Steps to Secure Your Wireless LAN

It is the duty of technology not only to improve itself, but to become more and more user friendly. We can see this happen within the ever evolving sphere of Wireless LAN connections. Here the only constant is the easy to install, plug and play hardware which is well complimented by simple user friendly software. One only has to plug in the device to explore the network or even the Internet, however, Wireless LAN connections are often vulnerable to hackers or even virus threats. These malicious entities try to infiltrate the network and destroy important data. Then again, there is good news for all those people who wish to secure their Wireless LAN connections. Now you can enjoy the benefits of a protected Wireless LAN experience for less than a hundred dollars.

The first step after installing the hardware is to work out the configuration best suited for your network. Pay close attention to the security settings in particular and do not enable the Wireless LAN before you have everything in place and configured. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry. There are a few safety precautions one can adopt after setting up the Wireless LAN network.

Let us begin with the router and the access points. We recommend that you deploy an administrator password to reinforce and bolster access routes. In this way, the intruder will not be able to log into your Wireless LAN system without entering the correct password. Then again, certain systems or devices are preconfigured with default passwords.

Unfortunately, these passwords are often the manufacturer’s own name, because it is easy to remember although it lacks originality. We know that leaving a network unguarded with default passwords is the fool hardy option. This is why we must customize all the access points and the wireless router with our own unique passwords. Often we forget these passwords since we do not need to use them on a regular basis. At this point there is no option but to revert back to the default settings to reenter your network. The only problem is that all your time spent on customization will go to waste as those change are erased when default settings are applied.

Remember that the access points and the routers are specifically configured to retain and protect vital information like the SSID (Service Identifier) and even the name of the Wireless LAN network. This system makes it difficult to identify our own network, but thankfully, it doesn’t compromise the security. Without this elaborate masking system, you could be leaking away important details or clues that prove handy to outsiders with ill-intentions.

Now we study the two types of encryption employed to secure a Wireless LAN system. They are WEP or Wired Equivalency Privacy and the WPA or WiFi Protected Access. We know that the WEP system is widely used but it also has a sequence of easy to exploit weaknesses because of its poorly designed encryption software. On the other hand, there is the highly recommended WPA option which reinforces your network while proving surprisingly easier to install and configure. One should note that unlike WEP, WPA is not inhibited by a limited number of password combinations as it explores the keyboard beyond the alphabets and number keys. There is a preloaded WPA support system within the Windows XP software package. WPA2 is the next generation WPA, which provides greater security but relies on specially downloaded updates.