Here's The Safe Way To Use A Wireless Laptop to Reach The Internet

If you're reading this article, then you probably just got a new laptop with wireless capabilities. Or perhaps you just set up a wireless network in your home or office and want to know how your laptop can connect to it easily.

Here's what you need to know:

For the purposes of this article, I'm going to assume some basic things about your equipment and layout. If your home network looks a bit different, you'll still be able to make things work, but it may not be quite as simple and straightforward.

Hardware

Most home and small office systems will have a cable/DSL modem. Plugged into that will be your wireless access point or router. Your model may have a few wired network ports as well as the wireless antenna. In addition all this, you have all your computers -- some of which may be connected by wires and some of which are wireless.

Network Security

One of the first things you'll want to do is increase the security of your network. There are a number of things you can, and should, do to accomplish this goal.

1. Make Your Wireless Network "Invisible"

   As a convenience, wireless access points "announce" their presence to nearby wireless-enabled computers. This is called "identifier broadcasting." It is turned on by default, purely as a convenience. For example, it is nice if you are in a hotel or coffee shop -- it makes it easy for your laptop to find their network and use it quickly.

   However, when the network is in your home or office, you don't want everyone nearby (e.g., outside or next door) to know you're there. So consult your access point’s user manual for instructions on how to disable identifier broadcasting.

2. Rename Your Wireless Network.

   The wireless network access point/router will be configured with a name, or "service set identifier" (SSID). The wireless manufacturer sets this up at the factory; it is a case-sensitive name that uniquely identifies the network. You'll want to change that name because intruders can scan a neighborhood using the default name to find your network. In other words, until you change your SSID, you might be giving an intruder a head-start on hacking into your network from out on the street somewhere. Consult your manual and change that name. Choose a name that won’t be easily guessed by others.

3. Encrypt Your Network Traffic.

   Your wireless access point/router should allow you to scramble, or encrypt, data moving between the device and your computers. By encrypting your wireless traffic, you are changing it to a format that can only be read by computers with the correct conversion-key for that format.

4. Change Your Administrator Password.

   In order to do the things I mentioned above, you need to log on to your wireless access point/router. At the factory, it was given a default password. These passwords are widely known and can be used to gain unauthorized access to your network. Be sure to change your administrator password.

5. Use File Sharing with Caution.

   Sometimes all you want to do with your wireless network is share an internet connection with others. If that is the case, you may not have file sharing turned on.

   But if your network is set up to help you access files and folders on other computers, you'll need to have "file sharing" turned on. The downside to this is that it makes it easier for outsiders to steal information from you.

   To stop them, you may want to consider creating a dedicated directory for file sharing, and move or copy files to that directory for sharing. Then you should password-protect that directory and the files in it. Note: Never open an entire hard drive for file sharing!

6. Keep Your Access Point Software Up to Date.

   From time to time, the manufacturer of your wireless access point/router will release updates to the software (or patches to repair bugs). Be sure to check the manufacturer’s web site regularly for any updates or patches for your device’s software.

Convenience

Once you've taken care of the security issues, the rest is relatively easy.

After you set the SSID on your access point/router, you may want to add it (and any other wireless networks you use) to your preferred network list if Windows XP Wireless Auto Configuration is enabled. Follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.
2. Right-click the Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
3. On the Wireless Networks tab, click Add.
4. In the Wireless network properties dialog box, enter the SSID you configured for your wireless access point/router.
5. Fill in the rest of the fields, including the necessary authentication and encryption information based on the configuration of your wireless access point/router.
6. Click OK and your home network will be added to the list of preferred networks.

Now, your laptop should automatically see the desired wireless network and connect to it.

Enjoy!