[masraum]

Originally posted by id10t
You want to do it on your wireless router. If your hardware supports it, use WPA (not wep), if not, use WEP wtih a complex key. Turn off broadcasting your SSID. If you only use one or two wireless devices, lock down your router to only accept connections from their MAC addresses.

I wrote a paper on wireless security recently, and I've worked on the security team at the Cisco Technical assistance center.

Like he said, use WPA if your equipment supports it. WEP can be hacked by anyone with some easily downloaded tools and directions from the internet in less than 15 minutes regardless of how complex the key is.

Also, turning off your SSID broadcast doesn't slow someone down that wants to get on your network. It will only make it more difficult for you to get on.

Setting your network up so that only your MAC address can get on will also not keep anyone down. They will just spoof your MAC which is easy to find.

There are two things to consider here. Are you worried about someone around you or their teenage kid hacking into your network to see what they can do or are you worried about your neighbor ending up using your network connection? If it's the second then some of these other steps will help with that, but they won't do anything for the local hoodlum that is trying to see if he can get your stuff.

For some really good info on the latest in wireless security check here

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/ more specifically, go to page 3 and 4
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/index.php?paged=3
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/index.php?paged=4