Wireless systems can be decidedly accessible to agenda intruders, possibly putting acute or clandestine abstracts at risk. However, you can assure yourself by application WEP or WPA encryption, which crave users to admission a countersign afore they are accustomed to admission your wireless network.

These encryption methods are declared in easy-to-understand accent in a fresh book alleged “Geeks On Call Wireless Networking: 5-Minute Fixes” (Wiley, $14.95). The book additionally offers able admonition and step-by-step explanations of capacity alignment from configuring a wireless router to troubleshooting a apathetic connection.

Here are some added tips from the book that can advice you assure your wireless network.

• Reduce the ambit of your network. Doing so can accumulate eavesdropping neighbors from advancing on your connection. Move your wireless router into the centermost of your home and abatement its ability settings.

• Pick a fresh password. Best routers accept a absence countersign of “admin.” Be abiding to change it.

• Attenuate SSID broadcasting. Best wireless routers advertisement the names of user networks (SSIDs) so that added users can log on. This could be a aegis risk.

• Use encryption to assure acclaim agenda advice you accelerate wirelessly over the Web. Also, alone use your agenda on a Web armpit that has SSL encryption (look for a padlock in the bend of the site).

• Attenuate your wireless agenda back not in use. There’s no more good way to defended your computer.

• Use a firewall, which is a affairs that bouncer your computer from Internet criminals.

• Don’t use aggregate files. Remove all important abstracts from your Aggregate Files binder afore accessing a accessible network.

• If you use a wireless laptop, attenuate the affection that attempts to affix your laptop to any accessible wireless network. For best Windows-based laptops, double-click the wireless figure in the lower appropriate bend of Windows. Then bang “Properties.” Bang the “Wireless Network” tab. Next, bang the “Advanced” button. Uncheck the “Automatically Affix to Non-Preferred Networks” option. Finally, bang “Close.”