2-7-6 Security Tips for Wireless Networks
Here are some quick tips to help you improve the security level of your wireless network:
1.Never use simple words for the WPA/WEP encryption passphrase. A good password cannot be found in the dictionary and consists of characters, symbols and numbers.
You should also refrain from using passwords which carry a personal meaning: names of pets, names or birthdays of a wife or husband etc. These are all bad choices for a password.
2.Use WPA over WEP whenever possible. WPA encryption, and especially WPA2 encryption, is much stronger than WEP encryption. If your wireless network adapters support WPA or WPA2, you should abandon WEP for good. Unless you don't care about network security, that is.
3.You can hide the ESSID of this router by setting the 'Broadcast ESSID' option (Advanced Wireless Settings page) to 'Disable'. Once the option is disabled, the router will no longer broadcast the SSID; thus, wireless clients in the area will not be able to see the wireless network in the list of available WLAN networks. Keep in mind that hiding the SSID will make it more complicated for wireless clients to join the network, and that is basically the idea. Instead of selecting the Wireless network from the list, the user now must manually enter the Wireless SSID, which will be difficult without knowing what it is. While this option offers additional protection, you should never rely on this mechanism as your only means of protection. A WPA encryption key remains highly recommended. Hiding the SSID of your Access Point is simply one additional step you can take.
4.Use the 'Access Control' function described in section
5.Utilizing all three mechanisms (encryption, no SSID broadcast and MAC address filtering) offers the best protection against unauthorized access.
