Home or home office wireless network security - it's not as hard as you think.

1. To avoid a slow down on your internet connection speed from piggy backers - after all, if you are paying for broadband, you want broadband!

2. To avoid opportunistic neighbors and drive-by-snoopers and hackers from viewing files on your computer.

3. To prevent others from monitoring the websites you visit.

4. To prevent others from reading your email and other instant communications.

5. To prevent others from using your internet connection to perform illegal activities like downloading child porn.

6. To lessen the risk of having your system infected with malware.

Your home wireless security is purposely set to low (or none) for ease of installation. So it's up to you to get yourself protected. Because of the perceived complexity of securing a home wireless internet connection, many people just avoid the whole issue - which is bad news for them but great news for hackers and other identity theft criminals.

So how do you configure your wireless router for optimal wireless network security? It may sound overwhelming but it's not that difficult. It can be done in ten steps or less.

1. Consult your router's manual (OK, I should have put this last because no one is going to do it).

2. Visit your router manufacturer's website for exact instructions.

3. Do a web search for "wireless network security".

4. Check out this link for step-by-step instructions.

A final note on wireless network security: Don't use your neighbor's wireless internet connection. While it might seem like your neighbor Jack just hasn't gotten around to securing his home wireless internet connection (if so, you may want to direct him to this web page), it might also be a hacker trying to lure in the unsuspecting web surfer in an attempt to gather up their personal information.

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