Most people that want to have wireless access to the internet in their homes do not realize how important it is to have a properly configured wireless network.
The majority of internet customers will decide they need wireless connections to their devices and buy a wireless router. They will just plug it in and start using the wireless network that shows up, usually just named whatever brand the router is. Sometimes, there is no authentication set up. When they do this, it is leaving their wireless network open for anyone to connect to it. Without a password, neighbors or anyone that is in range of the wireless signal will be able to connect and use that internet connection. Even worse, they can gain access to their network devices. Not only does this potentially give others access to your data and equipment, any internet activity they are using your connection for will appear to be coming from your home.
Quite often there are two main elements missing from the default configuration of a new wireless router. Lack of encryption and a weak or non-existent password are these items.
Encryption basically scrambles the information being passed between your wireless router and your device using the wireless connection. Only the router and each connected device share information needed to decrypt the data back to a usable form. This protects your data from easily being captured and understood. Think about something as simple as checking your bank account balance and having your username and password available for someone to intercept. This obviously is not going to be something that happens from a residential wireless network on a regular basis, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
The second missing item for a lot of residential wireless networks is simply having a password set up to authenticate to the network. Even for people that do set up a password, they may not choose the most secure type of connection in their configuration. They may also have a very weak password.
Many of the newer wireless routers now require you to go through a set up process enabling the minimal security settings. Internet security these days are such a vital part of our everyday lives. If you are uncertain about whether your wireless network in your home is protecting you and your data, you will benefit from the peace of mind provided by our AcenTek wireless service.