Don't Put Yourself At Risk - Securing Wireless Network Connections Is Necessary

By Erina Array

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Many of us never get around to securing wireless network connections in our residence, this is nuts. You do not leave your car keys in the car or your credit card number in your front door so why do you want to give other people access to your laptop.

It is easy to believe that we are safe using a computer since we are consistently being advised by banks and other establishments that they have the very best security. That could possibly be the case, but what if the weak spot isn't with their system but with ours?

If you buy online then you are continuously sending some info regarding yourself to other people. Imagine if someone followed your online movements for a time frame, they might gather a lot of details about you; your banks, your service providers, the place you shop and the time when you are least likely to be at home.

You will find very simple steps which you could take to make sure that you are so much safer.

Firstly you should have a look at your router or access point. A lot of of these are created with password, this password is required to modify or change most of the configuration settings. You are unlikely to be using this often so after getting your WLAN working you probably never gave it another thought. Many manufacturers will utilize a basic password such as 'password' or the manufacturers name once they build these. Your first step in securing wireless network connections is to replace this with an alphanumeric password. Since you would not be using it too often it is perhaps best to keep a note of this somewhere.

When choosing your encryption where possible it's good to always choose a WAP option rather than a WEP one as the WAP is significantly more powerful. If no WAP is offered then just remember to have at the very least enabled the WEP.

A very good place to check if you have maximised your security setting is to revert to the internet page of the manufacturer of your router. Looking at the FAQ and set up instructions would guide you through different options.

When you have never before reviewed your router and WLAN settings now is a good time to get moving on it. securing wireless network connections is a necessary part of protecting your identity and the safety of your financial investments.