Building a Safe WiFi Network at Your Business

Over 300,000 Internet crimes were reported around the world in 2011. Internet crime increased 3.4 percent from 2010. In terms of hard cold dollars, the complaints and crimes costs losses of close to half a billion dollars.

If you’re building a network, you need to secure it. Hackers are using the most sophisticated tools to slip in and that’s why it’s imperative to put the best solutions in play. Network authentication will verify user identity and allow easier tracing through passwords and user names. This can be vital when you’re looking to locate a breach in the system.

Wireless Connectivity Problems Making You Cry?

It can be really, really frustrating when the broadband in our homes fails to match up to what we expect.  Periodically, there can be peaks and troughs in broadband performance.  And although we should get a stable line, it isn’t always so.

Four Ways to Protect Your Home Computer Network

A home network is no longer the high tech curiosity that it was when wireless routers first appeared. Today, the average American family has its own wireless network. These networks make our life extremely convenient, but that convenience comes at a cost. Remember when you were a kid, sleeping over at your friends, and you’d get scolded for sneaking snacks out of the pantry? These days it’s the neighbor boy sucking up your bandwidth (or worse) that you have to watch out for. 

Here are the top four ways to protect your home network from an outside invasion, whether they’re after your bandwidth or your checking account number.

1. Change the default name and passwords on your router’s administrator settings.

This is different than the password for encryption (see below). This is a step many people forget, and not doing so could allow a hacker to gain unrestricted access to your router and essentially all computers on your network.

Image via Wikipedia

2. Always enable network encryption on your wireless security settings. 

It seems silly to even mention this, but there are still people who don’t understand that leaving their networks open is just asking for trouble. Security settings encrypt your data and block bandwidth thieves from taking a free ride on your network. In the olden days, WEP encryption was the industry standard. These days, WEP is easier to crack than a Reidel wine glass. Always set your network to WPA encryption or higher.  

3. Disable the SSID broadcast on your router. 

By doing this, you are essentially making your broadcast signal disappear. A passerby or neighbor scanning for available wireless networks on their cell phone or laptop will not see your router on the list of available networks. You can configure your own computers and devices to automatically connect to your router even if it doesn’t show up on a SSID scan.

Image via Wikipedia

4. Regularly monitor on your network to check that there are no unwanted guests. 

Most routers come with software that provides these monitoring tools. Be sure to install and use them.

As the speed and sheer amount of digital information on the Internet increases at an exponential rate, more and more activities that were once traditionally performed in the real world are now taking place in virtual space. It’s can be hard to remember general safety rules, but if you follow these steps and stay vigilant, you’ll have done much to protect your home computer network. 

Technology happens to be one of John's favorite things to write about. If you'd like to find out more about Home Network, please visit  http://www.netgear.com/(enter categories) happens to be one of John's favorite things to write about. If you'd like to find out more about (category), please visit website.com

Related articles

• Overview of Home Networking (thefamilyhelpdesk.com)
• How do I: Secure my home wi-fi network? (independent.co.uk)
• Secure Your Wireless Router In The Short Term By Assigning It An Aggressive Name (makeuseof.com)
• Setting up a Wireless Network in Your Home - P3 (rydertech.com)
• Wireless Router (computrnetworking.wordpress.com)

How to Verify that the Wifi Connection error in Windows XP has been Fix.

You have a laptop with a Windows XP operating system, but the laptop cannot connect to a secured WIFI connection in your school or workplace. The Windows XP is one of the great operating system that ever came out of Microsoft, there should not be a problem connecting to a secured WIFI connection. If you read my last post then you have a pretty good idea of what wrong with your connection. Now if you have downloaded the security patch for this problem and installed it by simply following the instruction then there is one more thing to do very you could connect to your secured WIFI connection.

First is you need to verify that the patch has been installed correctly by following this simple procedure or step.

1. Open the Control panel then open the Network and sharing center. Then on the top right click the Change  Adapter Setting.

Control Panel Home

2. The next step is Do a mouse right click on you network connection then choose STATUS.

Network connection

3. From there please select the Wireless Properties.

Wireless Properties

4. After selecting the wireless properties should be able to see if the authentication system has been updated just like the picture below.

