This page is intended to address some configuration issues for improving the default security of your wireless connection. For a faq about wireless connectivity on Duke's campus, see the OIT faq.
Change the default SSID
Change the default Service Set Identifier (SSID) of your home wireless Access Point (AP). Configuring your home SSID to be something that's not easily guessed will help prevent unauthorized use of your network. Consider using a strong password for your SSID (long non-meaningful strings that include numbers, letters, and symbols; see Password Guidelines). The SSID is a network identifier that's intended to differentiate different wireless networks. APs come with a default SSID set, and the default is usually the same for all models made by a vendor (this means it's usually pretty well-known).
Turn off SSID broadcasting
Set your home AP to "closed network". This turns off the SSID broadcasting feature on your AP, and not broadcasting your SSID will make it harder for the world at large to detect your wireless network.
Use mac address filtering
A mac address is a unique hardware number assigned to the network card in your computer. To secure your wireless network at home, lock the AP down so that it only allows connections with your home devices' mac addresses. If you often add or remove devices on your network, however, this will be an additional step in administrating your network.
Decide whether to use WEP encryption
Evaluate whether to turn on Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) on your home network. WEP is a protocol that encrypts data as it travels across a wireless network, making it unreadable even if it's intercepted. If you use one machine both at home and at work, you may need to turn WEP on for your home network and turn it off when on the Duke network.
Check these links for configuration instructions for some popular AP models