Do NOT leave your Home Wireless Network 'open', to be Accessed by 'Hackers', and get Involved with 'Dubious' and 'Unlawful' use of the Internet by 'Strangers', who want to Access the Internet Anonymously, and who do not want to be discovered, by using Your Unique TCP/IP Address!
When you employ a Wireless Broadband Router at home, to provide High-Speed Internet services to more than one Wi-Fi enabled computer in your home, it should be made 'Secure', so that only your 'invited' users or 'guests' on your network, can access the service through your own Unique Password control.
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This is essential in order to stop "Hackers" having the ability to gain access to your Private Internet Broadband service without your permission or knowledge.
When a new Wireless Broadband Internet router is first installed it will have a default set-up, which is easily accessible by "Hackers" outside your home, who are within 'range' of your Wireless Broadband Router's transmission signal.
You therefore need to make your Wireless Network secure, by setting up a encrypted secure 'pass code' using one of the several methods provided by your Broadband Router's manufacturer.
There are two main forms as follows:
WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol [also known as Wired Equivalent Privacy]), and
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)
WEP security uses a 16 character alpha-numeric 'Pass-code' that on some routers, is able to generate a "Hexadecimal" (**) code in 64bit [10 alpha-numeric digits], 128bit [26 alpha-numeric digits]or on some routers 256bit[58 alpha-numeric digits] encryption, thus providing a unique 'Hexadecimal' code, to be entered into one of 4 encryption key fields in the router, making life difficult for Hackers to break into your now secure protected 'Wireless' network.
** to explain Decimal v Hexadecimal see next:
Decimal [10-bit] = the numbers 0 - 9, and Hexadecimal [16-bit]uses the numbers 0 -15. In Hexadecimal the 'count' is from 0 through 15 (16 digits), where decimal number 10 = A, 11 = B up to 15 = F), a 'Decimal count' is as follows: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 which equals 10 numbers hence 'Decimal', and a 'Hexadecimal' count is: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F which equals 16 numbers hence 'Hexadecimal!)**
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)
WPA was designed to provide improved data encryption, perceived as relatively weak in WEP, and to
provide user authentication, largely non-existent in WEP.
Of the three options in WPA, a PSK (Pre-Shared Key)String is the easiest to implement. It uses a user generated 'pass-code' of up to 1-63 Alpha-numeric characters in length, (Similar to a strong 'password' that is only shared by the owner with his 'guests').
Alternatively you can use a PSK in 'Hexadecimal' format which is relatively 'stronger' and employs 1 -32
Hexadecimal characters in length.
{On some Routers (e.g. Linksys, [Cisco] ) Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) which is the newest and best available standard in Wi-Fi security. Two modes are available: Pre-Shared Key and RADIUS. Pre-Shared Key gives you a choice of two encryption methods: TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol), which utilizes a stronger encryption method and incorporates Message Integrity Code (MIC) to provide protection against 'hackers', and AES (Advanced Encryption System), which utilizes a symmetric 128-Bit block data encryption. RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) utilizes a RADIUS server for authentication and the use of dynamic TKIP, AES, or WEP.}
Once these codes are inserted and saved, the router needs to be re-started (Reboot), and subsequently the new codes will need to be entered into each 'Wi-Fi' enabled PC/Laptop, when they 'discover' the correct (now Secured) network to link with (Identified by its Name or SSID), on their initial connection only, as the codes will be stored in the computers for future connections.