How to Protect your Wifi with Network Security Key

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This entire article is on Network Security Key. It is an key which provides authentication support on an LAN network. It does not matter either it is a wired or wireless but it is for those users expect more privacy for their network. You can by name itself understand what a Network Security keys means. It is a needful choice for all secure and un-secure networks whether you are using an network in your office or home. Now the basic explanation of this is that, each and every network comes with an Security Key. This is key is an applicable for all those users who want to be a part of a Network. This can be using the Network for surfing, file sharing, printer sharing, etc. Users who do not know the security key are not allowed to enter the network. They are incoming connection is blocked.

The procedure is same for an wifi network. In this way if I have a network at home, then I will distribute an security key or what you called password to my home users. When then try to connect my connect, they will receive a popup on the box asking for an authentication. Only those who properly enter a password get access, and those who do not know stay out. You can get a much clear idea on this if you know about a process called Bluetooth Pairing. Right now new mobile phone have this option. When I try to connect to a friend’s mobile, it asked for a common password for getting connection or else the connection is terminated. So it is just an small sample of secure network. There are still lot more things attached to the security key which you must know. Keep reading below for a much clearer idea about the same.

First of all we must know that why we need an Network Security key. Does this is required, will the setup be messier, I am a novice how can I understand all this, etc. Note down one thing that this is extremely easy and everything on Windows environment is automated. You have to just read the screen instructions properly. I always worry about my Wireless network. I have a wifi router and when I set on I found through a Network Monitor Utility that most of the anonymous connections are detected. That means they are using my bandwidth for free. And that is not good for those who have limited surfing plan. Just think that your wifi network can be easily detected by others and if that is an unsecure network then your neighbor can enter and use your network for free. Your wifi network can easily come in the rage of any other user.

Without a users knowledge currently it is quiet easy to setup a wifi network or join any anonymous network. What I have to do is to just search for the same. The anonymous users can not only eat your bandwidth but they access to your share files and folders. So there is a great risk of losing your data and they can even send virus to your system. It just like right clicking and copy pasting files on your hard drive. Today technology is easy but not reliable. You can lose your valuable data or even face virus issue. So start using a Network Security Key and allow only those users to who you want to share your files and folders.

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What is a Network Security Key

Here is a explanation of what a Network Security key is. It is not a password or any utility that blocks users but an kind of strong encryption facility for wifi users. It is an passphrase key which is more similar to a password. So you just need to share your password with your friend and you can then let them entire your wireless range. If you are an user then you will need to get a key from the admin of the network to get an access. This is a much secure way of providing wifi access on your office network. Today some routers comes with inbuilt Network Security Key support. So you just need to enable that from the router. There are various other method other than a Network Security key to secure your wireless network. I had mentioned some of them below.

How to Protect your Wifi with Network Security Key

Till yet what I had tried I found three better ways to encrypt your network. They are easy and commonly available for most of the users. It works with almost all types of wifi routers and networks. There are very less chances of compatibility here. There is very common standards that are used widely with almost all types of Network Security. So due to that this has become a big success for all of us. Mostly the steps for configuration is common for maximum operating system version. Some of the latest operating system comes with an automated utility for that. Read below for some detailed on steps to protect your network.

802.1X Authentication

This is an standard which used by an wifi network to establish a wifi network. The same is also used for wired Ethernet networks. It is best recommended for an workplace where there is much higher number of systems like an business organization. When this method on the users are validated by the network. To get an access first the admin needs to valid a user or else he will not be able to join the network. There is an dedicated authentication server provided for this. There are around 3 use support on the same. The first is the User who wants to connect, then comes the Authentication Part and then the Server who stores information on Authenticated user. It is best suitable for a WLan and as well as for Lan networks. There are some predetermined protocol running on this network. It is not recommended for home users as you do not like to spend an extra amount for buying the network setup.

