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Securing a Linksys Network Understanding Wireless Networking

The market for wireless networks continues to experience substantial growth as access to broadband service expands and the technology itself becomes less intimidating. Wireless components are widely available, relatively uncomplicated and affordable.

The heart of a wireless network is the router. This device allows multiple ,dell inspiron 9200 battery, remote computers equipped with 802.11 wireless adapters to connect to the internet simultaneously and provides freedom and flexibility to move within the signal area without disrupting the service.

Linksys is a division of Cisco Systems and is an industry leader in the development of home and office networking solutions. Linksys offers a wide array of networking products including a variety ,hp laptop batteries, of routers, adapters, modems, range expanders, bridges, networking software, and other accessories.

Unsecured Network Consequences

The actual installation of a Linksys home or office wireless network is relatively straight forward. Once the actual hard wired cabling between the router and the modem is installed, remote computers with an 802.11 adapter will recognize the network and offer a ,hp pavilion dv7 battery, point and click option for connection.

Unfortunately many home and small office administrators neglect a critical aspect of the process in failing to secure the network from a potential unwanted intrusion. The consequence of ignoring implementation of these critical security measures can often be severe.

An unsecured network is essentially an open invitation for bandwidth laptop53ds69 thieves and serious computer criminals. Without protection, the network will be detected by anyone with a wi-fi capable computer within the signal range. Connection is only a matter of a few mouse clicks, and the intruder can share the same network with the computers in the home or office.

In its most innocuous form, these broadband burglars simply tap into available connections to use the ,hp pavilion dv2000 battery, Internet without having to pay for it. There is no direct damage suffered by the network except for the possibility of degraded download speeds as well as additional bandwidth usage charges if the service is metered.

However, there are far more serious possible consequences for the unsuspecting unsecured network administrator who experiences a sophisticated malicious attack. Adept technophiles or ,hp pavilion dv9000 battery, “hackers” as they are sometimes called, can disrupt an operating system, download illegal material, plant viruses, and steal bank account or credit card information, all hidden behind the IP address of the victim.

Criminal activity will be traced back from the Internet Service Provider to the individual account holder. Depending on the severity of the cyber crime, the innocent victim can ,hp pavilion dv1000 battery, potentially find themselves spending significant time and resources restoring their computer system, finances, identity, and good name.

WEP or WPA Encryption

Having established that network security is an absolute necessity, it is important to recognize that software based firewalls on individual computers will only protect that specific computer and not the network itself. To secure the entire ,hp pavilion zv5000 battery, structure of the network from unwanted intrusion, security measures must be employed from within the router.

The two primary methods of securing a Linksys router are through the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) protocols. Although it is somewhat less complicated to install for the novice user, WEP is a far less secure method of protecting wireless networks than ,dell laptop batteries, the more recent WPA.

A combination of improving computer speeds along with software technology has made WEP’s use of a single encryption key relatively easy to unlock. WPA encoded systems employ unique and constantly changing encryption keys for every computer logged into the network, and therefore make it far more difficult to compromise. All current Linksys routers support WPA.

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