It is a bit of a hassle to re-install or add to a new computer 'cause you have to look up and enter a few rows of hex$ code, but when it's done, it's safe. From then on anyone trying to access your wi-fi will need those exact hex$ digits or they are out.
It appears that a lot of people are too lazy to take advantage of this feature.
Not really..
Using commercially available encryption schemes or MAC Filtering will secure your network from the vast majority of would-be pilferers but it is no more a guarantee of security than is say, locking your car and setting a car alarm, that your car won't be stolen.
Any hacker worth his salt can break WEP or WPA encrpytion schemes within a few minutes.
WEP and WPA keys are easy to break. Fortunately, there is enough free WiFi floating around that there is not real purpose in cracking the keys on a home network. Some uber nerds do it for fun, but by in large there isn’t anything there of interest.
Cut and paste to the wpa-psk setup page in the router, and same in wireless login setup on the computer. Can be put on a USB key too.
Mel
>>It is very easy to secure your wi-fi/router<<
On my MS router I was never able to get the encryption to work. I ended up just using MAC Address. It has a problem though. My daughter came in with her new laptop with Windows Vista. We never were able to find a mac address that I could use to give her access. In the software I found where it was SUPPOSED to be (after hitting google), but it said “unavailable”. I had to turn off security while she used it.
Yet another reason to hate Vista.