Secure your Wi-Fi Network

Secure your Wi-Fi Network

Now that you have got your wi-fi network up and running it would be advisable to follow the steps listed below to secure your wi-fi network:

Enable WPA security Mode
If you have not already done so, please enable the WPA security mode on your wi-fi router. WPA is far better than WEP. WEP and WPA both encrypt and decrypt data on the network so it's not so easily intercepted. Where WPA stands above WEP is that WEP uses a static key to encrypt and WPA encrypts dynamically by each packet of data which they call Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) To protect the information as it passes over the airwaves, you should enable the highest level of encryption that is supported by your network equipment.

Change & Disable SSID Broadcast
Change the default SSID provided by the router manufacturer and disable the broadcasting of this SSID.

Your wireless devices have a default SSID (Service Set Identifier) set by the factory. The SSID is the name of your wireless network, and can be up to 32 characters. Hackers know these defaults and can use them to join your network. Change the network's SSID to something unique, and make sure it doesn't refer to the networking products you use. As an added precaution, be sure to change the SSID on a regular basis, so any hacker who may have figured out your network's SSID in the past will have to figure out the SSID again and again. This will deter future intrusion attempts.

By default, most wireless networking devices are set to broadcast the SSID, so anyone can easily join the wireless network with just this information. But hackers will also be able to connect, so unless you're running a public hotspot, it's best to disable SSID broadcast. You may think it is more convenient to broadcast your SSID so that you can click on it to join your network, but you can configure the devices on your network to automatically connect to a specific SSID without broadcasting the SSID from your router.

Change Default Password
Change the default password of your router. Many people know the default password of most brands. If they get access to your wireless, they can log into your router and change the configurations and set the password themselves locking you out!

Enable MAC address filtering
Enable the MAC address filtering so that your router only allows your laptop/notebook to connect to the network. The MAC address is a unique series of numbers and letters assigned to every networking device. With MAC address filtering enabled, wireless network access is provided solely for wireless devices with specific MAC addresses. For example, you can specify only the computers in your house to access your wireless network. It would be very difficult for a hacker to access your network using a random MAC address.