Authentication system

From here the next step is to ask your network administrator for right network authentication system that has been setup in the workplace or school so that you could now easily be able to connect to these secured WIFI connection. Ooh do not forget to ask for the  WIFI network key or password from your network administrator.

Windows XP laptop is Unable to Connect to a Secured WIFI.

Does the title of this post ever happen to you or to your friends or to somebody you know? The hard part is you ask for help on how to resolve the problem stated in the title of this post. This only happen to computer which are still being under the Windows XP operating system. 

According to Microsoft Windows XP service pack 1 and 2 does not have support for secured WIFI connection using higher security authentication. Oops sorry for that, this type of problem can only be fix if you have an in-dept knowledge of WIFI security authentication system. This is because all type of new WIFI security authentication system has many type of authentication. Just look at the picture below to see what i meant.

Wireless Network Properties

Pretty nit ain't it, there are several of them. This picture was taken from a Windows 7 based laptop. The several authentication system seen in the picture above must also be present in a Windows XP laptop in order for it to connect to a WIFI security system that uses higher authentication system. So in order to achieve this you need to upgrade, yeah that right upgrade your operating system. The OS needs to have an additional update file called the WindowsXP-KB917021-v3-x86-ENU.

Now if really one to know more here is a link to an article with a detailed explanation of the problems and the solution. A remainder before you read the article it really requires an in-dept knowledge and experience technical stuff. But if you have the guts feel free to click the link. Also for those who are into these meaning you are already a tech person the article should be a no-brainier to you.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/unable-and-cannot-connect-to-wpa-and-wpa2-encrypted-wireless-wi-fi-network-in-windows-xp/

Now after reading the article on the link and still you feel confused and daze with all that i will try to provide you with a simple way on how to go about this. but first you need to download and install this WindowsXP-KB917021-v3-x86-ENU patch or security update to make your Windows XP laptop capable of connecting to WIFI connection with higher authentication system. Go back to the link above to know where you can find the download link. 

Or click this direct download to the file this is the same as the direct download of the article above. WindowsXP-KB917021-v3-x86-ENU.exe

Setting up a Wireless Network in Your Home – P3

So far let’s check what we have and where we are in our goal of having or setting up a wireless home network. First we need a suitable Internet broadband connection from the local Internet Service Provider. Once we have taken care of that we need to find a wireless router to make the home internet connection wireless. Remember we are setting up a home internet connection so it should not be so hard in getting a wireless router for our requirements.  For setting it up the easiest way is to get a professional help to setup the wireless router. But I have found some resources in the internet that it is easy to setup a wireless router and every one of them is saying it is easy to setup that device. 

Well that is a yes if you have an intermediate level of technical knowledge in going through all those menus and configuring a wireless router. For one just accessing the configuration page of a router is quite tricky. First you need to know the default IP address of a wireless router to access it via the internet browser. If you know what is an IP address look like and how to use it then I think you can setup the wireless router by yourself. But is you do not know what is an IP address and does not know how to use it then do not setup by yourself. I suggest in contacting a professional help in setting it up for you.

But before you do that we need to know how to connect the big old desktop that we have in our home. Sure we have the entire latest internet enable WIFI device but we still have a computer desktop in our home that everybody uses. So how do we connect this computer? Since our objective is a wireless home network, a cable connection from the desktop to the wireless router is out of the picture. So what do we need for the desktop for a WI-Fi connection? Enter the Wireless Network Adapter, the what?

Wireless network adapters

A network adapter is a device that connects your computer to a network. To connect your laptop or desktop computer to your wireless network, the computer must have a wireless network adapter. Most laptops—and many desktop computers—come with a wireless network adapter already installed But if your desktop is n earlier model then chances are it has no wireless network adapter. What does a wireless network adapter look like? But there are still non USB base wireless adapter and they look different. Also there are at least five different type of a wireless network adapter, each suited for different use and connections. A picture of the wireless network adapter and another type of the same name is display below.

