Technical computer jargon has become a part of our everyday lives and not only at work but at home as well. If you have setup your own computer network at home you probably know all about wireless cards, routers, and firewalls. Most computer components are easy to install and get set up, making it possible create a safe and secure home network. One Internet connection can mean connectivity for every computer in the house.

However, you need to make sure your network is safe from hackers and viruses, which can destroy computers and result in irreplaceable data loss. Start by reading the manual of each network product you have since they typically go into great detail about security configurations. But there is still more you need to know.

Router Ports

The first thing you should do is rename the standard administrator account and password since it is likely quite common and would be easy to find. Router ports are basically network numbers which is used by some applications to distinguish traffic. For instance, port 80 is used for web browsing and is the standard for HTTP.

In order to make your ports secure you may want to forgo dynamic IP addresses and purchase a static IP address. This means that you can specify which IP addresses generate traffic leaving your network. This is especially important if you have a wireless network since someone next door can potentially use your network to get onto the Internet. By specifying which IP addresses may do that youre preventing this from happening. This is especially important if you live in an apartment building since using someone elses network is surprisingly easy.

Port 80 should be configured to accept all incoming traffic. Some corporations specify which IP addresses can come into the network but this is very time consuming and labor intensive. You will also need to open port 25 for outgoing mail (SMTP) and 110 for incoming mail if you are using a desktop email program.

Once you have your router setup as described above youre essentially good to go. There are some extra settings you may need to concern yourself with such as ftp ports, but this can leave your network open to attack.

Wireless Networks

If you have a wireless network, take security one step further and lock it down. If you have an unsecured network anyone within range can access the Internet via your connection. Not only can this severely slow down your own Internet access, but it is dangerous to have someone surfing and downloading who knows what in your name. Most wireless network manuals explain in detail how to configure your wireless security.