Understanding your Home network and keeping it secure

Understanding your Home

Network and keeping it

secure

Computer Learning Center at Ewing

David Shinkfield

January 2015

Do I need to know this?

Since you attend our Tips and Tricks or our

courses, chances are you got a shiny new

tech toy as a holiday gift. Maybe it was an

a new netbook or laptop, an Apple iPad or a

smart phone.

One thing all of these devices have in

common: they need to be attached to your

home network.

Do I need to know this?

For many people, Home Networks is the most

painful part of the tech experience. The new piece

of tech you got for the holidays definitely needs

“some assembly required”.

For most of us, connecting to the home network is

a set-and-forget scenario. This causes potential

problems once something bad happens – like the

freak thunderstorm that knocks out power, and

then you cannot access the internet on your iPad

What are the benefits of a

Home network? You can use your laptop, iPad or Smart Phone

anywhere in your home without any wires

Back up copies can be exchanged between

computers

They can provide an additional and strong level of

protection – hardwire firewall

Visiting children can easily access the network

and the internet

Our discussion today

What are the parts of a Home network?

– The Router – the center of the Home Network

Replacing your Router

Setting up your Home Network

Securing your wireless network

10 biggest Home Networking Mistakes (and how to fix them)

How it comes together

The center of your Home

Network is the ROUTER The router is the

gateway between the

Internet and your

home network. It is

also the means by

which all the devices

on your network

communicate with one

another.

Router features

Routers

Wireless routers have different “speeds” and

“range” – A, B, G, N or AC

– A is primarily for business

– B and G are older specifications. They are

slow and routers with wireless G are

inexpensive

– N is the current specification.

– AC is the latest spec, but still not common

Match your router to your laptop

A Verizon Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwjvEwpHwnQ

A “tech” fact about Routers

B and G routers work on the 2.4 Ghz

frequency band. This is the same as your

cordless phone and can create interference

N and AC routers are “dual band”. They

operate on the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz

frequencies. 5Ghz is clearer with less

interference.

Routers in your Home Network?

Verizon provides a wireless router for your home network

Comcast gets you to buy

the router. It is your

responsibility to replace

it if breaks









What type of user are you?

– Email and web surfing – 2.4Ghz is fine

– Streaming videos from Netflix – get dual band

Single band or dual band? (2.4Ghz or 5Ghz)

– Asus 2.4Ghz - $65

– Buffalo AirStation dual band - $120

If you're purchasing a new router, be it

single or dual band, go with an 802.11n

router.

Some Examples

Best N600 router

Asus RT-N56U Dual-

Band Gigabit

Wireless-N Router

$90 at Amazon

Some Examples Apple AirPort

Extreme Base Station

What it lacks in

functions and features,

the new AirPort

Extreme more than

makes up for that in its

great new look and

fast performance

$190

Some Examples

Trendnet AC1750

Dual Band Wireless

Router (TEW-

812DRU)

Amazing wireless

throughput and range.

Easy setup.

$90 at Amazon

Apple Devices If you have Apple devices, seriously consider

using Apple AirPort routers. (They work with Windows devices too: we use them here at the CLC.)

Apple AirPort Extreme — $199, simultaneous dual-band AC beamforming antenna array

Apple AirPort Express — $99, dual-band N, for smaller areas

Easy to manage using the AirPort Utility app

Set Up – Apple Airport Router








Securing your Router

Your wireless router can be accessed by

anyone with an iPad outside your home

All routers come with a “default” user name

and password which is published on the

Internet.

Change it to Protect it with your user name

and password


The most difficult part of managing your router is

accessing it

The router comes with a set up screen, which you

access by entering 192.168.1.1 in the address bar

of your browser, and then entering a password

The initial password will be in your

documentation. For Linksys routers, it was

“admin”

For Apple routers, use AirPort Utility app (Mac,

iPhone, iPad, Windows)









Setting up your Router



How can a wireless network

be secured?

