Tips and tricks: - Know how secure your Wi-Fi is and steps to improve them

Introduction to Wi-Fi

There are chances when you visit any malls, hospital or anywhere where there is a wireless network connection, a prompt of Wi-Fi connection available will be shown on your device.  Wi-Fi is a wireless network which can provide you to access the networks. But have you ever thought about the security of this Wi-Fi network.  Are they really a secure Wi-Fi? The answer to this 'secure Wi-Fi' will make you think for a moment. Then how to make a Wi-Fi ' secure Wi-Fi'? In this article we are trying to analyze this situation, secure Wi-Fi. Before we start the steps to ensure secure Wi-Fi, let’s have a glance about what is Wi-Fi.

                                      Application of Wi-Fi

What is Wi-Fi?

 Wi-Fi, a wireless local area network (WLAN) allows electronic devices to connect to the network provided by it. Wi-Fi uses electromagnetic waves in the range UHF (12 cm) and SHF (6cm) ISM radio bands. Wi-Fi specifications are prescribed as per by IEEE 802.11 standards. 802.1n is generally used by the router,as it has double bandwidth when compared to 802.11g or 802.11a. Now 802.11ac is preferred by latest devices because it has 5GHz bandwidth having the capability of multi-station WLAN with a throughput of 1GB/s. 

From PCs to smart phone can be made connected to the internet through hotspot, a wireless access point.

Working of this Wi-Fi system is simple. An electromagnetic signal or a radio wave will be transmitted from the antenna which will be intercepted by the router. Router will decode the signal and it will be transmitted to the device via Ethernet. 

Wi-Fi Hotspot

Wi-Fi hotspot refers to an area where the wireless network is accessible. The Wi-Fi hotspot can be free or paid depending on the way it is provided. If you want to access the Wi-Fi hotspot available in public or in your home first you should ensure your laptop has the wireless adapter in it. If not you can buy and put it in the USB slot.Whenever you turn on your system, the device will inform you the availability of the network.  Now we will try to create the wireless network for your home or office.

Let’s set up a Secure Wi-Fi Hotspot

First a wireless router is required. It is a device consisting of a port to be connected to a MODEM, Router, Firewall, Ethernet hub and a wireless access point. This wireless router is used to access the wireless signal or Ethernet cable for your internet. The coverage of the router is 100 feet without any obstacles that block the signal. If any walls and doors come the signals way it get blocked so to overcome this repeaters or extenders can be used to improve the range. Generally 802.11n is used.  Once you set up the system by providing the necessary connection it will be working in default configuration which can be changed using a Web interface. The settings you have to change for secure Wi-Fi are:

1. SSID: - Service set identifier; a 32 byte code gives the name of the Wi-Fi network which you can change. By default it will be the manufactures name.
2. Channel: - Channel 6 is generally used by all the Wi-Fi router so by default it will be set as channel 6. So you can change as per the requirement.
3. Security: - Set your own username and password to disable the publically available sign –on. It is an important option which you have to set to avoid the usage of the Wi-Fi network by anyone who has the provisions,thus securing Wi-Fi to an extent. 

How to know whether your Wi-Fi have been hacked?

Now, you have made the setup lets check whether this secure Wi-Fi netwok is being hacked. A simple method to know  is to check the network usage by you using a data counting software. It will give you the count of internet used by you.Get the data usage bill from the internet provider. Comparing the result you may get to know, whether there is any variation in the counter and the bill,  you are being hacked or not. 

Routes that can provide easy access to your secure Wi-Fi system

Many routers have remotely accessible feature which allow to be activated remotely and provide the necessary access to the network. So a hacker can get into it using this and can get all the relevant information. Another problem is hidden accounts. Check Routers passwords.com site and try the listed passwords under your manufacture to know whether your router can be accessed from them. Using hash passwords, passwords encrypted as hash code or check sum can be accessed if proper hash code is provided. 

How to check the vulgarities of the Wi-Fi system

Use ‘Shields Up!’  Website to check the router and it will give all the possible way the hacker can attack you. So according to it you can make the modifications. 

Now let’s have a look into how we can secure Wi-Fi system

Security of the network is important as any stranger can come and can hack your details or any third person can get your information. So many precautions have to be performed. Generally there are two methods to keep your network WPA2 and MAC. User can choose any of the two methods.

• WPA2 acronym of Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2 is the recommended one for Wi-Fi networks. It is the successor of WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA .The encryption used by it is either AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) or Temporal Key Integrity Protocol, TKIP. The former one is considered to be more secure than the later one. One more thing WPS which stand for Wi-Fi Protected Setup uses pin to setup the system which can be easily hacked by the hackers so ensure to turn off them.
• MAC, Media Access Control uses MAC address to secure the network. So the MAC address filter gives the safety that only the specified MAC addresses can access the network. User has to specify which all address can be allowed to access your network. Hackers can still fool the network by mimicking the network.

The user can opt for any one of the security set up. The other setting to be done is to ensure the secure Wi-Fi are:

1. Change the admin password. Password should be simple, strong and should have special characters.
2. Change the Wi-Fi password. The password should be strong to reduce the effect of hackers attack.
3. Disable the WPS features if available to avoid the misuse of it by hacker.
4. Set IP range for the network. Manually assign the IP addresses to the system connected to the network. First select the range. In settings, you have the option to change the IP address automatically. Assign the value. Repeat the same with other systems and ensure no two systems have the same value.
5. Going Hidden. If the provision is there in router settings enable the feature.
6. Firewall. Every router comes with a built in firewall activate it.

The other things you can perform  for secure Wi-Fi are:

1. Block WAN request
2. Set the limit to the number of devices that can be connected
3. Disable remote administration
4. Close all the open ports you don’t require.

The other softwares that can be useful to improve the security of the Wi-Fi network to ensure secure Wi-Fi are:

1. Firewall
2. Antivirus
3. MalwareBytes

Hope this will be useful for you to secure Wi-Fi from getting exposed.Secure Wi-Fi to secure your privacy.