Make Sure to Have a Safe Wireless Network
Do you use a wireless network at home to connect to the internet? Do you know whether or not others are connecting to your wireless network without your knowledge? You must protect your wireless network from unauthorized users logging on to the internet through your wireless router. There are multiple ways in which to do this and by following a few simple rules, you can also be comfortable in the fact that your internet connection is safe.
First, always set a password on your device. A good password needs to be at least eight characters in length, using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Doing this will prevent unauthorized access to the router.
Use a DNS filter. There will be a section where you can exclude all computers except those with certain DNS values. The DNS value is a string of characters generated by the computer’s network adapter. This string is unique to every computer. So by entering just your family’s DNS strings, you’ll be allowing those computers access, but preventing access from everyone else. To find a computer’s DNS string, click on Start, then type CMD and press Enter. (For XP click Start, then Run, and then type CMD and press Enter.) In the black command window, type “ipconfig -all” (without the quotes) and press Enter. In the section that describes your wireless adapter, you’ll see a line showing the physical address. That’s the DNS string.
Turn off your wireless router if you are not using it. Disabling the router’s DHCP service, can also help achieve you a secure wireless network. A DHCP server allots network settings each wireless computer in the network so that they can access Wi-Fi connection. If you configure wireless internet connection settings manually by providing all the computer in the network a distinct IP address and subnet mask, you will make the network secure as the router will give access to these computers to access the internet connection.
Use a Secure Connection: If you use the Internet for financial purposes like online banking or stock trading at places like an Internet cafe, verify the website is using a secure connection. When a secure connection is active, a padlock icon is visible at the bottom of your web browser. Another way to confirm that the website uses a secure connection is when its URL begins with https and not http.
