Most hardware of WLAN have got so easy enough to configure that many users just plug it in and begin using that network neglecting the security. Nevertheless, taking several extra minutes to set up the security issues of the access point or wireless router is time worth spent.

Here are few things that you can do to secure your wireless network:

1) Secure your access point of the administration or the wireless router

Almost every access point and router has one administrator password that is needed to log into the device and modify its configuration settings. Most of the devices use a default weak password like the "password" or the name of the manufacturer, and some don’t even have one default password.  As soon as you configure the new WLAN access point or router, the first step must be to change that default password to some other password.

2) Don’t broadcast the SSID

Most WLAN routers and access points continually (and automatically) broadcast the SSID (Service Set Identifier) or the network’s name. This makes configuring the wireless clients much convenient as can locate the WLAN without having the need to know its name, but it will even make your WLAN accessible to any wireless system within its range. Turning off the SSID broadcast for the network makes it inaccessible to the passers-by or your neighbors.

3) Enable the WPA encryption instead of the WEP

The WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy) encryption of 802.11 has popular weaknesses that make it very easy for the determined user with right equipment to crack that encryption and gain access into the wireless network. A good way to protect the WLAN is with the WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). The WPA offers better protection and is even easier to use, since the password characters are not limited to A-F and 0-9 F as in the case with WEP.

4) Remember that WEP is better than nothing

If you notice that some of the wireless devices support only WEP encryption, avoid the temptation of skipping the encryption completely because in spite of the flaws, using the WEP is still much superior without having the encryption at all. Even, although it is a pain, the WEP users must change the encryption keys often-much preferably every week.  

5) Use the MAC filtering for the access control

 Unlike the IP addresses, addresses of the MAC are unique to the specific network adapters, so by using the MAC filtering you could limit the network access only to your systems. To use the MAC filtering you have to find the MAC address of each system that connects to your network, so it might be very inconvenient to configure, particularly if you have got lot of wireless clients or if the clients change frequently. MAC addresses could be "imitated" (spoofed) by a person, so while it doesn’t guarantee the security, it adds another hurdle for the potential intruders.

6) Reduce the WLAN transmitter power

This feature is not found on all wireless access points and routers, but some let you to lower the transmitting power of the WLAN and thus reducing the signal range. Although it is generally impossible to fine-tune the signal so accurate that it won’t be leaked outside your business or home, with some attempt you could often limit the transmitting range, minimizing the chance for the outsiders to gain access to your WLAN.