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A survey by moneysupermarket.com reveals that one out of every six broadband users is running their wireless network without any kind of security. As a result of this, one out of every nine users have been involved in hijacking someone’s unsecured Wi-Fi connection. If you do not have permission to use someone else’s Wi-Fi, and you do, the law does frown on it, and it is considered a hijack, and an illegal activity. A few of such activities made the news, and in some cases, an estimated 50 percent of these hijackers looked at the other person’s emails, and the other 50 percent used it to check their own emails.

Users of wireless routers have a responsibility to secure their network, to deter abuse of their broadband internet connection. There are several useful measures that can be taken to improve the security of the network. For instance, there are users who will never make use of the functions of the wireless router. It is recommended that such users should disable the router’s web function. Users could also switch off the wireless router when they are on vacation, thus saving on their electric bills, and minimizing hacking on the network. It is always necessary to have some form of encryption on your wireless network. The best protection is WPA and WPA2, but it still pays to have something, even if it is less secure. Some form of security, will definitely discourage some hackers, and lend some amount of protection. If your network is not coming up as an easy target, then hackers might steer clear of it, and move on to something easier. Users are cautioned to avoid WEP encryption, as it is known to be inherently insecure.

When selecting a security key or password, you should never use the address of your property, your family name, or your phone number. All computers must have a firewall as additional protection, in case someone tries to break into the wireless network. Finally, install anti-virus software, and make sure it is always updated.