Change your password!

The first thing to do after plugging in that new WAP, is to change the administrator password. Most small office/home office (SOHO) come configured with an easy-to-guess password, like "admin," "Linksys," or simply no password at all. While you're at it, disable remote administration, which would let someone outside of your network have access to the administration functions.

What's in a name?

WAPs are configured with a Service Set Identifier (SSID) which is essentially the device's name. The default is usually something simple, like "Linksys," so go ahead and change that too. You can also disable SSID broadcast, which will prevent your WAP from announcing its presence to the world. This can be an issue if you frequently have friends over for wireless gaming sessions however.

Encrypt, encrypt, encrypt

Much like wireless phones are easy to eavesdrop on, your wireless network traffic can be picked up by anyone nearby with a laptop and some free software. Fortunately, all wireless devices are capable of encrypting network traffic through either Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) or, for newer devices, WiFi Protected Access (WPA.) If your device offers a choice, WPA gives much better protection and is easier to use, but WEP is far better than nothing. Keep in mind that you will see a decrease in speed because of the overhead of encrypting/decrypting all of the network traffic. But with the greatly improved speeds of Wireless-G and -N devices, the difference should be negligible.

Be the MAC Daddy

All network devices have a unique ID number called a Media Access Control or MAC address. Enable MAC filtering on your WAP to allow connections to your network only from the addresses you list. You can find the MAC address of your wirless card printed on the card itself, or on the serial number tag on the bottom of newer laptops.

Power Outage

Older 802.11b WAPs had a range limit of about 200 feet. Newer devices are much more powerful, allowing your neighbors or the war driver out in the parking lot to easily connect to your network. Unless you live in a mansion, or need to have wireless access down by the polo grounds, lower the power output of your WAP. Most newer WAPs allow you to reduce the WLAN transmitter power to decrease the range.

When setting up your wireless network, just like when making purchases over the Internet, apply large doses of common sense, and always be paranoid. There's no such thing as a network that's too safe.

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