Wifi stands for Wireless Fidelity. Most of the people rush through while setting up their wifi connection without thinking about the security of their wifi connection. It is quite understandable that they want to connect to Internet as quickly as possible and Moreover securing a wifi network is a bit tricky for most of the people so they give up their hopes quite early and leave their wifi network unsecured. Their are several loopholes through which your unsecured wireless connection can be easily hacked. So In this post you will know how to secure your wifi network with simple steps.
If your wireless network has been hacked or accessed by somebody else then it may lead to complete usage of your data if you have a limited data plan or worse it may lead to extra charges on you. Even if you have unlimited data plan then also you will get less speed if your wifi has been hacked.
The step by step guide given below summarize all the necessary steps you should take for securing your wifi network.
1. Change Default Administrator Passwords (and Usernames)
Whenever you purchase a new moden or new connection then you are required to configure your modem. The modem configuration page can be accessed by entering a username and password for protecting it from unauthorized access. By default the usernames that most of the modem companies use are admin or administrator and the default password that is used is password, public, admin or some other simple word. So change your usename and password as soon as you setup your modem because these username and password combinations are known by most of the hacker .
2. Turn on (Compatible) WPA / WEP Encryption
Most of the modern modems allows both wpa and wep for securing your wifi. Applying these keys will not only encrypt your wifi network connection but it will also apply authentication. you should select the strongest encryption to secure your wifi network.
3. Enable MAC Address Filtering
Mac addresses are also known as physical address of a computer.Mac address is unique address of a computer and it is static and cannot be changed. So your router can be configured to connect to only to those devices whose MAC address match to the home devices. It will secure your wifi connection by just allowing the home devices to connect to it.
4. Enable Firewalls On Each Computer and the Router
Most of the modern routers come with a inbuilt firewall capability to secure your wifi network. Make sure that your router firewall is turned on if your router has one. On the other hand you can also use firewall in your computers. They provide an extra and a strong layer of protection to secure your wifi connection from hackers or network attackers.
5. Position the Router or Access Point Safely
A small leakage of wifi signal from home to the outside cannot be stopped but the leakage of the signal can be minised to a greater extent by just changing the direction of your antenna of the router. Never place your router near windows instead try to place it in the center of the house. You will get best quality of wifi signal through out home with less leakage of wifi signal to the outer world.
6. Turn Off the Network During Extended Periods of Non-Use
Turn of the router when it is not used. It will secure your wifi connection by giving out less access time to hackers to your wifi network and it will be difficult for them to hack in short period of time. Moreover it will be saving your electricity which will be a secondary advantage for you.