Wireless networks (WiFi) allow users to connect multiple computers in different parts of the home and work, play, investigate or use e-mail from any room. However, the next time you perform banking transactions from the sofa or send a message from the garden, ask yourself: is someone watching you are sending data through the air?

Failure to take home security precautions, your neighbors (or hackers in the vicinity) could see each of their movements online.

“Anyone who is near an open or unprotected network can access it and even if communications are not secure, someone could intercept malicious e-mail messages or view files and private records” said Danielle Yates, director of communications for Internet Education Foundation (Foundation for Internet education.)

Domestic WiFi networks have weaknesses. Here are some tips to strengthen them and prevent data from falling into the wrong hands.

1. Give the network a unique ID The Service Set Identifier (SSID) is the name that is displayed when searching for available wireless connections with a laptop. Most wireless routers are enabled with a default name for the network, such as “linksys” or “default.” The problem with keeping the default SSID name is that other users in your environment can do the same and therefore there is no way to ensure you’re browsing on your own network.

Scott Lowe, author of Home Networking: The Missing Manual (Home Networking: the missing manual), says this is especially dangerous if your computer is configured to share files with other computers. Lowe says that “when a user connects to the wrong network and share files, open the computer to anyone else on the network.”

Change the SSID is simple: Check your router manual or visit the manufacturer’s Web site for instructions.

2. Data encryption Active Most current wireless routers can encrypt, or scramble, data sent and received. The data is encrypted when transmitted over the air, and the computer and the router have “keys” to unlock exclusive and decode the data received. Someone who interfere in the network without having the encryption key data will be sent and received all mixed.

However, routers offer several different types of encryption. Currently, we use three types: Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). WPA2 is the most secure, WEP, the least secure. “Today it is possible WEP decoding in seconds, and there are tools to do it in a blink of an eye,” says Lowe. “WPA involves considerably more work.” However, WPA2 is the most powerful level available.

Consult the manufacturer of the router to know the type of encryption supported by your router. When you buy a router, the box should indicate whether it supports WEP, WPA or WPA2.

3. Filter out extraneous equipment Once you enable encryption of data, the network only allows other teams from entering if they have the correct key. An address filter media access control (MAC) adds a layer of security because it creates a list of specific equipment authorized to join the network. It’s like the safety officer a very exclusive party: if your name is not on the list, can not enter (even if you know the name of the owner).

Every device that goes into the WiFi network has a unique MAC address. You can choose which devices support creating a trust list MAC address filtering. It may include your PC, your partner’s laptop, a wireless print server, etc. The filter blocks any other team that wants to enter the network.

Enable MAC address filtering is not difficult, but all routers work differently, so it is advisable to consult the manufacturer of yours.

4. Use different logon credentials If several people use your computer, assign a different session each. “My kids have a non-administrative account on the computer,” says Lowe. “So if a hacker gets into the team when they are connected, only have access to the things of the children.”

No security measure is impenetrable, but these basic tips will allow you to secure your WiFi network and reputation. “If it protects your wireless traffic, anyone can sit near your home and steal their bank account numbers while logged into the account, or hijack the connection for illegal activities such as downloading child pornography,” said Lowe. “Thus, innocent users are at risk that your connection is associated with this illegal activity.”