Networking

How to Install a Safe WiFi Network at Home

By Jennifer Martinez

There’s no doubt: Wireless computing is alluring. Sharing Internet access among your home computers or accessing your printer from any PC makes life easier. The absence of wires means more freedom to answer your email on the couch. You can browse the Internet and shop online from your bed or pay your bills via the web at the kitchen table.

With wireless, there’s no need to isolate yourself in your home office if you’d rather be in the family room or on the porch. Yet, despite the clear benefits of wireless, many of us have held off making the move because of concerns about the complexity, expense and security associated with “going wireless.”

Fear no more. Here’s how easy it is to install a wireless network in your household:

Step No. 1: What you need to purchase
Switching to wireless entails no more than buying a wireless access point, known as a router, and a Wi-Fi adapter card for each of your laptops.

• Wireless access points or routers These small pieces of hardware connect to your broadband modem and range between $50 and $100. They can be up and running quickly with only minor configuration work on your part.

• Wi-Fi adapter cards These cards simply plug into an available expansion slot in your system and cost less than $50. All new laptops come standard with Wi-Fi adapter cards, so you might even already have one.

Step No. 2: Learn a bit about wireless standards
Wi-Fi stands for “wireless fidelity” and in the technical world is known by its wireless local-area network specifications referred to as 802.11. Yet with technologies changing quickly, you’ll find various forms of this standard available -- namely, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g.

As each of these three main standards has different abilities and tradeoffs in terms of signal range, performance, and compatibility, you will want to be sure what you’re getting is compatible with the computers on your network. Experts recommend 802.11g as it is has been supported by wireless networks since 2002, maintains compatibility with older products, and combines the high speed of 802.11a with the greater signal range of 802.11b.

Step No. 3: Don’t skimp on wireless security
Because it’s so easy to set up a wireless network, many people connect their wireless router, install their Wi-Fi adapter card and connect to the Net without thinking about setting up proper security for their new wireless networks.

Without taking basic security precautions, your new wireless network is vulnerable to attacks from hackers, attempts from scammers to steal your personal information and also to neighbors looking to “piggyback” for free on your Internet connection. So take steps to protect your privacy:

• Passwords Protect your privacy on your new wireless network by changing the default password settings that come with your router. Instructions for how to do this can be found in the router installation manual.

• Encryption Leverage your router’s built-in encryption, which secures data. Older wireless routers feature Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). Newer Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and WPA2 protocols provide stronger and more reliable encryption. You can easily activate the encryption by following the simple administrative steps outlined in the router installation manual and selecting a random password.

• Firewalls Invest in personal firewalls or virtual private network (VPN), which are password-protected software programs that use the Internet with a 128-bit encryption. This kind of security is virtually unbreakable -- and unreadable without an encryption key. Along with a firewall, also use virus protection and Internet security tools.

Setting up a wireless network at home is easy to do and not expensive to initiate. The “expensive” part could come only if you choose not to take necessary security precautions and find that you have hackers and other uninvited guests using your wireless network for their personal gain.