The Guide to Choosing Wi-Fi Channel for your Network

 

The wi-fi router in your house communicates over a wireless channel that has a designated number.  Although, wi-fi connection works fine on any channel, there are times when you might need to change the channel because of radio interference, congestion, slow speed and other reasons. This makes it important for homeowners to understand the difference between wi-fi channels. Let’s get started

2.5GHz Band

The 2.4 GHz band has 11 channels wherein 1 channel operates at a centre frequency and 11 channels operate at a higher frequency. The channel 1 operates at a frequency of 2.412 GHz and channel 11 operates at a frequency of 2.462 GHz. The other channels are separated at an interval of 2.412 GHz.

5GHz Band

The 5GHz band has more channels than 2.5 GHz with 36, 40, 44 and 48 being the most popular ones. Each of these channels is separated by 5MHz. This is technically an advanced channel that restricts the available channels to specific numbers just to avoid the chances of overlapping frequencies.

The channel 36 of 5GHz band operates at 5.180 GHz, 40 operates at 5.2 GHz. 165 is the highest frequency channel that operates on a frequency of 5.825 GHz.

The need to change the wi-fi channel number

The routers and parental control device that we use mostly run on 2.4 GHz. If the neighbouring wi-fi network is also running on the same channel, it could cause radio interference. Even the microwaves, bluetooth and other devices in our homes work on 2.5GHz frequency. This can slowdown the performance of the network. Changing the channel can improve the network performance.

Changing the channel

All the best parental control device routers or even the traditional ones have administrator settings. You need to login as admin and look for a drop-down list of the supported channel numbers. Choose a channel that you wish the network to work on, and viola you are done.

The advanced routers come with 5GHz band, giving homeowners the choice to change the settings and ensure they get uninterrupted Internet connectivity.

Service Set Identifier (SSID) Explained

 

Wi-fi is no longer a technology limited to offices. We have public wi-fi hotspots and wifi connections at home. This brings us to the abbreviation SSID - Service Set Identifier. SSID is the name associated with 802.11 WLAN and is the name for your wi-fi network.

SSID can be up to 32 characters long case-sensitive text string that consists of letters and numbers. When you connect to a wireless network, all the names that appear are the SSIDs for those networks. Every router manufacturer has a different default SSID for their unit, but these SSIDs can be changed. If we talk about home network, an administrator has the right to change it.

How your device uses SSIDs?

When you connect a phone or laptop to the network, it scans the local area for the networks and presents a list of the names. You can initiate the new connection by choosing a name from the network list.

Other than getting the network name, the wi-fi scan will also allow you to determine if every network has the wireless security options checked in. A secured network will have a lock symbol next to the SSID.

Although if a user rejoins the network, the wireless device identifies it along with the connection preferences. The device will ask the user if they want to reconnect automatically to the network in future. This set up can be done manually also without accessing the network.

The best router for controlling Internet access come with option to disable SSID, in order to provide a more secure network. In this scenario, the user will have to enter two passwords - SSID and network password. To connect to a network that has SSID broadcast disabled, the user will have to create a profile manually.

Some things to take care of:

• If you have bought a new router, using a default SSID could increase the chances of duplicacy, in case somebody else in the nearby area is also using the router of the same make. This means, your network might not be protected and you could possibly connect to the wrong network.

• When choosing SSID, try to have names with generic information. Displaying your name or having names such as Impossible to Hack could actually provoke people to hack your network.

At last, even if you have the best parental control device for wi-fi, make sure you change the SSID for improved security.

Your home security system is vulnerable to attack · GryphonConnect.com

 

How to Secure Your Businesses’ Wi-Fi Network - Part 1

The convenience offered by Wi-Fi has made it an indispensable element in a business. Though, almost every organization has Wi-Fi connectivity, most businesses do not pay attention to secure their network. This makes the network vulnerable to cyber attacks and data theft. Let’s look at some of the router safety tips for businesses to safeguard their Wi-Fi network.

Change router login credentials
The first security measure you should take is to change the default login credentials of the router after setting up the wi-fi connection. Many manufacturers have the same default login for every router, and these credentials are easily available on the Internet. Therefore, it is important to change the default login credentials after setting up the connection. The password should be a mix of upper and lower case and special characters.

Update firmware and software
Never take firmware updates for router lightly. You might not know that these fixes are introduced to secure the device from documented vulnerabilities. Not updating the router could be an invitation to potential virus threats and malware attacks.

