These days that almost anyone can create a WLAN in a matter of minutes with less than $ 100 in equipment. This widespread use of wireless networks means that there may be dozens of potential network intruders that lurk within your home or office WLAN.

Most WLAN hardware has become quite easy to set up that many users simply plug it in and start using the network without giving much importance to safety. However, taking a couple of minutes to configure the security features of your wireless router or access point is time well spent. Here are some things you can do to protect your wireless network:

1) Secure your wireless router or access point administration interface
Almost all routers and access points have an administrator password is required to log into the device and modify the settings. Most devices use a weak password like “password” or the name of the manufacturer, and some do not have a default password at all. As soon as you configure a new WLAN router or access point, your first step should be to change the default password to something else. You may not use this password often, so be sure to list it in a safe place so you can refer to it if necessary. Without it, the only way to access the router or access point may be to restore the factory default setting to end all configuration changes we made.

2) Do not broadcast your SSID
Most WLAN access points and routers automatically (and continuously) broadcast name of the network, or SSID (Service Set Identifier). This makes the creation of wireless clients extremely convenient since you can locate a WLAN without having to know her name, but also make your WLAN visible to any wireless system within the scope thereof. Turning off SSID broadcast makes your network invisible to neighbors and passers-by (though it will remain detectable by WLAN “sniffers”).

3) Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP
S 802.11 WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy) encryption has known weaknesses that make it relatively easy for a particular user with the proper equipment to break the encryption and access to the wireless network. A better way to protect your WLAN with WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). WPA provides much better protection and is also easier to use, as their characters in the password are not limited to 0-9 and AF, as they are with WEP. WPA support is built into Windows XP (with latest Service Pack) and virtually all modern wireless hardware and operating systems. A more recent version, WPA2, is found in newer hardware and provides a stronger encryption, but probably will need to download a patch for XP to use it.

4) Remember that WEP is better than nothing
If you find some of your wireless devices only support WEP encryption (this is often the case with non-PC devices like media players, PDAs, and DVRs), avoid the temptation to skip encryption entirely because despite their defects, using WEP is still far superior to that which has no encryption at all. If you use WEP, do not use an encryption key that is easy to guess, as a string of the same or consecutive numbers. In addition, although it can be a pain, WEP users should change encryption keys often – preferably every week.

5) Use MAC filtering for access control
Unlike IP addresses, MAC addresses are unique to specific network adapters, so by enabling MAC address filtering can limit network access to only your systems (or those who know). To use MAC filtering is necessary to find (and enter the router or AP) the 12-character MAC address of each system to be connected to the network, so it may be inconvenient to establish, especially if you have a lot of wireless clients or if clients change a lot. MAC addresses can “spoof” (imitated) by a knowledgeable person, so while not a guarantee of security, add another hurdle for potential intruders to jump.

6) Reduce your WLAN transmitter power
You will not find this feature on all wireless routers and access points, but some can reduce the power of your WLAN transmitter, thereby reducing the signal range. Although it is usually impossible to adjust a signal so precisely that does not leak outside your home or business, with some trial and error that often can limit the distance outside his premises the signal reaches, minimizing the possibility of outsiders to access the WLAN.

7) Disable remote administration

Most WLAN routers have the ability to be managed remotely via the Internet. Ideally, you should use this feature only if you can define a specific IP address or a limited range of addresses that can access the router. Otherwise, almost anyone anywhere could find and access your router. As a general rule, unless absolutely necessary this capacity, it is best to keep remote administration turned off. (Usually this is disabled by default, but it is always a good idea to check.) Most WLAN hardware has become quite easy to set up that many users simply plug it in and start using the network without giving much importance to security. However, taking a couple of minutes to configure the security features of your wireless router or access point is time well spent. Here are some things you can do to protect your wireless network:

1) Secure your wireless router or access point administration interface
Almost all routers and access points have an administrator password is required to log into the device and modify the settings. Most devices use a weak password like “password” or the name of the manufacturer, and some do not have a default password at all. As soon as you configure a new WLAN router or access point, your first step should be to change the default password to something else. You may not use this password often, so be sure to list it in a safe place so you can refer to it if necessary. Without it, the only way to access the router or access point may be to restore the factory default setting to end all configuration changes we made.

2) Do not broadcast your SSID
Most WLAN access points and routers automatically (and continuously) broadcast name of the network, or SSID (Service Set Identifier). This makes the creation of wireless clients extremely convenient since you can locate a WLAN without having to know her name, but also make your WLAN visible to any wireless system within the scope thereof. Turning off SSID broadcast makes your network invisible to neighbors and passers-by (though it will remain detectable by WLAN “sniffers”).

3) Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP
S 802.11 WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy) encryption has known weaknesses that make it relatively easy for a particular user with the proper equipment to break the encryption and access to the wireless network. A better way to protect your WLAN with WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). WPA provides much better protection and is also easier to use, as their characters in the password are not limited to 0-9 and AF, as they are with WEP. WPA support is built into Windows XP (with latest Service Pack) and virtually all modern wireless hardware and operating systems. A more recent version, WPA2, is found in newer hardware and provides a stronger encryption, but probably will need to download a patch for XP to use it.

4) Remember that WEP is better than nothing
If you find some of your wireless devices only support WEP encryption (this is often the case with non-PC devices like media players, PDAs, and DVRs), avoid the temptation to skip encryption entirely because despite their defects, using WEP is still far superior to that which has no encryption at all. If you use WEP, do not use an encryption key that is easy to guess, as a string of the same or consecutive numbers. In addition, although it can be a pain, WEP users should change encryption keys often – preferably every week. See this page if you need support for WEP to work.

5) Use MAC filtering for access control
Unlike IP addresses, MAC addresses are unique to specific network adapters, so by enabling MAC address filtering can limit network access to only your systems (or those who know). To use MAC filtering is necessary to find (and enter the router or AP) the 12-character MAC address of each system to be connected to the network, so it may be inconvenient to establish, especially if you have a lot of wireless clients or if clients change a lot. MAC addresses can “spoof” (imitated) by a knowledgeable person, so while not a guarantee of security, add another hurdle for potential intruders to jump.

6) Reduce your WLAN transmitter power
You will not find this feature on all wireless routers and access points, but some can reduce the power of your WLAN transmitter, thereby reducing the signal range. Although it is usually impossible to adjust a signal so precisely that does not leak outside your home or business, with some trial and error that often can limit the distance outside his premises the signal reaches, minimizing the possibility of outsiders to access the WLAN.

7) Disable remote administration

Most WLAN routers have the ability to be managed remotely via the Internet. Ideally, you should use this feature only if you can define a specific IP address or a limited range of addresses that can access the router. Otherwise, almost anyone anywhere could find and access your router. As a general rule, unless absolutely necessary this capacity, it is best to keep remote administration turned off. (Usually this is disabled by default, but it is always a good idea to check.)