Securing your WiFi network

Securing your WiFi network

Sudeep Naik, Sep 15, 2008 1936 hrs IST

Here are a few tips on how you can secure your WiFi network.

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DHCP Server Control



Similar to the previous example, you can also choose to add an entire range of IPs when using DHCP server with dynamic IPs. You can maintain a list of Static IPs in the same way. Again, this limits the number of users that can use your network.

Limit Admin rights to a bare minimum



Just like your Windows PC has an Administrator mode that gives complete control to the user, the router too comes with one. Usually people leave it just the way it is (default settings), mostly because it is convenient. But for security reasons it is strongly advised that you change the username and password from the default "admin" to something that is, hopefully, not so easy to guess.

Disabling remote administration rights is also one of the ways of reducing risk of an intrusion but this also defeats the purpose of being "online" and "anywhere" connectivity.

An off-beat method

A rather simple and sensible approach to securing your WiFi networks also includes limiting the power or range of the router. Although, this sounds simple enough, it takes a lot of trial and error combinations before you get the optimum balance and it's not that straight forward too.

Final Words

There are still some other advanced methods of securing your WiFi networks but they are out of the scope of this article. This article is meant for the average Joe who wants to enjoy the benefits of a WiFi network at home or in a small business setup.

What we have described here are simple ways that will help secure your network from intrusions. It does not mean that these will make your networks hack-proof but at least they will put it beyond the reach of the amateurs. It's just another way of feeling "safe", just as safe when you use a 500-rupee lock to shut the doors on your 10 million rupee home. Ciao



USER COMMENTS

desktop & lapop keliye wifi internet ka setup kamptee mein dalna chhata hon please advice me

by wakeel ahmed, kamptee, on Feb 24, 2009 12:32 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Hi. I am using BSNL wireless lan. But it is working strange. unfortunately, BSNL persons dont have that knowledge to guide. So Please give a detailed gude to secure bsnl wireless lan.

by Madhu Sudhha, Hyderabad, on Jan 01, 2009 12:12 AM, Report abuse   Reply

i m using bsnl wifi router and no disc or software is installed in my vaio for connecting it so how can i secure it please assist me

by ritesh patel, anand, on Oct 27, 2008 09:56 PM, Report abuse   Reply

yes , you can do that .... type 192.168.1.1 in your IE and get connected to the Router web-interface . You will find tabbed options ...go to Wireless security and DISABLE option can be choosen ..

by Jai, Bangalore, on Nov 03, 2008 11:36 AM, Report abuse

Here u showed an example of using WPA-EAP. This is not possible for most of the home users. So would be better if u could add an example of using WPA2 passphrase. Thanks

by Anonymous, Bangalore, on Oct 23, 2008 06:14 PM, Report abuse   Reply

M A C address f i l t e r i n g is the best way to go if any 1 needs help just buzz me nine ate 1 nine 4 ate won won 79 @ chembur lets make the cyber streets safer than the streets outside

by Semi Automatic , Mumbai ( C H E M B U R ), on Sep 23, 2008 05:41 PM, Report abuse   Reply

I kind of liked the way this article was drafted - " It's just another way of feeling "safe", just as safe when you use a 500-rupee lock to shut the doors on your 10 million rupee home" ! True that - technology hasn't yet matured to its ultimate and intrusions are inevitable beyond a certain point but trying to be safe is not a bad option :D

by Aswin, Bangalore, on Sep 18, 2008 11:36 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Hi If i disable the broadcast, how will i find the network if i get a new system ? Will that be manual config? Why not add mac filter? instead of disabling broadcast ?

by Anup, Bangalore, on Sep 18, 2008 12:44 PM, Report abuse   Reply

I have not disabled SSID, but have turned on Access control and added a 10-digit security key. Is that not enough? I am somewhat computer-illiterate

by K V SRIDHAR, Bangalore, on Sep 16, 2008 08:40 PM, Report abuse   Reply

It's very good that you have added a security key to your network. But disabling the SSID broadcasts will make your network invisible to those who don't know about it's existence.

by Shyam Mehta, Mumbai, on Sep 17, 2008 11:09 AM, Report abuse

good article. thats why i visit your page always

by ab chavan, jorhat, on Sep 16, 2008 06:56 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Thanks TT for the article... although we knew we should secure our wifi, we never knew how to do it. This would help a lot of people if they take wifi security seriously.

by Shakti, Ahmedabad, on Sep 16, 2008 02:51 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Can you help us with securing the mtnl broadband wi fi router. wa3002-g4

by Aalok Jain, Mumbai, on Sep 16, 2008 12:43 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Hey nice article on WiFi security. another feature that could be used along with all the features already mentioned could be the MAC filter. take care :)

by Avinash Nayak, Bangalore, on Sep 16, 2008 12:11 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Hi, I am using a Reliance Data Modem for internet purpose.So can you please tell me how to secure it from misuse. Thanks

by chiranjib dhar, new delhi, on Sep 16, 2008 10:12 AM, Report abuse   Reply

This is a very good information for laymen who donot understand the nitty gritties of WIFI

by Paresh Kamat, mumbai, on Sep 16, 2008 10:09 AM, Report abuse   Reply

Many of the home users using the BSNL connection get the wifi router thinking thats a modem, added they are unaware of the fact that those routers can be misused easily, The responsibility lies with the service providers to ensure their customers are safe.

by Ravi, Chennai, on Sep 16, 2008 09:43 AM, Report abuse   Reply

its very good to guide a people how to secure us if u have any other tips for security so please foward me thanku

by nadeem khan, aligarh, on Sep 16, 2008 09:35 AM, Report abuse   Reply

Let's secure our wi-fi !

by Rajesh Sharma, Delhi, on Sep 16, 2008 09:19 AM, Report abuse   Reply

airtel ppl did a nice job for me the guy who came i asked him to even make my connection hidden, no one can even see it in the list while searching wi-fi, you have to actually do all the settings manually.

by Anuj, Bangaloreo, on Sep 16, 2008 07:17 AM, Report abuse   Reply

Techtree Team, thank you for bringing out this issue. I think the major issue with unsecured WiFi access is because most of the WiFi AP's come with default settings that enables WiFi access without any security. And most of the vendor's installing the WiFi devices have no idea on how and why security should be enabled.

by Umesh D., Mumbai, on Sep 16, 2008 02:06 AM, Report abuse   Reply

nice way told, disable broadcasting ssid, days back in powai, i usually got a list of wifi avaialable to connect and majority of them were open to connect to internet., people need to understand what they are using

by harpreet, fortworth, on Sep 16, 2008 12:48 AM, Report abuse   Reply

Nice thing to do TT. hopefully people will try securing their Wi Fi networks. With Wi Fi being so easy to hack into it has given a free run to the negative elements. I feel that even the work hack is to much to be used here. Because using an open network can be as simple as just switching on the Wi Fi Card and clicking on "Connect". I myself have seen many networks when moving around. Have very seldom seen Wi-Fi networks locked. I hope people set up their networks responsibly... :-) ...

by Anant Bhushan, Roorkee, on Sep 15, 2008 09:48 PM, Report abuse   Reply

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