Securing your home wireless network

I have neglected our blog recently and thought it was time to add some content to our blog. If you want the technical process and language for securing your wireless network try googling “securing home wireless network“. You can also visit the manufacturer’s website (i.e. Linksys, Belkin, D-Link, etc.) of your wireless router. Some important things to remember is to always set a secure password (include letters, numbers and special characters) to your router’s control panel that is accessed by visiting your local private domain usually http://192.168.1.1 (see your owner’s manual). If you do not secure your router’s control panel you are giving anyone access to create protocol and permissions on your local home network. We are living in a PDA/portable media device world and anyone can come within reach of your home’s wi-fi signal (pulling vehicle in your driveway or passing close to your home) and access your unsecured home network. Your router is a computer itself and can be used to infiltrate your home computer and other media devices.

Once you have created a secure password (IMPORTANT: REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD) for accessing and managing your router via the control panel now comes the process of connecting your wireless devices to your home network. You can do this in several ways:

1) assign each device a MAC address (physical address) (see also MAC address filtering in your router’s manual or control panel)

2) Enable a password-protected encryption so only devices with the proper permissions (i.e. password) can access the home network.

To find your computer’s MAC address you will need to do this from Command Prompt with the “ipconfig/all” command

(Windows Users)

If you have TCP/IP installed, run   ipconfig/all   from a Command Prompt window.

(click Start, then Run, then type cmd in the text box.)

Type in ipconfig/all in the Command Prompt Windows.

The 12-digit Physical Address is the same as MAC address

WPA/WEP Encryption: encryption scrambles your WI-FI signal and helps secure your home network. Make sure your wireless password is secure. Often routers will ask the user if you want the router to generate a password for you, which is helpful in creating a unique password.

Remember to change your SSID (Service Set Identifer) name to something unique (i.e. JoHn DoE_NeTwOrK123). Most manufacturer’s ship the router by its default name on all of the units or models (i.e. linksys, default, etc.). You also want to disable SSID broadcasting. This will prevent unauthorized users from obtaining your SSID and accessing your network.

These are just a few tips for securing your home wireless network and protecting you and your family from becoming victimized. While we could write a book on this topic, these are the basics that you need to creating a good, secure relationship with your wireless router.

NOTE: ALWAYS REFER TO YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL OR CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER FOR TROUBLESHOOTING ISSUES RELATED TO A ROUTER OR WIRELESS ROUTER.

This entry was posted on 4. August 2008 at 22:59 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.