TechMan: Secure Your Home WiFi Network

A home Wi-Fi network presents security risks, but there are a number of things you can do to keep neighbors or more insidious invaders at bay. Hackers know the default logins for the routers of manufacturers, so you should go back onto the router and change the default login. WPA2 offers the highest level of security for scrambling messages sent over the network, so be sure computers that connect to the unit and the operating system you use support the encryption scheme, then configure your router to use it and also the client machines on the network. Older machines might require you to use the lower WEP or WPA encryption schemes. You should change the default network name of the router (called the SSID address); restrict the physical address of each piece of Wi-Fi gear (called the MAC address) that the router uses to connect, to only those on your home network, if you have the option; disable the feature that your router uses to broadcast your SSID over the air, if you have this option; and disable the feature that automatically connects the computer to any available wireless network without telling you. Make sure the firewall on your router, which prevents unauthorized connections, is turned on, as well as your computer’s software firewalls. With a public Wi-Fi network, you are at the mercy of the settings made by the provider, so enable SSL (Secure Socket Layer) connections on any site you visit, and disable sharing on your computer. Also, turn off Wi-Fi when you go out so your machine will not connect to an available network. | Read More