Keep routers at a secure location
Your router literally takes care of all the work that’s happening in the office. If somebody turns it off by chance or presses the reset button, it could mean an unwanted inconvenience. Always keep the router in a secured place that has restricted office. Keeping 24/7 video surveillance on might look too much, but it is good from safety perspective.

Set private and public access
You cannot let the guests and employees be on the same network, as this could be absolutely chaotic. Use a Service Set Identifier (SSID) to make public and private networks. This will provide an extra layer of protection to your network.

Last Words
Securing your office wi-fi network should be on the top of your IT Priority list. Failing to do so could have consequences that can affect finances, employee productivity, and growth chart. Also,  make sure that you install the most secure router because a lot of things depend on how advanced the device is and how efficiently it can work on connectivity and security front

How to Secure Your Businesses’ Wi-Fi Network - Part 2 :- https://sites.google.com/site/gryphononlinesafety/how-to-secure-your-businesses-wi-fi-network---part-2

Secure your home from intruders, digital attacks, and hackers · GryphonConnect.com

 

Installing a New Router? Make Sure to Tweak These Settings

There’s no life without the Internet and no home without Wi-Fi. It has become an integral part of our lives. We never imagined ourselves giving so much importance to the router, a device that transmits wi-fi signals in our home and keep us connected. And when you have a new router for installation, we recommend taking a step-by-step approach. Let’s look at a few router settings that need change at your end.

Network name and password
Every router comes with a default network name and password, but do not stick to it. Since every manufacturer has their own defined rules for setting password and user name, it gets easier for hackers to get entry into your network. As soon as you get the router, login to your account, change the network name and set a password. Try keeping password a little long and a mix of numbers, special character and uppercase.

Network bands
Modern-day routers come with two frequencies - 2.5GHz and 5GHz. Although both the frequency bands are on by default, you must check the status for confirmation. Also, you should know that 2.5GHz is the frequency in which your Bluetooth, microwave and other electronic appliances also work, making it more crowded. 5GHz is less congested and fast. However, it has a shorter range than 2.4 GHz. If both the modes aren’t on, turn them on so that the router can select which device to keep on which frequency.

Parental Controls
Most router with app control have restricted access, wi-fi pause and other features. If you have kids at home, it makes to activate router kid control features during the initial setup. This way, kids will have the habit of limited access to the Internet and other restrictions as well.

Guest Network
Setting up a guest network is not a bad idea, especially with so many security concerns arising over the Internet. Keep all the devices that you use on private mode and have a separate network for the guests. This way, you will never hesitate in sharing the wifi credentials and your network speed will also not hamper.

When you move to a new home or have Internet connection installed at your place, make sure you spend some time in changing the settings during initial setup and enjoy uninterrupted and safe access.

Understanding the Difference Between Fibre-optic and Coaxial Cables

If you have an Internet connection at home, there must be a line of fibre-optic or coaxial cable coming straight from your Internet Service Provider. Both the types of cables are different in nature and you must know their pros and cons, as this directly impacts the speed of Internet connectivity.

What is Fiber-optic cable?
A fiber-optic cable has small, flexible strands of plastic or glass. It uses light for data transmission, thus have more bandwidth than coaxial cables. The bandwidth with fiber-optic cable is high because the connection isn’t shared with another in the same area. This means, even if there’s congestion, the fiber Internet should work fine and transmit high-speed data to your house.

A fibre-optic cable can offer speed of up to 1 Gbps, however, it depends on the Internet Service Provider and equipment they are using. To make the most out of this blazing speed, make sure you have an advanced wi-fi router at home. If you have a mesh wifi router installed as well, it should again be able to support the speed.

What is Coaxial cable?
A coaxial cable transmits data through electricity. It is made of copper and this technology is most ISPs using after DSL and dial-up technologies went out of fashion. Though cable Internet is prevalent in many parts, it has no comparison with fibre-optic Internet transmission.

Data speed is slow in coaxial cables, but some ISPs are able to delivery speed up to 1Gbps (which is rare). Another reason for slow data speed could be that a coaxial cable connection might be shared in your area. When multiple customers are on the same line, this will reduce the speed.

Last Words
We can see that coaxial cable Internet is not as fast as fibre-optic cable. The former, however, is more economical. As the need for speed increases, there will be a steep decrease in coaxial cable connections. If you are planning to get an Internet connection at your home, make sure it is fibre-optic cable.