How to Stop People From Stealing Bandwidth

Without taking the proper precautions, it is easy for someone to steal bandwidth from a wireless network.

If someone has ever used your Wi-Fi connection without your permission, then they're stealing your bandwidth. Some people fully exploit the opportunity to steal bandwidth by illegally downloading movies and music. If they download for extensive periods of time, it can slow your connection speed significantly. Even worse: If they get caught downloading illegal material, you can be held responsible. This is why it's important to keep Wi-Fi thieves out of your network.

Instructions

1. Create a new default user name and password. You can log in to most router's setup by entering either "192.168.0.1" or "192.168.1.1" into your browser's address bar. You'll be asked for a user name and password before entering the setup. Unless you've already changed them, these are still set at factory defaults, which are not difficult to figure out. Most routers use the default user names and passwords of "admin" for both fields. You can change these settings in your router's setup. It varies by router, but you can usually find this under an "Administration" tab.

2. Turn on WPA or WEP security. If your router offers WPA, then you should choose that over WEP. Also, if you're a home user, then you should choose "WPA Personal" or "WPA-PSK." Businesses use WPA Enterprise. You can usually find this under a "Wireless Security" or "Wireless Settings" tab in your router's setup.

3. Rename your Service Set Identifier, or SSID, which is the network name broadcast to anyone close enough to pick up the Wi-Fi signal. By default, most routers use their brand name in the SSID. For example, many Linksys routers broadcast "linksys" as the SSID. This makes it easy for someone nearby to look up default user names and passwords for that specific brand of router. Also, you should rename your SSID to something generic sounding. If it's too noticeable, it's just as likely to attract the wrong people. You can usually find this under a "Wireless Settings" or "Wireless Setup" tab.

4. Decrease your transmission range. This works well for people living in apartment buildings, or anywhere that doesn't need a long wireless transmission range. If someone is stealing bandwidth just outside your home, then decreasing the range slightly can cut that person out. This can usually be found under the "Wireless Settings" tab, called "Signal Strength" or "Transmission Strength." Not all routers support this feature.

References

• Indiana University: What is a Wireless LAN?