How to Secure Your Wireless Router

An unsecured wireless router allows unwanted access to your network.

If you've just gotten a wireless router and want to connect to the Internet, there's an important safety precaution you need to take beforehand: securing your wireless router. The router transmits and receives data from the modem and computers connected to the network. Because the network is wireless, any computer within range of the router's signal can piggyback on your wireless connection, using bandwidth and potentially accessing your personal data.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Wireless Router
• Broadband connection

1. Connect your wireless router per the instructions in your user manual.

2. Open your Internet browser and type the IP address assigned to your router after "http://.". Major manufacturers have different IP addresses assigned to their routers: for example, Netgear routers use 192,168.0.1. Consult your manual for details.

3. Log in to your router configuration by typing the username and password specified in your manual.

4. Set your Service Set Identification by typing it into the box. This is the name of the network that shows up in the list of networks. Make it a unique phrase; the default SSID is usually the name of the router manufacturer, such as Netgear or Belkin.

5. Set your wireless network's security protocol to WPA 2.0--Wi-Fi Protected Access. This encrypts any data sent over the network and allows access only to users who have the security key. Set your security key as something not easily guessed. A string of random numbers and letters should do the trick.

6. Save your settings by clicking the "Apply" or "Save" button. Your wireless network should now be secured.

References

• Microsoft At Home: How to Set Up a Wireless Network; 2011

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish