While computers were once a luxury where only the rich could afford now, it is today more of a necessity than a luxury. Not only do adults need computers for their office work, kids too need them for assignments and research purposes.

With there being a requirement for two or more computers in a single household, it is better to have a network connecting all these computers to a single internet connection instead of using individual connections for each computer.

Traditionally, these computers were connected using some physical medium between them like phone wire, coaxial cable, the ubiquitous CAT5 cable and recently, even through electrical wiring. However the easiest and neatest method of connecting computers is using wireless technology.

Easy for hackers to hack

With wireless technology, the internet connection is connected to a wireless access point or router that broadcasts the signal. The wireless antenna network cards installed in your computers receive these signals and thus you can start using the internet.

However it can be difficult to contain these signals as it not only reaches all the rooms in your home, but can also reach your neighbor's room. This also makes it easy for hackers to hack into your system while sitting in a car on the street.

However this does not imply that wireless networking is unsafe. With the help of the right server support company, you will be able to implement these steps to ensure the security of your wireless network.

i. First of all, change the default system ID or SSID to something else as hackers easily find out what the default identity is for the wireless equipment that you use. But do choose something unique and not your name.

ii. Work at restricting unnecessary traffic using the help of built-in firewalls of your wireless router. Read its manual to enable your router to allow the incoming and outgoing of only traffic you approve of.

iii. Find out how you can disable your identifier broadcasting as nothing is as inviting to a hacker than your announcement. Your manual will give you instructions on disabling broadcasting.

iv. Change the default administrator password for all hardware and software as they are so easily obtained. As most people don't change them, this is what hackers usually try out first. However as mentioned above, the default password has to be changed to something that cannot be guessed easily by hackers.

v. You can ensure your network security by enabling the encryption of your data so that only your intended recipients will be able to read it. This is possible using WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access); however as WEP has many holes that can easily be cracked, WPA is a better alternative.

vi. Lastly, install some personal firewall software like Zone Alarm Pro and anti-virus software, and regularly update it as new viruses are discovered everyday.

To help you with all this, it is better to hire the services of a reliable server support company. Their technicians have the necessary know how and expertise to ensure your wireless network security.