By now you've renamed your wifi so that hackers won't see the default name as they sweep for unprotected wifi setups. But wouldn't it be even better if hackers and curious neighbors didn't know you had a wifi setup at all? Usually, your access point or router is programmed to broadcast the network name (SSID) over the air at regular intervals. While broadcasting is essential for businesses and mobile hotspots to let people find the network, it isn't needed at home, so eliminate it.

The Problem:Why broadcast to the world that you have a wireless connection? You already know it; why do strangers need to know? For most personal uses, you are better off without this feature, because it increases the likelihood of an unwelcome neighbor or hacker trying to log in to your home network. The broadcast works like an invitation to the hackers who're searching for just that opportunity.

The Solution: Most wifi access points allow the SSID broadcast feature to be disabled by the network administrator. If you are using a Linksys router, instructions to disable your SSID broadcast are here, and for those of you using D-Link, your instructions are here (See Figure 1.6 on page 4). Otherwise, you will need to check the manual for your hardware for specific instructions on how to disable broadcasting for your router.