Many people who own a computer, or have some other Internet enabled device in their home use wireless Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. However, many of those Internet connections are badly protected, allowing by-passers or neighbors to ‘Piggyback’ their connection, or worse, lose precious private data.

This guide will show you how to secure your wireless WiFi network, and keep intruders out. This guide covers a range of actions you can take, to avoid many often-overlooked security-risks. We will cover securing the router itself, configuring the firewall, and encrypting the WiFi communication. Please note that each time you effectuate a change, your connection with the router/Access Point may be lost. Wait for 60 seconds, and reconnect, using your new settings/username/password.

First off, we’ll change the administrator password of the Router/Access Point itself. Even though this is one of the easiest protection measures, you might be amazed on how many routers remain set to their initial username and password, providing easy access to wrong-doers, allowing them to take hostage of your entire Wireless connection.

1. Access your Router or Access Point. This differs between brands, but most used ones are:

• D-Link/Linksys Routers: http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1
  
• D-Link/Linksys Access Points: http://192.168.0.30 or http://192.168.1.245
  
• D-Link routers and Access points have detault username "admin" and a blank password, while Linksys has a blank username and “admin” as password
  

Netgear: http://www.routerlogin.net, using username "admin", and password "password".

1. When you’re logged in on your Router or Access Point, change the default password into something you can remember, preferably as strong password, with mixed letters and numbers. Don't use common words or personal terms, as hackers might guess those.

In order for wireless devices to be able to detect your network, your Router/Access Point continuously broadcasts its name within its area or reach. This name, or SSID is the name you see in your display when searching for networks. This SSID can provide useful information about your location, and the type of network. By default, the SSID is often brand of your Router/Access Point.

1. In the configuration settings of your Router/Access Point (using the information from Step 1), select the ’Wireless settings’.
2. There should be a field called ‘SSID‘
3. Change the fieldname to something familiar
4. Do not use information that can define your home location, like your address, family name, or business name. Not only will location-related SSIDs be easier to hack, it also shows which houses have a electronic equipment, which might be targeted by burglars.

By default, Wireless networks broadcast their SSID, allowing nearby computers and wireless devices to detect the network. To further limit the possibility of hackers gaining access to your Wireless network, we will now disable this broadcasting option.

There is less chance of a hacker trying to gain access to your network, if he isn’t even aware of its presence.

1. On the same page you used in Step 2 to change the SSID, you should be able to find an option to called either ‘Disable SSID broadcast’ or ‘Enable SSID broadcast’.
2. In case the option read ‘Disable SSID broadcast’, select the option. If it reads ‘Enable SSID broadcast’, deselect it.

When you first set up your Wireless Network, you may have chosen to not use encryption. Without encryption, hackers may be able to capture your transferred data, and easily decipher it. To avoid this, encryption is highly recommended. There are three types of encryption available.

1. WEP, or ‘’Wired Equivalent Privacy’’: This is the most basic encryption available. It is relatively unsecure, and with a little effort, it can be hacked relatively easily. There are two levels of WEP encryption: 64-bit and 128-bit. The higher the number of bits used, the better. WEP encryption is better than no encryption, but it is not completely secure.
2. WPA, or ‘’WiFi Protected Access’’: This is an improved version of wireless encryption, which is more difficult to hack, as it regularly changes the actual encryption of data. As long as the WPA key is unknown, hackers have a hard time breaking it.
3. WPA2: This is the newest type of wireless encryption. Not all devices support it, but if available, it is advised to use, as it provides the highest level of security. If one of your computers doesn't support WPA2, choose WPA instead, to allow that computer to also access the network.

Many routers/Access Points boast large broadcasting areas, of up to half a mile. If you live in a small apartment, and have your computer stationed there, this excess broadcasting power allows unauthorized guests to probe your network from a wide area. If you have a router supporting 802.11n, 802.11b and 802.11g, you might consider switching back to 802.11g. Also, you can take other range-limiting actions, like removing or covering part of the antennas. Make sure you have enough signal strength for your own devices to connect to your router/access point.