Five Lesser Known Ways of Securing Your Wireless Network

When we buy a wireless local area network (WLAN) equipment, we become so excited of using it right away that we always forgot one important element in the process - security.  The widespread use of wireless networks also means there are also a number of potential network threats lurking within range of your home or office WLAN. Thus it really pays off to take a few couple of minutes to configure the security features of your wireless router or access point.

To help you make sure that no one can take advantage of your system, here are the top five things you can do to protect your wireless network:

Secure the router or access point administration interface

All wireless routers and access points come with a default administration password you need to change. Some manufacturers’ uses “password” or their name as default password and some do not have a password at all making you a very easy target to hackers. So as soon as you set up your WLAN, change the default password immediately. Just be sure to write down the new password for future reference as you will not be using them very often.

Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP

WEP or wired equivalent privacy encryption has widely known weaknesses that make it relatively easy for up-to-no-good users to crack the encryption and access your network. A better way to secure your WLAN is to enable your Wi-Fi protected access (WPA) as your password is not limited to 0-9 and A-F characters as with the WEP.

However, WEP is better than nothing

If your device only supports WEP encryption, this is not a reason to skip the encryption entirely because despite of its flaws, WEP is still far superior to having no encryption at all! Just be sure not to construct an easy-to-guess password like a series of consecutive numbers or your full name.  If you can reset your encryption every week do so.

Try not broadcast your SSID

Most WLAN routers and access points automatically and continually broadcasts your SSID or service set identifier. This makes you visible to all wireless network or system within range. Turning off the SSID will make you invisible to your neighbors and passers-by.

Reduce your WLAN transmitter power

Reducing your WLAN transmitter power means reducing the range of your signal. Though, you cannot entirely fine-tune your signal that it will not leak outside your home or office but limiting your signal reach minimizes the opportunity for outsiders to access your WLAN. The only downside is that this feature is only available to a handful of WLAN routers or access point products.

If you need more information or better yet a partner to help you install and protect your wireless system as well as have someone to go to when bad turns to worst in your computing life, we at SUPPORTrix can be of great service to you.

Call us at 1877 787 8749 to talk to one of our remote computer support professionals or know us better at http://www.supportrix.com/