Having a wireless network is great, but you must take every step to secure it from intruders, hackers, etc. Here is a checklist of what you need to do to maximize your router security:
1. Change the default router password. Here’s a post that explains how to change the default router password.
2. Change the default SSID. The SSID is the router’s “name”, and for a linksys router is set as “linksys” as the default. Change the SSID to something else — it doesn’t have to be complex but don’t leave it as linksys. Here’s a post on how to change the SSID on a linksys router.
3. Once you’ve setup the other computers on the network, disable the SSID to hide your network. Note that more modern machines can see networks with no SSID, but this step is an easy one to do and can still help secure the network.
4. Setup WPA2 security (tutorial to come).
5. Enable MAC Address filtering MAC Address Filtering is a way to restrict access to your network by using a network card’s unique ID, or MAC Address. The process is like having a restricted guest list for a party, and only people who are on the list can come in.
With these steps in place you can feel more comfortable about the security on your wireless network.