Securing Wireless Networks

Wireless networks are an easy way to connect multiple PCs, and if you've got a laptop, allow you the ability to work anywhere you like in the home or office.

The downside of this flexibility, is that wireless networks, if configured incorrectly can easily make your network accessible to anyone who comes within range with a wireless capable device, and with ranges often over 100m when there are no obstructions, that can leave your network quite vulnerable.

Fortunately there are some simple steps that you can take to improve the security. Firstly the wireless SSID or station ID should be set not to broadcast. This alone does not offer much protection, as someone with a wireless security toolkit can easily discover your network ID.

Secondly, you should enable wireless encryption, and set a strong password for you network. Some older or cheaper hardware may only support WEP security. This is easily cracked within a few minutes with the right equipment. Ideally you should use WPA security and set a strong password. If your wireless access point provides the option to choose between TKIP and AES encryption, you should use AES, although TKIP still will give you a much more secure network than WEP or no security.

If you have are concerned about the security of your wireless network, Create IT can arrange to perform an audit for you, and where necessary, fix any problems found.

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