Wireless Networks - Helpful Or Harmful

While wireless networks can be quite convenient, there are dangers associated with them as well as technical caveats. Anytime you are broadcasting into the air you are taking risks. How do you control who is able to communicate on your wireless network?

Imagine checking your bank balance on the internet only to find out that you have more money in your account than you thought. Awesome! Except the page you are logged onto may not actually be your bank website. It is possible for someone to emulate the site in order to obtain your confidential information. Perhaps some security is in order here.

One way to secure your wireless network is to setup encryption and authentication. There are numerous options to accomplish this. It is not unusual that the equipment can also involve somewhat complex setup procedures.

Another method is to setup a list of devices that are allowed on your network in the first place. This can be more tedious if your network is used by many different devices. Parents, relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers and associates are all involved in our lives to varying degrees. If there are more than a few who frequent your home or business, controlling access will become even more of a headache.

A more common problem is not so much the security of the data but the speed of the data. Wireless networks generally share the available speed between the devices that are currently using the wireless network. Although full speeds of wireless networks are usually sufficient to keep pace with internet connections available today, it may not be just casual web surfing taking place over your wireless network. Furthermore you may not be operating at the full potential of your wireless network in the first place.

There are persons with the ability to break into lesser secured networks quite easily, and of course the unsecured networks are quite vulnerable to trespassers too. What is fairly likely to occur is the use of the numerous peer to peer and other file transfer services being used on your network to your dismay. These are the programs which are sometimes used to download any number of things: music, video and programs to name a few. Although the speed of your wireless network itself may not come into play, certainly the use of your internet connection it is connected to will.

When someone is using one of these download programs they may be taking over a very large portion of your available internet speed which you are paying for each month. In short make sure your wireless networking needs are warranted, your setup is planned and if you do not have the knowledge to get this done that you get proper assistance.