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Tips to Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network

  • Date: Jul 10, 2009.

Contents

  1. Use Encryption Preferably WPA2
  2. Use Strong Encryption Keys
  3. Save Your Encryption Key
  4. Dont Connect to Other Networks
  5. Periodically Check Your Network Profile List and Settings
  6. Use a Firewall
  7. Keep Hardware Updated
  8. Grant Access Only to Your Computers and Devices
  9. Hide Your Network

Article Description

Going wireless at home allows us freedom, but it also opens up more possibilities of allowing uninvited users like our neighbors or hackers. Eric Geier, author of Wi-Fi Hotspots: Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access, points out important steps beyond encryption to secure your home Wi-Fi network.

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Use a Firewall

Use a Firewall

If a computer is ever connected to a network or the Internet, it should always have a firewall installed and running. This filters what type of traffic is allowed into the computer, thus stopping hacker attempts — if properly configured. Since Windows XP, Microsoft has included Windows Firewall by default. From the Control Panel, open the firewall settings and make sure it is enabled. Plus, make sure any exceptions that are checked are for legitimate programs and are necessary. If you have a third-party firewall installed, such as an anti-virus package, you probably want to disable Windows Firewall, or vice-versa, so only one is active.

7. Keep Hardware Updated | Next Section Previous Section

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