Computers on your network connect in a kind of two-way conversation. Your network router constantly sends out its name, known as its SSID. Your wirelessly equipped PCs see that SSID, and then connect to the router by using the SSID name. So if someone knows your SSID, it makes it easier to connect to your router.

When you buy a wireless router, it comes with a default SSID. That default SSID is the same for the thousands, or millions, of routers the manufacturer makes. So a would-be intruder can search for networks with a few common default SSIDs from the major manufacturers, and quickly find wireless networks. So a good line of defense is to change your network's SSID from the default to a unique name that others can't guess. By itself this isn't a great defense, because most war driving software will automatically find the SSIDs of any nearby networks. And Windows XP will automatically do the same thing. So you need to do more than just change the name. You also need to tell your network to stop broadcasting its SSID. Now only someone who knows the name will be able to connect to it.

The steps you take for changing the SSID and telling your router not to broadcast the SSID varies from router manufacturer to router manufacturer. In the Linksys WRT54GX4, log into your administrator screen, and click the Wireless link. In the "Wireless Network Name (SSID):" box type in a new name for your router. In the "Wireless SSID Broadcast:" box, click Disable. Then click Save Settings.  Other brands will have similar settings.  Check your user manual for details.

Your router is now invisible to passersby, but it's also invisible to your own PCs on the network as well. So you need to tell them to use the new SSID. On each PC, in Windows XP SP2, click small wireless icon in the Windows System Tray and click the View Wireless Networks button. Click the "Change advanced settings" link in the left-hand column and then click the Wireless Networks tab. Click the Add button in the "Preferred network" section, type your new network name, click OK, and then click OK again. You'll now be connected to your network.

Stay posted for more steps to securing your wireless network as time permits, and remember, if you feel that this is beyond your ability or out of your field of expertise, KA Data Group can help you by securing your network for you.  Call for details.