WiFi Security Best Practices for Home Users

Improperly configured wireless devices do not offer any resistance to misuse. Hackers can use your Internet connection to send malicious emails, stealing your bank account password, and breaching other sensitive networks.

Typical home WiFi setup has a wireless router that is connected to the Internet. WiFi-enabled clients access Internet by connecting to the wireless router. The wireless router shuttles traffic between the client and the Internet.

Securing WiFi at your home involves managing the security on both the client and the wireless router. Here are simple steps to secure your wireless router. Follow these best practices and avoid being the next victim of the WiFi hackers.

Security Tips for WiFi Routers

There are several different brands of wireless routers in the market. While the actual steps to secure different wireless routers differ slightly, the steps to be taken are essentially the same.

Here are the key steps to secure your wireless router.
(Complete presentation) (2-page flyer)

Step-by-step Guidelines to Secure some Common Wireless Routers
We have assembled step-by-step guidelines to secure some of the common WiFi routers. If you have a router of the same make, you can directly follow the process described in the corresponding document.
Linksys WRT5G
Netgear WGR614
Dlink DI-624

Security Tips for WiFi Clients

Along with securing wireless routers, there are additional security caveats for the WiFi-enabled clients. These will harden your WiFi-enabled computer against WiFi attacks that don’t directly target your wireless router.

Here are the key steps to secure your WiFi-enabled client.
(Complete presentation) (2-page flyer)

Step-by-step instructions to secure wireless on WinXP laptop