Setup a Secured WiFi Network
by Scott Allen - November 17, 2006
Filed Under WiFi Security
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.
How to Setup a Secured WiFi Network
- Buy a Wireless Router. (See recommendation below.)
- 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!
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.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to the RSS feed!
Related Posts:
- Cyber-Surveillance and Internet Data-Mining
- Data Execution Prevention in Windows Vista is Not a Real Security Feature
Comments
One Response to “Setup a Secured WiFi Network”
Leave a Reply
If you have any questions about commenting, please see our Comment Policy.
I have a similar question to the topic of conversation here and was hoping to get your input before I go out and buy a router. I’m heading back to school and since the university has their own WiFi on campus, they forbid anyone to set up a personal wireless network. Since their WiFi blocks out almost every type of usage an average internet user would want to do (download, webcam, online gaming, sharing etc…) they say students can go through local ISP’s to deliver faster and less limited internet. Last year I tried using a wireless router with my own ISP and everyone on campus immediately got an email saying that IT has detected a router set-up within residence and if it isn’t removed completely within a week, they’ll (without permission) come in and find it and remove it. Of course, that could just be a threat and unlikely, but it still got me nervous enough to return the wireless router and just go with a hard-wired one.
Now, I’m heading back to school tomorrow and wanted to do the same thing, but I’m thinking about just disabling the SSID. Will this stop them from detecting my wireless internet network setup? Is there anything else I can do? I run both a PC and a Mac and am quite computer savvy, so if there’s anything over complicated, I’ll with no question give it a try.
Let me know!!