Setting Up Wireless Networking Security
Wireless networking works. It is a great step forward. Simply plug in your new wireless capable router, follow the instructions, and you can have wireless access throughout your house in no time at all.
The wireless access does not stop at your four walls. The wireless signal, a radio signal, passes through your building boundaries, to your neighbours and your street. Indeed, wireless is now designed to provide even greater range by continuing to work whilst bouncing off of objects.
Your wireless connection is wide open to attack. You must act to secure it. These are the reasons why:
(1) Many people share their files and printers to other family members. With your wireless access wide open, anyone passing your network can read and change those files, or use your printers. Set passwords to dissaude hackers from accessing your PCs.
(2) There are so many laptops and hand held computers on the market now - wireless ready. These devices will automatically pick up your settings when they are in range.
(3) Strangers will use your internet bandwidth. They will download music, films, and other large files. They may also use you connection to download pornographic material, including illegal material. This will be logged down as "your download" as it came from your home or business address.
(4) Some broadband accounts, not recommended by BrightCity, have a download limit per month. You get charged if you go over this limit. You could be paying for other users downloads.
"Wardriving" is an active passtime. This sounds a little sad, but people move around searching for wide open networks to use. It is now a passtime akin to trainspotting. These people travel around with a wireless hand held device and GPS sateillite positioning device mapping open wireless networks.
Wireless Security Advice
Use the security on your wireless routers and devices. Any security will have some success.
WPA or Wi-Fi Protected Access is accepted as one of the best, as long as you use a strong network key. Fill your key with letters and numbers.
Change your Network name on your router (called SSID). On some routers, you can hide this name so that it is not advertised.
WEP Security (Wired Equivalent Protocol) can be used. On a busy network, a snooper can crack this method within a few hours. There are easier pickings elsewhere, so most the time they will move on.
Setup all your users on the PCs to have passwords. Do not enable your guest accounts. If your network is compromised, then they will have another level of security.
BrightCity engineers will setup your wireless network for you. We will use security as detailed above. We stock and will install the best routers that we have tested ourselves.
