Jacobs Consulting, LLC knows the value and freedom that a wireless connection to your network can provide. The simple
ability to connect to your network from anywhere within your office or home, without the need for the use of wires is enough
of an enticement to make the modest investment in a Wireless Access Point (WAP) or wireless router well worth the cost.
The biggest concern when implementing a wireless network is setting up the security on the device to insure that your
Internet connection is not being used by others without your knowledge, and that only the people you want to access the
network can access it. If someone can access your device and your internet connection, they are only a few minutes away
from being able to access your computer and all the data it contains. This includes any and all data that you keep on your computer.
If you are like the majority of the computer users, you keep financial information, passwords, bank data, etc. on your system.
From our experience, less than 50% of the wireless networks in residential installations are secured while about 85% of
corporate sites are secured. You can see this for yourself if you have a wireless laptop and a little time. Fire up your
laptop and drive through any neighborhood. Pick a spot, park and search for wireless networks in the area. You have a 50/50
chance of finding one that is unsecured. You could connect to, and use this connection if you wanted to. While working on
client sites all over Northern New Jersey, the number of unsecured networks that I have seen is truly staggering.
Setting up a wireless connection properly is not a difficult task, but one that should be done, especially if you have
sensitive data stored on any computer in your home or business.
Residential Wireless Configuration
As already mentioned, the configuration and security of your wireless home network should be the biggest concern that you have
for an existing netowrk or when considering implementing a wireless network in your home. A home installation, in many ways, is
identical to a business installation, and the same security concerns and issues need to be addressed.
Typically, the setup for a new wireless home network will take less than an hour from opening the box to having the
system installed, setup and secured. This, of course, depends on the size of the home and the number of devices required
to provide adequate coverage throughout the home. Additional concerns found in home installs not typically found in the
corporate environment is the need for special configurations to provide support for wireless game consoles such as the XBox, PlayStation
or the WII. While these devices use a standard wireless connection, they typically require additional ports to be opened on the wireless
firewall to function properly.
Contact Jacobs Consulting, LLC if you have the need for wireless network installation in your home, or if you have concerns about or need
to have your current configuration secured.
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