Wireless Internet access has become very popular within our homes. The benefit of being able to wonder around the home and garden without cables is great, but after configuring your wireless network did you remember to change the default admin password on your router? Most would answer No!!

Not changing the admin password and not encrypting your wireless router is an open door for hackers to be able to access your network/router. It is still possible to hack a secure wireless network but it makes it more difficult and may put hackers off. Non secure networks are an easy target so hackers will not waste their time hacking secure networks when there are lots of non secure networks being broadcasted. 

When a hacker accesses your wireless network, they obtain an ip address by your router known as DHCP. I’m not going to go into too much detail of how one can access your router for security reasons but once connected there are ways once can access your router and if you have not changed the default password, can easily access your router and do as they wish.

I would recommend:

1) Change the default admin password on your wireless router
2) Enabling encryption by setting up a secure key
3) Stop your router from broadcasting your wireless network name (SSID)
4) Configure filtering so only certain machines you own can access your network.

If the above has not got you to thinking about securing your wireless network, then may be the next paragraph will.

One who accesses your wireless network could make fraudulent orders using a stolen credit. When the police investigate your home will be the targeted first as it was your Internet connection which was used.