Wireless Security Begins With Your Router
The number of mobile devices that are connected to the Internet has grown substantially in the past few years. While laptops have been around for many years, netbooks (smaller version of laptops), tablets and smartphones have exploded in use over the past little while.
With this tremendous growth of mobile devices came the similar grown in wireless networks. While home networks have been available since broadband Internet became popular, wireless networking has just really started taking off in the past 5 years. With wireless networks, however, is the concern for security.
Wireless networks allow anyone with a wireless network adapter in their device to connect to the network when they are within range of the wireless router’s signal. Unless the router is secured, it is very easy for an unauthorized user to connect to a wireless network. Having someone connected to your wireless network can be trouble. If that person performs some malicious activity online, then that activity can be traced back to your router and then to you. This is one reason it is important to secure your wireless router.
Also, some routers, such as the Linksys E4200 wireless router, also include a USB port that allows you to connect a printer or external hard drive. If someone was to gain access to your router’s dashboard, then they can gain access to such devices that are connected to your router.
In order to prevent others from accessing your wireless network, there are a few settings that must be changed. These settings should be changed as soon as your wireless router is powered on.
The first setting to change is the administrative ID and password. These credentials are needed to log into the router’s dashboard, where your wireless network settings are stored and changed. Ensure you create a nice long password that is hard to guess to keep your router safe.
Next, you will need to secure the connection to the wireless network. This is done by changing the security mode to WPA/WPA2 and setting a long (minimum 10 characters) passphrase. The passphrase is what someone will need to enter to join your wireless network. Without the passphrase, they won’t be able to connect to your network.
While there are other changes you can make to secure your wireless network, the settings discussed above are the mandatory changes that are needed to secure your wireless router and network. Remember that the security of your wireless network starts with your router.
Visit Technically Easy for more information about wireless routers