Coming in more easier way I can say the Authentication is an Security Guard who checks the user before entering in the network. It is an entirely protected network and you just cannot entire it easily. The client device where an anonymous user first time connects to network need to pass some Authentication process. He is not directly allowed to access. He gets an identity by the Authentication Server and then his identity is validated by the Authenticator. It is just like providing you an access card to pass an security door. If you do not provide the credentials you cannot entire.

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WPA

WPA stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access. It is the most commonly and widely used Network Encryption services. Mostly recommended for home users and single users PC. There is a wifi protected area under this network. All information about the user are encrypted strongly and only after an authorization the users can access. Anonymous are entirely banned on this. Right now there is a new version of WPA is out is much better and powerful called as WPA2. In one word it is an security protocol for the system. It provide an security certification program for the wifi network. Every user has his own Security Certificate.

So here when you create a network you can assign the users authentication before only and only those can join the network. The WPA Protocol is on maximum IEEE 802.11i standard. So there is no matter to worry about the support for the same. There is an option for Message Integrity Check in WPA. This is provided in order to block an attacker from capturing your network and modifying the data packets.

WEP

WEP Stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. This is best for intranet support. It is recommended when you work more on pc to pc. That means protecting your DATA transfer privacy. It is applicable to systems which are working within a network. Now at the time of network setup there is a need of a security key which lets you to encrypt and decrypt your data which is on the Network. This keys define the security passage of data between two computers. This is quiet a old method but still used widely and very easy also. The only flaw of this is that it is easily hackable.

Till yet WEP has a number weakness which makes this method a much lower safe. I have some information on this. The first is the key size. In a WEP the key is not properly manage. The passkeys which are created are of poor quality and can easily crackable. In some of the WEP networks a large number of systems uses only a single kind of Network Security key. The servers and other workstations needs to be configured with the same key. This becomes sometime a very tedious job.

Steps to get an Network Security Key for a WIFI system

This is the first question comes in our mind when we start reading about network protection. How can get one of those to make myself safe. There are some easy steps for the same and I had defined them below. You follow them. The first is that if you are the admin of the network then you are the first to define the key and keep the same secret. And if you are just a beginner then you will need to learn a bit more here. There are some points which you need to understand before setting up a secured network. For advance users it is possible to easily get the key recover but if you forget the same then remember it is not easy retrievable. So for beginners there is a strict advice from my side. Do not lose the key. The key is not stored in your computer. It is stored in the Router. If your system crashes or you re-installed your operating system then that does not means that your key is lost. The router will still ask your for authentication. And if you lose then you will need to reset the router settings to wipe the same.

It become really a tedious job when you want to remove authentication. So it is better to keep the record of key you are using. It is also not easy to find out key form the router. Those are hackers job, a novice can do nothing in that. But in case if you lose the Security key and you want to remove the same then here is the method which can save your life.

First you will need to login on to your router. For that you the default IP is 19.168.1.1. Just type this in your web browser. If nothing opens then check your router connection and reboot once. I will also advice you to keep a copy of router manual next to you. This is of great help. All important credential are mentioned in this manual and that makes your job a bit easier.

When you reach the router logging page, it will ask you for a Login ID and password. The most default is Admin/Admin. Both Login ID and Password. In some case there is no Password and in some case the default Password is 1234. This is the reason why I am asking to keep the manual next to you. It has all the important information. If you are not able to logon then read the manual. Then when you enter the Router page look for Wireless Network Security settings. Disable that and reboot your router. When you disable it the encryption is ended and your wifi network becomes and open access to all. Later on you can again go by same procedure, enter your router and enable the same back again. It will ask you for a new key and done. You can provide the New Network Security key.

Your personal data and files can be an easy access to people who can pick your wifi signal and get connected without your knowledge. You can use a Wifi key to protect your wireless network and secure your data. A Network Security Key as mentioned above is an passphrase which protect your data form intrusion. So that is the entire method by which you can protect your network and be safe and sound. I worry mostly about virus. Some users just visit worst sites and entire virus on the network which spoils everything.