Computer security

Router security

Wireless Security

Sharing printers and files

Computer security

Make sure that you have all the latest Microsoft patches installed.

Make sure that your Virus protection is installed and that it is regularly updated

Install a good software firewall

Regularly run Spyware removal programs

If you use Microsoft Office or any of its components, such as Word or Excel, make sure that you update that as well

Router security

You should only set up the Router through a

computer that is connected to the Router by a

wire.

Once the Router is set, the computer can be

unplugged and used wirelessly if necessary.

Wireless Security

The key requirement for wireless security is to stop others from accessing your network.

Have a hardware firewall in addition to your software firewall

Encrypt all data traffic between the wireless computer and the router

Protect that encryption with network names and passwords

Wireless Security

Your Router should include an SPI and NAT firewall.

Make sure that it is turned on

Wireless Security

Give a name for the network.

This is the SSID.

Wireless Security Set the Security Mode to WPA2

Set WPA Algorithms to TKIP +AES

Set the WPA Shared Key.

Wireless Security

The final step in the process is to make sure that

you set up identical settings on the laptop or

wireless computer

– the same Mode,

– the same SSID and

– the same shared key

Sharing printers and files If you plan to access files or a printer between

computers, you will need to allow Sharing for the Printer and the appropriate folders


Check “Share the

printer”

Give the shared printer a

descriptive name


10 BIGGEST HOME

NETWORKING MISTAKES

(AND HOW TO FIX THEM)

Courtesy of Network World.com

#10 The mistake: Failing to

determine a network’s

needs before buying a

router.

Size of home

Type of walls

Number of devices

Streaming or just email

#9 The mistake: Not

recording older router

settings before upgrading.

When performing the initial setup, write

down the old router’s settings, passcode and

any other customized settings.

Make it clear not only for yourself, but for

spouses/friends who might need to fix/reset

your network

#8: The mistake: Poor router

placement.

Place the router in an open space – hallways

are optimal – and to be as close to the center

to the home as possible. The higher up the

antenna, the better.

If you can’t place the router in an optimal

location, look into wireless range extenders

#7: The mistake:

Connecting a new wireless

router to an existing home

network without powering

down the broadband router.

Power down the modem when connecting a

new system. Then power up the modem,

wait two minutes, then power up the new

router.

#6 The mistake: Plugging

the Ethernet cable from the

modem to the router into a

LAN port instead of the

WAN/Internet port.

When going from your broadband modem

to the router, make sure it goes into the

WAN/Internet port of the wireless router.

#5: The mistake: Leaving

everything to default mode.

Change your router’s password, the SSID

name and password (enable the security!)

And write everything down!

#4 The mistake: Not enabling

device sharing options, or setting

a “public” policy when attaching

a new device to the network.

When connecting new Windows machines to the

network, make sure the policy is set to “Home”, to

allow sharing.

Check file sharing and network-device access

settings to make sure connected devices can talk

to other devices (such as printers).

#3 The mistake: Having

older Wi-Fi devices on the

network that bring down the

new router’s performance.

Remove (or upgrade) any older devices

(especially 802.11b) that may still be on the

network.

#2 The mistake: Not checking

the router regularly for firmware

updates. Updating the firmware on a router is still a manual

process, requiring users to go to the

manufacturer’s website, downloading new

firmware and then updating with a computer

connected directly to the router via Ethernet.

While some routers include browser software that

lets users check for updates, firmware updating is

still a tough process for many users, so in all

likelihood they end up not updating the firmware.

#1 The mistake: Jumping

too soon to the “hard reset”

option.

If you are well prepared by writing down all

your router settings in advance, doing a

hard reset shouldn’t be too much of an

issue.

But it could create more work than is

needed through other fixes.

Android App

– Speed Test

Android

App –

WiFi

Analyzer

Android

App –

WiFi

Analyzer

Wi-Fi Explorer – Mac App

Now it all works!!

And it is secure!

The Presentation Web Site

http://www.clcewing.org/tips_and_tricks.html

Documents

Understanding your Home network and keeping it secure