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Home Wireless Network Security--Mac Filtering
Mac filtering can be an effective way to make your home wireless network more secure. It is very easy to do, and does not require any encryption or passwords to save or remember. Here is a look at this simple form of security.
Many households have broadband high-speed Internet, these days, and laptops are becoming very popular. One of the best ways to make your laptop mobile is with a wireless router. This gives one the chance to go online and move anywhere in the house, or in the yard.
The convenience of wireless Internet also makes it convenient for someone to steal the signal. For example, many people in the neighborhood may be able to tap into the wireless signal from your router. There are ways to stop this, as you can set up the router to use a modern form of encryption. This makes it almost impossible to access the network without the password. However, everyone at home may not be able to hook up.
Some older computers may not recognize modern encryption methods, and you may have to remove the encryption. However, you can still be secure with the mac filtering option on your router admin.
How Mac Filtering Works
Every computer has a unique set of numbers that are assigned to it. It is twelve numbers in total, and they are displayed in pairs. There also may be some letters mixed in with the numbers. For example, the mac address could look something like 0D,50,66,08,63,and 5A.
With mac filtering, your router only allows certain computers to access the Internet. You also have the other option of excluding or blocking certain numbers. However, the easiest method is to only allow those computers that are in your network, as this keeps everyone else out.
How to Find Your Mac Numbers
If you have a Windows PC you can go to the command prompt. At the prompt enter "ipconfig/all". Look for the numbers, and they may be listed as the physical address of the computer.
For Mac computers, you will need to go to the dock and then System Preferences. The next selections are Network, Locations, and Interface. After that, click on the tab that is marked AirPort. You should now be able to see the mac numbers.
Accessing Your Router
You will need to know the URL or web address for your router. This number should be in the instructions, and it is usually set up like 192.168.1.0 after http. If you have not set up your user name and password, you will have a generic one like "admin".
Once you are into the admin of the router, look for mac filtering. You may need to click on a few tabs to find it. After you find it, you can enter the numbers that are allowed to access the Internet.
Mac filtering only works for wireless connections. It will not block your wired computer from the Internet. Computers that are hooked up via Ethernet cables will not be affected.
After you are finished, make sure that you have your own unique user name and password. Many people know the generic terms, and may be able to access your router with default passwords and user names. This could seriously compromise your security.
Alternate Way to Find Mac Addresses
There is another way to find the mac numbers of a computer. Simply go online to the router admin and find the tab for Internet activity. You may need to search around a bit. Once there, it will show the numbers of all computers that are currently online.
Summary
It is very important to have security for your home wireless network. This keeps other people from stealing your signal and slowing down your connection. If you do not wish to use modern encryption with passwords, you can set up a way to keep others from accessing your Internet connection. This method is called mac filtering, and it is easy and simple to do.
Alice Folsom is an online freelance writer. For more information on wireless routers visit Alice's Product Reviews at http://aj-product-reviews.blogspot.com/.