How do I secure my wireless internet?

Wireless networking (Wi-Fi) generally makes our lives easier – it let’s us access the internet anywhere in the house using portable devices like mobile phones, gaming consoles and laptops. Sadly it’s much easier for dodgy people to take advantage of an unsecured wireless network, quite literally ‘stealing you internet’. This can lead to increased monthly bills or even your personal files being accessed, so it’s probably a good time to check your security settings.

Here’s how to do it:

Change your router’s default password

Routers often come with a general admin password, which is easily guessed by hackers. To change this, you need to follow the below steps:

1. Open the Settings page on your router (you can check your router’s user manual for login instructions – you may need to use the generic username and password).
2. Once logged in, make sure the password option is switched on in your Administration Settings page. If there’s a default password, make sure you change it to something more secure (your best bet is to include both upper and lowercase letters, as well as numbers).

Use Network Encryption

Encryption scrambles the data on your wireless signals so only computers with the encryption code can use it. Here’s how to enable it:

1. Open your router’s Security Settings page, then select an encryption security setting (WEP, Wired Equivalent Privacy, is often used for older hardware. WPA, Wi-Fi Protected Access, is the more secure option).
2. Make sure you select a password that’s simple for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess.

Keep your router’s firmware up to date

It’s a good idea to check your router manufacturer’s website on occasion to see whether any firmware upgrades are available for your specific router. This is a good way to make sure your router is functioning at optimum levels.

Make sure your PC has antivirus software installed

This is kind of an obvious one. You should always make sure you have some sort of antivirus software installed on your PC to prevent hacking. Two good options are Norton AntiVirus and McAfee.