Now we need a device similar to the one display above, it may be different in color and brand but all wireless network adapters will function the same and that is to connect any device whenever it is attach to it. In our case we need to connect a desktop computer to the internet then this is the device that we need for that purpose. Another thing we also need to configure this one we need to give it a password to let it connect safely on the network. This device can be plug-in into the computer in any usb port since this is a USB based device once plug-in we do not need to remove it from the desktop computer.  This is the last piece of wireless device that we need to complete our wireless home network. If you are new to setting up a home wireless network you might want to get a help in setting up the wireless device like the router and wireless network adapters to make them secure and free of unwanted or unauthorized network user.

How about you any tips on how to build a home wireless network?

Setting up a Wireless Network in Your Home – P2

In setting up a wireless network in your home we need the Broadband internet connection from your Internet Service Provider, then another device called a Modem which was discussed in detail on my last post is also needed, this device will be provided by your ISP when they setup and configure the internet connection on your home. Now we go to that third device that we will need to complete the setup of the wireless network in your home. But before we go there added information once your internet connection has been setup and the modem configured properly by the ISP of your choosing you can now test the internet connection by connecting your laptop or desktop to the modem via a cable patch. This means you will need a cable with connector at both ends to connect to the modem, since the modem has no capacity to distribute the internet connection by itself and only one computer can be connected to the modem via the cable patch. This cable patch should be included together with your modem. This will allow you to verify your internet connection via your laptop or desktop.

Now since our objective is to setup a wireless network in your home we will need one more device that will allow us to distribute the internet connection and allowing our entire internet capable device to connect without using a single piece of cable or wire. For these we need a wireless router, the function of these routers is to distribute the internet connection via radio signal or via cable connection. Which can be both achieved via this device called a Wireless Router. Now why do we need to include the word wireless, because there are two kinds of router the wireless one and there is the cable only router. The main difference of the two is that the other one the cable only router has no antenna therefore it cannot send radio signal and therefore cannot distribute internet connection to any computer or internet capable device. This type of router is mainly used in business where the need for wireless connection is not required or necessary. Now what is a wireless router?

Wireless router

A router sends information between your network and the Internet. With a wireless router, you can connect computers to your network using radio signals instead of wires. There are a few different types of wireless network technologies, including 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. We recommend using a router that supports 802.11g because it is fast and provides a strong wireless signal. The wireless router is the one that is going to distribute the internet connection in your home to all devices within range typically 150 to 300 feet but may vary depending on the structure present in the area of location where the router is located. Now by connecting a wireless router on the modem the wireless router will now be able to distribute the internet connection in your home. 

But wait will my neighbor also get connected as well? The answer to that is a big YES they will be able to get an internet access if they are near you or typically within the range of the wireless router. To solve this problem we need to secure our wireless router. Now wait a minute how to I do that? I do not know anything about wireless router. Some say that is it easy to setup a wireless router in your home, well I say it is not because there are a lot of configuration inside a router and first of all a technical background of accessing the router via the internet protocol address is require before one could access the configuration of a wireless router. It would require a couple more articles to write about setting up a home wireless router because we need a lot of information regarding what is the common configuration used for most type of router available for home used.  For now get a qualified technician to setup your wireless router and to make it secure allowing only you and your household member to have access to the internet connected in your home. Once the wireless router is properly setup and secured not even your neighbor can have access to the router to your internet connection. Because if they try to connect to a secured wireless router they connection will require them to inter a password that will grant them an internet connection. 

Try as they may if they do not know the password for connection they will not be able to connect therefore giving you a piece of mine that you and only the member of your family will be able to have access to the wireless router. Another when setting up all your wireless enabled devices to connect to the router for the first it will require you to input a password for the connection once this is verified to be correct then your device will registered and every time you open your laptop, tablet and Smartphone they will be able to connect immediately to the wireless router automatically. The password verification is only done once; this is on the first time connection only every succeeding connection by the registered device will be dome automatically. Also only new device will be required to register for internet connection to the wireless router. How about for desktop computer, how will it connect to the wireless router? More on my next post.

