About Wi-Fi

Is Wi-Fi secure?

The question now becomes... what are the dangers of using Wi-Fi?  Is it secure enough to protect my private information?  Can someone hack into my network if I use a wireless network?

The anwer is YES, if you don't take the proper precautions.  The problem with most home wifi users, is that they buy a wireless access point or wireless router, plug it in, and they work right away.  Then, they don't take the proper steps to secure their network.  They will leave the ssid to the default value and broadcast it so that hackers will easily see it.  They will not set any security protocols either, and this leaves their network wide open to their neighbors or anyone driving by their house?

So how should I secure my wifi network?

There are some very simple steps that should be done when you setup a home wireless network.

• Change your default password for your router or access point.  This is the most important thing to do so that intruders can't change your settings.
  
• Change your SSID to a unique name.  Many people leave their SSID to the default, which alerts hackers to the fact that their network is not secure.

• Set your SSID to "not broadcast".  This will make your wifi network much more difficult to find.

• Turn on a security protocol, like WPA or WPA2 to encrypt your wireless transmissions.  With WPA, you'll set a passphrase, which will provide excellent protection against attacks.  Do not use WEP security!  It is outdated and easily hackable.
• Lastly, if your device will allow, set up a MAC filter.  Each computer or wifi device has a unique MAC address.  Setup your router or access point to only accept traffic from the MAC addresses that you specify.

For more information, read this article about security technologies and this article about how to secure your network from the Wi-Fi Alliance