akness and exploit it. Fortunately, most of us are not worth that kind of concentrated effort and we can easily reduce our risk to an acceptable level, simply by using the built-in features that come with modern wireless networking hardware.

The factory (default) settings for most home networking equipment create an open, unsecure wireless network.

Home wireless networks dramatically increase the versatility and usefulness of computers. I have a wireless network at my home that allows four computers to share two printers and a high-speed internet connection. It works great! The technology has made wireless networking so inexpensive and easy to set up that almost anyone can do it -- even those who may be completely unaware of the security risks. And that is precisely the problem.

For example, I can access three different wireless networks from the living room of a relative's house. Only one of those networks belongs to him. The other two belong to neighbors who do not understand the first thing about network security.

The range of a wireless network can extend from your house well into the houses of those living nearby. Anyone within range of your unsecured network could easily use it to access the internet, which makes your network run more slowly. But, that is insignificant compared to what else he could do. With just a little time and effort, a knowledgeable person could monitor the web pages you visit, read everything you print on a networked printer, access the files on your unprotected computers, and even record every credit card number you use to make on-line purchases.

Wireless network security is an oxymoron. No network can be completely secure. If your data is interesting or valuable enough, someone will eventually find a weakness and exploit it. Fortunately, most of us are not worth that kind of concentrated effort and we can easily reduce our risk to an acceptable level, simply by using the built-in features that come with modern wireless networking hardware.

The factory (default) settings for most home networking equipment create an open, unsecure wireless network. T

y be completely unaware of the security risks. And that is precisely the problem.

For example, I can access three different wireless networks from the living room of a relative's house. Only one of those networks belongs to him. The other two belong to neighbors who do not understand the first thing about network security.

The range of a wireless network can extend from your house well into the houses of those living nearby. Anyone within range of your unsecured network could easily use it to access the internet, which makes your network run more slowly. But, that is insignificant compared to what else he could do. With just a little time and effort, a knowledgeable person could monitor the web pages you visit, read everything you print on a networked printer, access the files on your unprotected computers, and even record every credit card number you use to make on-line purchases.

Wireless network security is an oxymoron. No network can be completely secure. If your data is interesting or valuable enough, someone will eventually find a weakness and exploit it. Fortunately, most of us are not worth that kind of concentrated effort and we can easily reduce our risk to an acceptable level, simply by using the built-in features that come with modern wireless networking hardware.

The factory (default) settings for most home networking equipment create an open, unsecure wireless network.

ss network can extend from your house well into the houses of those living nearby. Anyone within range of your unsecured network could easily use it to access the internet, which makes your network run more slowly. But, that is insignificant compared to what else he could do. With just a little time and effort, a knowledgeable person could monitor the web pages you visit, read everything you print on a networked printer, access the files on your unprotected computers, and even record every credit card number you use to make on-line purchases.

Wireless network security is an oxymoron. No network can be completely secure. If your data is interesting or valuable enough, someone will eventually find a weakness and exploit it. Fortunately, most of us are not worth that kind of concentrated effort and we can easily reduce our risk to an acceptable level, simply by using the built-in features that come with modern wireless networking hardware.

The factory (default) settings for most home networking equipment create an open, unsecure wireless network.

pages you visit, read everything you print on a networked printer, access the files on your unprotected computers, and even record every credit card number you use to make on-line purchases.

Wireless network security is an oxymoron. No network can be completely secure. If your data is interesting or valuable enough, someone will eventually find a weakness and exploit it. Fortunately, most of us are not worth that kind of concentrated effort and we can easily reduce our risk to an acceptable level, simply by using the built-in features that come with modern wireless networking hardware.

The factory (default) settings for most home networking equipment create an open, unsecure wireless network.

akness and exploit it. Fortunately, most of us are not worth that kind of concentrated effort and we can easily reduce our risk to an acceptable level, simply by using the built-in features that come with modern wireless networking hardware.

The factory (default) settings for most home networking equipment create an open, unsecure wireless network. This makes it easier for most people to successfully configure their networks. But, changing the settings on your networking equipment to provide more security requires only a small effort. Exactly how this is done varies between manufacturers, and you will have to read your manual to learn the details of your system. There are three simple things that you should do:

First: Change the SSID (Service Set IDentifier) or ESSID (Extended SSID). This is the name of your wireless network. Then disable the SSID or ESSID broadcast. When you broadcast your SSID, any computer with a wireless network card knows there is a network nearby. If that notification is disabled, most people will not even be aware that you have one. It is important to change the name, because some people have equipment that will detect your network anyway. If they do, you want to keep the specifics about it as secret as possible. They will know what equipment you are using by the manufacturer's default SSID, and this makes it easier for them to access your network. Use a network name that does not make your network appear interesting and will not identify you as the owner. "Home" or "Network" may be good choices.

Second: Change the default administrator password. If your network is detected, and the equipment is correctly identified, the manufacturer's default password will give an intruder complete access to your sys