Computing for non-geeks

Wireless security


Home		Wireless Internet systems have become very popular. They allow you to place your computer anywhere without running cables for Internet access. If you use a laptop you can move around as you please without losing connection. The price of wireless systems have dropped to the point that it is now affordable for home use. Wireless components are designed to make connecting easy. Once the router is installed you turn your computer on and it connects automatically. The problem is that people in nearby buildings can also connect automatically to your Internet system. There are three problems with this. First, you are sharing your connection with other computers so you are not getting the maximum speed. If other people are downloading large music or video files, your Internet connection can be very slow. Second, depending on how the system is setup, it may be possible for strangers to read your confidential files over the connection.
Who I am
Services
Contact me
Free Guides
Free Software
Links
		There is a third, very serious problem. If someone is using your Internet connection for illegal purposes such as downloading child pornography, it may be traced back to the modem in your home, not to the person using your wireless system without permission. It should be clear that you need to control who can access your wireless system. Some of the earliest wireless security techniques included hiding the SSID, MAC filtering and WEP encryption which uses a password to protect all data transmission. These systems are easy to crack, a good hacker can bypass these measures and get into your system in minutes. They may prevent your neighbors from automatically connecting to your home network but offer no protection from someone who really wants to get in. WPA and WPA2 are more modern systems, they also use passwords to encrypt transmissions. Once they are properly set up they are virtually impossible to crack. Your router and computer adapter must both support these systems for them to work. All wireless systems sold today support WPA and/or WPA2 but older hardware may not. See your router manual for instruction on how to setup WPA and WPA2 systems.