So you picked up the latest 802.11n wireless broadband router and threw it onto your cable connection. You configured the basic settings and viola! You've connected your laptop and can surf the Net from anywhere in your house.

But...so can anyone within range of your signal if you aren't diligent in setting up a properly-secured wireless network.

Wireless security is vitally important. An open wireless network is an invitation to "war drivers". War Driving is a hacker practice where a hacker will drive through neighborhoods seeking out open wireless networks. They will use the information to do anything from trespassing on your network to gain access to the internet to posting the information about your network on internet sites for other hackers to take advantage of.

Most broadband routers come with a built-in firewall. But consider this: a hacker who gains access to your wireless network is BEHIND the firewall with little to stop him from hacking into your personal computer. Consider the personal information you may have stored there: email, passwords, even financial data.

There are several methods available to secure your wireless network. From weakest to strongest protection they are:

Non-broadcast SSID

You can "hide" your wireless network by turning off the option to broadcast your SSID. In order to connect to your network the client (PC) must be configured with your SSID. However, this is not as safe as you would expect - hackers can still very easily detect your network and connect to it.

WEP

Wireless Encryption Protocol is useful to encrypt the contents of data on your wireless network. Data transmitted between your PC and the wireless access point is "clear text", meaning anyone with the proper wireless gear can watch traffic on your wireless network and read it. WEP provides basic encryption to prevent hackers from reading data on your network.

There are two levels of WEP: 64 bit and 128 bit. Use the highest level of encryption available on your wireless router.

However, WEP is discouraged do to weaknesses. Only use WEP if you have older clients that do not support WPA or WPA2 (typically 802.11b clients).

WPA

WiFi Protected Access, or WPA, utilizes stronger encryption via TKIP or AES. Temporal Key Integrity Protocol, TKIP, is supported on many older clients and incorporates Message Integrity Code (MIC) to protect your network from packet tampering. Advanced Encryption System, AES, utilizes a symmetric 128 bit block data encryption and MIC. AES is stronger and the preferable choice if all of your clients support it.

WPA2

WiFi Protected Access 2, WPA2, uses 802.11i to provide additional security over WPA. WPA2 requires AES and is only supported by more recent wireless clients.

Personal Firewalls

In addition to the built in Stateful Packet Inspection firewall on your broadband router, you should run a personal firewall on every computer when using a wireless network. This is an added level of protection should a hacker find his way onto your wireless network.

Wireless security is an often overlooked aspect of running a residential WiFi network. It is vitally important that you takes this into consideration, particularly in densely-populated areas, to protect personal information stored on your computers.