Continue to Part 3 of this post:


Quick Tips:

Positioning the wireless router

Put your wireless router somewhere where it will receive the strongest signal with the least amount of interference. For the best results, follow these tips:

• Position your wireless router in a central location. Place the router as close to the center of your home as possible to increase the strength of the wireless signal throughout your home.
• Position the wireless router off of the floor and away from walls and metal objects, such as metal file cabinets. The fewer physical obstructions between your computer and the router's signal, the more likely that you'll be using the router's full signal strength.
• Reduce interference. 802.11g networking equipment uses a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) radio frequency. This is the same frequency as most microwaves and many cordless phones. If you turn on the microwave or get a call on a cordless phone, your wireless signal might be temporarily interrupted. You can avoid most of these issues by using a cordless phone with a higher frequency, such as 5.8 GHz.

Setting up a Wireless Network in Your Home – P1

Internet connection today is very much affordable today compare a decade ago. Also a lot of ISP is offering very affordable plan for home use. Another major factor for wanting to have an internet connection in your home is that the speed has improved a lot compare to its earlier version. Also the additional hardware to complete a wireless internet connection is very affordable and can be secured properly from an unauthorized access. A wireless network in your home has a lot of benefits because of the ever evolving World Wide Web. Imagine sitting on the couch in your living room browsing the web, or chatting with friends online while relaxing in bed at night, or sending documents from the computer in the kitchen to the printer in your home office. A wireless network provides the ultimate in networking flexibility, and setting one up is easier than you might think. 

Getting the right equipment and Internet Plan for your requirements

Before you can set up your wireless network, you'll need the following items:

Broadband Internet connection 

A broadband Internet connection is a high-speed Internet connection—in contrast to a dial-up connection, which is slower and not powerful enough to support a wireless network. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable are two of the most common broadband connections. You can get a broadband connection by contacting an Internet service provider (ISP). Typically, ISPs that provide DSL are telephone companies and ISPs that provide cable are cable TV companies. ISPs often offer broadband modems and might even install it for you. Some ISPs also offer combination modem/wireless routers. You can also find these at computer or electronics stores.

To further explain these two items, the broadband internet connection is available at the ISP of your choice. If there are several ISP near you that is offering broadband internet connection, do some research first by going around and get the necessary information which ISP offer the best plan that would satisfy your internet connection requirements. Remember to keep in mind that your ultimate goal for having an internet connection at home is to satisfy your requirement. It can be frustrating to latter found out that the broadband internet connection that was setup in your home does not live up to expectations or is far below your set of requirements. So to avoid this problem make sue to do your homework and visit the entire ISP near you and ask question regarding their broadband internet connection. 

Keep in mind that you are the one who’s going to use and pay for these services so it is much better to scrutinize each and every plan each ISP offer. Do not just listen to someone that this and that plan is better for you. What is better for others may not be fit for you, getting the right and correct information straight from the horses’ mouth in these case your ISP and then deciding for yourself which broadband internet connection will fit you based from all the information you gather is still the best option. Now once you choose the best plan for you the ISP of you choosing will set up the first phase of your wireless and they will setup the internet connection and Modem in your house. In case you are wondering what is a modem, what its look like and what is the function of the modem? 

Modem

 

 The word Modem stand for Modulator - Demodulator, Say What? Simply put it is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data. Modems can be used over any means of transmitting analog signals, from light emitting diodes to radio. The most familiar example is a voice band modem that turns the digital data of a personal computer into modulated electrical signals in the voice frequency range of a telephone channel. These signals can be transmitted over telephone lines and demodulated by another modem at the receiver side to recover the digital data. In common terms the analog signal that are used for telephone wire transmission get change into a digital signal when it passes a modem so that signal can be interpreted by the computer. A computer only knows digital signal and an analog signal is totally alien to it so therefore a device is needed for the analog signal to be converted to digital signal so that the computer can understand it and that’s where the modem device comes in. Also the modem does the conversion both ways analog to digital and digital to analog modulation.

For home broadband setup a modem looks like a small box with lights in front or on top of it. Normally it has the following physical characteristic. The power switch, the telephone port and an Ethernet port. The telephone port is where your telephone line is connected and the Ethernet or WAN port is for the wireless device that you need to distribute the internet connection in your home. More on my next post.

Continue to Part 2 of this post: