Wireless Antennae
The gain and signal pattern of the antenna connected to a wireless access point can influence where the signal can be received. Avoid transmitting signals outside of the network area by installing an antenna with a pattern that serves your network users.
Some wireless devices allow you to change the power level of the wireless radio. This can be beneficial in two ways:
- The size of the wireless network can be decreased to prevent coverage in unwanted areas. Use a laptop or mobile device to determine the coverage area. Decrease the radio power level until the coverage area is the desired size.
- Increase the power level in areas with many wireless networks to help keep interference from other networks to a minimum and help clients to stay connected.
Network Device Access
Many wireless devices built by a specific manufacturer have the same default username and password for accessing the wireless configuration. If left unchanged, unauthorized users can easily log on to the access point and modify the settings. When you first connect to the network device, change the default username and password. Some devices allow you to change both the username and the password, while others only allow you to change the password.
To change the default password, as shown in the figure, use the following path:
Administration > Management > type the new router password > Re-enter to confirm > Save Settings
Wi-Fi Protected Setup
For many people, setting up a wireless router and manually entering the configurations is difficult. In the past, a lot of people would simply plug in the device and use the default settings. These settings allowed devices to easily connect, but left a number of security holes, such as a lack of encryption, default SSID use, and default administration password use. WPS was developed to help people set up a wireless network quickly, easily, and with security enabled.
With WPS, the most common way for a user to connect is the PIN method. With the PIN method, the wireless router has a factory-set PIN that is either printed on a sticker or shown on a display. When a wireless device tries to connect to the wireless router, the router asks for the PIN. After the user enters the PIN on the wireless device, they are connected to the network and security is enabled.
WPS has a major security flaw. Software has been developed that can intercept traffic and recover the WPS PIN and the pre-shared encryption key. As a security best practice, disable WPS on the wireless router if possible.