Setup a Secured WiFi Network

by Scott Allen

Whether you work out of your home, or have a large office, you need a wireless (WiFi) network. In many cases, if you have the right hardware, modern high-speed WiFi can be faster than connecting directly with most network cables. Besides the obvious benefit of not having a tangle of cables, it allows you the freedom of portability with your laptop. For entrepreneurs who work at home, you can work poolside and enjoy a few rays of sun in the daytime. Or when you have to log a few extra hours in the evening, you don’t have to toil away at your desk — you can take your laptop to the couch and throw in a DVD. But ONLY if you have a wireless network.

Using a secured WiFi network poolside.

How to Setup a Secured WiFi Network

Buy a Wireless Router.
Buy a WiFi Card for each computer on the network.
Follow the directions to set up each component of the WiFi network.
Secure your network with WiFi Security measures.
Surf wirelessly!

Using a WiFi network in the home office.

WiFi Network Security — Secured Network vs. Unsecured Network
I turned on my laptop the other day and 5 unsecured networks showed up in my apartment. Anyone can log on to your network and leech off your internet access, record your network traffic, or view your unsecured shared files…unless you use network security measures to create a secured network.

There are three important steps to securing your WiFi network:

Make your WiFi Network Invisible — In the setup of your wireless router choose the option to turn off SSID broadcast, or make your network “invisible”. Most people don’t realize that their network broadcasts its ID. You have to know the SSID to access the network so turning this off is step one in securing your WiFi network. (This can be cracked though so don’t stop here. More on that later.)
Encrypt your WiFi Network — Use WPA or WPA2 security. WEP is an older protocol — very unsecure — and should never be used. WPA is newer and is very secure. WPA uses high grade encryption and authentication.
Use MAC Address Filtering — The MAC (Media Access Controller) Address filter option is used to control network access based on the MAC Address of the network adapter. A MAC address is a unique ID assigned by the manufacturer of the network adapter.