5 Simple Steps To Keep Your Home Wi-Fi Secure

Screen Shot 2014-05-20 at 12.16.32 PMDo you have Wi-Fi in your home?

Chances are the answer is “yes”.

Today, Wi-Fi is essential because of the growing multitude of devices that only work if connected wirelessly, like mobile phones and tablets.

Even most desktop computers use Wi-Fi for their internet connections nowadays because it’s just simpler to connect to Wi-Fi than it is to run an unsightly network cable across the floor.

All of this Wi-Fi is great, but is it safe?

We’ve all heard horror stories about some unsuspecting family who has a criminal next door that uses their Wi-Fi to do some ghastly deed, ultimately resulting in legal trouble for the victimize family. Now, in all likelihood, that won’t happen to you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the proper precautions to ensure that your home Wi-Fi is as safe and secure as possible.

Here are 5 simple steps you can take to secure your home Wi-Fi connection:

Encryption – One of the easiest, quickest ways to protect your home network is to encrypt it. In fact, most routers support encryption already, just be sure to use either the WPA or WPA2 settings — they provide the best level of security. Once you encrypt your network, you’ll have to enter a password whenever you wish to connect, but that minor inconvenience definitely outweighs the headache of getting hacked.

Change Passwords – Many routers come with preset passwords for working with the device settings, and this password is different from the password that you use to access your Wi-Fi itself. Hackers often know standard default passwords and then are able to manipulate your router. Be sure to change the router’s device password after installation.

SSIDs – Another safety measure you can take is to set your router so that it does not broadcast your service set identifier a.k.a. SSID, which is your network’s name. Once you disable your SSID broadcasting, your network’s name will no longer be visible on nearby computers and devices. This means that only people who know your network’s name will be able to find and access it.  

Firewall – Most wireless routers come with built-in firewalls, however sometimes these firewalls are turned off when the router is shipped. Double check that your router’s firewall is turned on.

Disable Remote Admin – Often routers allow you to access the router remotely and administer changes. Unless this is a feature you need and are very familiar with, it’s often best to disable it so that hackers cannot gain administrative access to your Wi-Fi network for their own personal gain.

To learn how GhostPath VPN can protect your privacy online, click here.

Staying Safe While Using Panera Wi-Fi

Using Panera Wi-Fi

Like many of you, I spend a decent amount of time working at public wi-fi hotspots, particularly at Panera Bread. Panera Wi-Fi works well and is generally reliable. It’s also susceptible to packet sniffing, just like any other public Wi-Fi. That’s why the following precautions when working remotely.

VPN

It goes without saying that I use Ghost Path VPN anytime I hop on public Wi-Fi. Unless I need to connect to a specific location I  just use the default ‘Closest Locations’ settings in the Ghost Path VPN client. That will generally give you the best speeds because the software chooses the nearest VPN gateway and connects there.

I also use Viscosity’s VPN client occasionally for quickly connecting to a specific server or for doing competitive VPN research.

Hardware

I use Apple hardware primarily, so my laptop of choice is my 11″ Macbook Air.  I also keep my iPhone and Galaxy Note 3 with me and use VPN on those as well if they’re connected over Wi-Fi.

Bonus Tips

  • Always try to sit in a place where no-one can see your computer screen.
  • Avoid phone calls at Panera; you never know who could be listening.
  • If you can afford it you should get a portable LTE hotspot and use that instead of public Wi-Fi. I use a Mi-Fi from Verizon and couldn’t be more pleased. It’s about $40/month I believe.
  • Even if you’re using a VPN, don’t do your banking or anything super-sensitive on public Wi-Fi.

Why You Should Consider Using a DD-WRT Router

Wi-Fi Security

DD-WRT is third-party firmware designed to upgrade and enhance the functionality of OE wireless internet routers by replacing the router’s original, integrated firmware. The big question is, “Why would you want to replace the original firmware?”

The problem with the original firmware is that router manufacturers often intentionally limit their product’s full capabilities. The limitations are designed into the preinstalled firmware. DD-WRT does not impose those limitations, allowing your router to become powerful enough to rival those used in enterprise IT environments. Using a DD-WRT router unleashes a variety of ways to realize enhanced performance and functionality. Even better, it doesn’t cost you a dime.

Benefits of Using DD-WRT

It’s one thing to have expanded power, but the real benefits are derived from knowing how to harness it for your benefit.

If we were to list all the benefits you can enjoy from using DD-WRT, the list would be longer – much longer than we have space or time to list here. So, is a short list of what we consider the top features and benefits of DD-WRT:

  1. IPv6 support. With IPv4 addresses becoming increasingly scarce, you’ll appreciate DD-WRT’s built-in IPv6 support.
  2. Advanced Quality of Service controls are available on some DD-WRT builds.
  3. A highly configurable and very powerful firewall that is based on iptables firewall construction. You can easily edit the iptables firewall via DD-WRT’s interface.
  4. DNS controls such as DNSmasq, which allows simplified DNS configuration behind the firewall and makes host-name lookup faster. You also get support for DNS providers such as No-IP, TZo, DynDNS and others.
  5. The access point is visible only to your wireless clients, preventing inadvertently giving access to each client’s shared files.
  6. Easy access to multiple source access-control solutions such as WiFiDog, HotSpot System, ChilliSpot and others.
  7. Extensions, extensions, and more extensions. You can add functionality far beyond the original limitations of the router, such as external USB connectors.
  8. DD-WRT plays well with VPN. Instead of configuring each of your devices to connect to a VPN (*ahem* Ghost Path) you can configure the router itself to connect over VPN, protecting all devices on your network.

The best thing is that DD-WRT is FREE! Well, at least for now.

Securing Your Entire Home

Because your home network gains the power of an enterprise-level router, you also get better security. No more neighbors stealing your Wi-Fi connection!

For one, DD-WRT ignores unrequested packets that go through your WAN port, making it difficult for a hacker to even know that you have a network there. It even provides better protection against Trojans, which do not pass through your Internet connection, hence, bypassing your firewall.

You gain a range of security protocols to make your Wi-Fi secure. There’s WPA that even supports RADIUS, there’s TKIP, AES and a combination of both. There’s WPA2 and WEP. You can choose the safest options: WPA + AES, WPA + TKIP + AES. Or, if you are feeling generous, you can disable these protocols and give Wi-Fi access to those who can see your network. Setting up security for your DD-WRT router is very easy, using its Web-based interface.

Again, DD-WRT’s built-in VPN connectivity allows you to automatically send all your network traffic over the VPN, greatly increasing security.

Need to Know

There are some things that you should know before trying, installing and using DD-WRT firmware for your router. First, using DD-WRT invalidates the manufacturer’s warranty support for your router. This is no different than what typically happens when you make performance-enhancing changes to your car. You will not be able to call Linksys, D-Link, NETGEAR, and others, if something were to go wrong with your router. Be sure to research the ramifications as well as the benefits before you modify your stock firmware with DD-WRT.

Second, it is entirely possible that your router will be bricked, turning it into a lovely paperweight. As with modifying anything, there is always the potential for suffering other unintended consequences. So, again, do your homework and weigh the risks before installing DD-WRT.

Third, manufacturers aim to make it easier for non-technical users (un-geeks and anyone over 55) to tinker with and install their routers.

The grass may be greener on the DD-WRT side of the fence. Just be cautious when scaling the top of the fence and be especially careful of what you land in.