Wireless networks, being cheaper and easier to set up, have become a common part of houses and offices. A lot of people nowadays prefer wireless networks. However, they run a major risk of allowing neighbors or hackers sabotaging their personal networks. Sabotaging of your network can get you into serious trouble, apart from extended expenses, because hackers could be using your network for a variety of illegal purposes. Most of the while, it is difficult to identify the person who has used your network. It is strictly advised by Cincinnati Networking Services to protect your wireless network by the following methods.
Install the latest firmware in your wireless router. This has probably never been done or never updated after the day wireless router was installed.
Change the password for the router on a regular basis. Most wireless routers come with a default password when purchased. While some of them insist on changing this default password during installation, a lot of them don’t. It’s always safer to assign a new password. Use combinations that contain letters, numbers, and special characters. This becomes much harder to decipher.
It is best advised to change password at least once in every three months. Remember to change the password saved on other devices set up to your wireless network like the gaming system. Do not use last names as password as this becomes one of the easiest to hack.
Always enable encryption on your wireless router. The main types of wireless router encryption from the low to high efficiency are Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), and Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2). You will need to define a password key when you set up one of these. It is recommended that you change this key also periodically.
All wireless network cards have a unique Media Access Control (MAC) address. Use MAC filtering to control which computers can access your wireless network. Enter the MAC addresses of computers and other devices to which you want to allow access.
Change the router IP address if your wireless router permits you to do so. All wireless routers have a default address of 192.168.0.1. Note down the new number for you to enter when you open a browser.
Most wireless routers allow you to turn off the Service Set Identifier broadcasting. In every data packet sent, the SSID is included in the heading. By default routers automatically broadcast SSID. The SSID number has to be the same as your workgroup set up in your Windows wireless network.
Finally turn off the remote management feature of the router unless this is an absolute necessity. The wireless router will ask you if you want this option enabled when you set up the router.
If you suspect that your wireless settings have been modified, you can very easily restore the router’s default settings. After the default settings are restored you can follow these steps again to reconfigure you wireless network by protecting it from hackers. Technology Services in Ohio provides an all encompassed service for wireless networks.
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