Broadband - Securing Your Wireless Broadband - Part 1

Broadband is now the most common type of internet in households. It's is now actually pretty hard to find somebody using a dial up modem for their connection. Most broadband providers also supply a wireless router either for free of for a very cheap price, and with most laptops having an integrated router inside them as standard, broadband just keeps getting easier and easier.

Wireless broadband sends signals from your router through your house and beyond. Most household routers have a dependency range of around 45 meters, so the signal can be easily picked up by surrounding households if it is not protected.

If somebody is able to access your broadband connection you risk several things. There is of course the risk that by connecting to the network they can access your files and place viruses on your PC and therefore damage your machine. This is a practice that is on the rise in the united kingdom, with many people getting a kick out of being able to crack peoples passwords just for fun.

However, they can also affect you negatively in less malicious, but still harmful ways.

For example, if somebody logs onto your network and begins to download a large video file, they will slow down your internet's speed and performance by a huge amount. The longer they can get away with this, the worse off you are. Many broadband companies have a "bandwidth" or "download limit", and if somebody else is using it up for their own means, you lose out entirely.

Apart from direct attacks on your machine, there is also the risk of them looking at your history and possibly getting hold of your passwords and usernames meaning they could access highly personal information. Never store your banking details, credit card numbers or contact information on your PC.

If they take part in illegal activity such as phishing schemes, downloading music and movies illegally, or worse dealing in highly illegal products such as drugs and pornography, using your internet is a perfect way for them to shift the blame, as all of the connections are under your name. It is also very hard to prove who has accessed your network if you are in a densely populated area.

So for these reasons it is really very important that you limit who can access your broadband. It is usually a simple process to protect yourself, and nowadays broadband providers often supply you with the correct tools and software.

Make sure you have a good look at what you have been supplied with and use it to the best benefit that you can.

For broadband deals that are suitable to you, be sure you compare broadband online. Why not do a broadband speed test to see how your current provider compares?

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