Protect your Wi-Fi from unauthorized access

Submitted by: karan

When two or more computers are connected with each other to share information, files, folders and resources that is called computer networking.
Computers are connected through wired or wireless media. In wired media STP or UTP cables and devices like hub, switches, routers etc. are used. Now a days people are opting for wireless networking more than wired networking. In wireless networking radio waves and microwaves are used to attach computers. Wireless network also called Wi-Fi network. The first wireless card was 802.11b but the standard are upgraded day by day. In companies, universities, libraries, hotels, airports wireless network are more in demand and more feasible than the wired network. Telecommunication network is a bigger network in wireless networking eg. Mobile Phones. There are many wireless devices that are used like wireless Access Point, Wireless LAN Cards, Wireless Adapters, Wireless Routers etc. There are many types of wireless networking like Wireless PAN, Wireless LAN, Wireless MAN etc.

The wireless network has many advantages as compare to wired networking, there is no need to put cables across the walls of homes and offices, it helps maintaining the beauty and cost/time incurred on drilling/repairing the walls is saved. We also save cost incurred on network cables, it is less time consuming and requires less technical support, easy to set up than wired media. It is accessible anywhere within its range, hence you need not to find a network I/O to get connected, take your laptop within the range of the wi-fi network and access the internet or other resources.

The only problem of a wi-fi network is its limited range and larger networks are affected by weather as well. If you want to setup wi-fi for a large area say college campus etc. you have to add in more access points.

If you are planning to setup a wi-fi network at your home or office, you must address the security issues as someone may intrude into your network and access your valuable information or may send emails using your IP. In the recent incidences, terrorists used the Wi-Fi network of neighbors to communicate with each other and sent threatening emails to people. Hence, ensure that your Wi-Fi is fully secured and nobody else is using it except you.

You can protect your network with firewalls, proxy, VPN and WEP key etc. In WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) we give a security code that secures our network and unauthorized person can not access the network. WEP comes with 64bit, 128bit , WPA-PSK, WPA-TKIP security features. For better security, keep changing your WEP key and administrator password, router password regularly, filter out the MAC address and use firewalls at every computer in a network and lock all the folders and make access lists. Access list provided extra level security while giving instructions to routers and filter the MAC addresses. Switch off the routers and other devices when not in use. But the above securities measures can not be implemented in the public areas like libraries, hotels, airports etc.