Manufacturers set both the account username and password at the factory. The username is often simply the word admin or administrator. The password is typically empty (blank), the words "admin," "public," or "password," or some other simple word.

To improve the security of a Wi-Fi network, you should change the administrative password on your wireless access point or router immediately when installing the unit. The default passwords for popular models of wireless network gear are well-known to hackers and often posted on the Internet.

The SSID can be accessed from within these products" Web-based or Windows-based configuration utilities. Common examples of pre-defined SSIDs are simple names like "wireless," "netgear," "linksys," or "default." An SSID can be changed at any time, as long as the change is also made on all wireless clients.

To improve the security of your home wireless network, change the SSID to a different name than the default. Here are some recommended do"s and dont"s, based on best network security practices:

Without MAC address filtering, any wireless client can join (authenticate with) a Wi-Fi network if they know the network name (also called the SSID) and perhaps a few other security parameters like encryption keys. When MAC address filtering is enabled, however, the access point or router performs an additional check on a different parameter. Obviously the more checks that are made, the greater the likelihood of preventing network break-ins.

To set up MAC address filtering, you as a WLAN administrator must configure a list of clients that will be allowed to join the network.

However, this feature also makes it easier for hackers to break into your home network. Because SSIDs are not encrypted or otherwise scrambled, it becomes easy to grab one by snooping the WLAN looking for SSID broadcast messages coming from the router or AP. Knowing your SSID brings hackers one step closer to a successful intrusion.

In a home Wi-Fi network, roaming is largely unnecessary and the SSID broadcast feature serves no useful purpose.

To verify whether automatic connections to open Wi-Fi networks are allowed, check the computer"s wireless configuration settings. For example, on Windows XP computers having Wi-Fi connections managed by the operating system, the setting is called "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks." To check this setting, follow these steps:

However, static IP addressing also offers some advantages:

If a given wireless client falls out of range of the base station signal, obviously that network connection will fail or "drop." Clients situated near the edge of the network range will likely experience intermittent dropped connections. But even when a wireless client stays within range consistently, its network performance can still be adversely affected by distance, obstructions, or interference.

To position your wireless equipment for optimal network performance, follow these guidelines: