities, it is better to use WPA than to leave your network completely unencrypted.
• Configure your wireless access point so that it will only accept the MAC addresses of computers that you own. A MAC address is like a machine's thumb print: a specific identifier that belongs to the particular network card installed in your computer. Although it is possible to change MAC addresses, most users won't know how to determine which MAC address your network will accept and change their MAC address to match. If the only computers that can connect to your wireless network are ones that have MAC addresses you have specified, you will keep casual surfers and hackers off of your home network. If you need help finding your MAC address, you can visit our Computer Identification Information page.
• Position your wireless router to minimize leakage. Placement of your wireless router within your home is very important. You should pick a spot in your home that provides a signal throughout your home, but does not send the signal outside of your home. Placing the router next to an outside wall might send the signal across several buildings, which means many people will have the opportunity to hack at your wireless network. Your best bet is to place your wireless router in the middle of your home.
• Turn off your wireless network when you won't be using it for an extended period of time. You do not have to turn off your wireless network after every single use, but if you are going to not use your network for a long period of time (i.e. when you go on vacation), it makes sense to turn off your wireless router. No one can hack into your home network if it is not turned on.