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Security Considerations on Your Home/Office WiFi Network
Using a wireless connection in your home or office presents some security risks. If you don't secure your wireless network, anyone in range with a wireless card on their computer can access the Internet via your connection. Further, if your communications are not secure, someone with malicious intent could intercept your e-mails, or even view your private files and records.
To determine how tightly you want to secure your wireless connection, you should consider your online activities. If you're just surfing and not doing anything particularly sensitive, you may not have much cause for concern. Even if you make purchases online (and send your credit card information over your connection), you don't necessarily need to worry, because reputable online vendors will employ a technology called Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which will protect your information from intercept. Learn more about safe online shopping.
Of course, you may just want to prevent others from accessing your wireless connection and using your bandwidth. If you live in a densely populated area, there is more likelihood that someone will casually connect to your network, or worse, someone will attempt to intercept your communications. If you are in a rural area, the chances are smaller.
Of course, if you are conducting business online, or you simply want additional security, there are several different technologies you might consider implementing. On this site, we outline a variety of simple security procedures to protect your wireless connection. These include enabling Wi-Fi Protected access, changing your password or network name (SSID), restricting access to your wireless connection based on MAC address, and password-protecting your network.
If you think you are vulnerable to security threats, you should consider securing your wireless connection. This site includes step-by-step instructional videos that will make the process easy for you.
