Precautions You Should Take When Installing WiFi In Your Home

There are many precautions you should take when installing wireless Internet in your home.  Internet security has become a big concern, especially now that most people are using a wireless Internet connection and there are ways to help make sure that your network is secure.

It is common to over or under estimate how much risk you may have when it comes to security for your network.  Computer criminals are depending on you to implement casual security measures and the attacks that actually work are targeting weak links, and things you may not anticipate.

Assuming that you are not personally a target, moderately secure networks usually cause hackers to attack elsewhere, and you can be moderately secure by ensuring that there aren’t any obvious weak links in your system.

There are several different types of security problems and easy security practices that can make sure your network is secure.  The main goals of attackers are snooping, which is reading private mail and other personal files, destroying or corruption computer data, which makes files unusable or makes the whole computer unusable, or stealing computer data.  This can be taking credit card numbers, email addresses, company information etc.  They can stop the computer from functioning properly by blocking incoming traffic so that intended users cannot get access.  Another way they get you is by misusing computer resources, which includes things like sending spam without you knowing it.  They may also play pranks, which are practical jokes, or breaking in just for the fun and challenge.  With all of these security risks, you will want to make sure your WiFi connection and network is secure and safe.

Several ways to make your network safe is to put a firewall between your computers and the Internet.  There are different routers that can be configured to do this very thing, and you should contact your Internet provider for more information on this.  You can also use your router to control access using MAC addresses, which are Media Access Control addresses.  Be sure you update you operating system and Web browser.  This means installing those critical updates when they come up, and if you are unsure whether an update applies to your computer, you should probably install it, or contact the company for questions.

Another great way to protect your computer when installing your WiFi connection is to run a virus protection program on all your computers. Set the scan to examine all hard disks, and to continuously examine all incoming files.  Check for anti-virus updates frequently, but never wait longer than two months to run your program.

Contrary to previous advice, there is very little risk when writing down passwords.  It may be a good idea to have them in case you need to access old files.  However, you should never leave a password at its default value.  Passwords should be simple, and you should use characters, numbers and symbols.  Do not use names or dates you find easy to remember such as your birthday, pet’s name or your username backwards.

When setting up your wireless network, make sure you are using WEP or WPA encryption to keep your network safe from hackers.  If it is practical, use a WPA encryption instead of WEP, which is the newest in security for wireless Internet access.

Be sure to limit shared folders on your network, or turn off file sharing entirely, and turn up your web browser’s security.  Also, avoid sending personal information over the Internet.  Credit cards are a particularly high risk, and experts advise that you use a well-known payment system such as PayPal instead.

If you follow some of these tips when setting up your wireless network, you can greatly reduce or eliminate many of the security and privacy problems you may encounter while installing WiFi in your home.