The Basics of Home Wireless Security

Wireless networking offers its users freedom from the physical constraints of cables and wires. Setting it up is so much easier too. But this convenience comes at a price - vulnerability to intrusion and attacks. In wired networking, messages travel from point A to point B along a cable. However in wireless networking, data is transferred between computers through radio frequencies. The wireless access point or router device that facilitates this communication transmits across a wide area. The vulnerability of a wireless network actually resides in the nature of its technology. Wireless home networks are particularly susceptible as home users rarely think about the issue of security beyond the installation of antivirus software.

1. Install the wireless access point in a safe position. The central device in your wireless home network is the wireless access point or router. The signals they transmit have a wide range and normally extend beyond the confines of your home. Try to find a central location within your home to install the access point in order to minimize its range. Avoid positioning them near windows.
2. Enter a new administrator username and password on your wireless access point. Owners can configure an access point by logging in to the website especially provided by the manufacturer for this purpose. These sites can be accessed through default usernames and passwords that come with the device and usually apply to all similar models (they're written in the owner's manual). After installation you should immediately login and change the default username and password.
3. Use WEP Encryption. WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy and this encryption technology can scramble the signals flying to and fro in your home network so that only those devices with the right encryption key can decode the signals. Every computer and network device must necessarily have this application installed and must use only a single encryption key.
4. Change the network name and disable its automatic broadcast. A network name or Server Set Identifier (SSID) is a simple form of authentication used by network devices to confirm or reject a requested connection. When a device trying to connect to a wireless access point does not give out the correct SSID, its request is denied. Just as with administrator usernames and passwords, access points come with default SSIDs set by the manufacturer. Change this as soon as possible after installation. Access points also automatically broadcast their SSIDs in regular intervals. This feature was made for corporate networks where users may wander in and out of range. For home networks, this feature is absolutely unnecessary and should be disabled.
5. Activate MAC address filtering. Each device in a network has a Media Access Control or MAC address which is its assigned unique numerical identification. Restrict your access point to connect only with the network devices in your home network. You can do this by entering the MAC address of each device into the access point's settings.
6. Turn off the network when not in use. The ultimate deterrent to wireless home network intrusion or attack is to shut down the network. In the long gaps between your uses of the home network such as when you're not at home, it would be safest to turn off the access point (and your computer for that matter). A hacker can't penetrate a wireless network if there are no signals to hack.

There are several ways a wireless home network can be compromised. One method employed is called 'war-driving.' The scheme is to cruise around residential neighborhoods with a laptop enabled with wireless connectivity and search for vulnerable home networks. The software tools employed in such a method are the very same ones developed to evaluate the security of a network.