Computer Repair London

Security On a Wireless Router

by Feliciano Mulen

Security is something most people should think about when they ever decide to install a wireless router. It does not matter if you have DSL, cable or any other provider as long as you are on wireless you will be less security than you would be wired. It does not have to be something that you should be worried about. Of course wireless is not completely vulnerable.

Nowadays, security comes built-in in most wireless routers. However, you may need to configure for the basic security for wireless and that is to have a closed Wi-fi rather than open. This itself would make it so that only an authorized person would be allowed on your network. Generally, when you first setup your router, you would have gone through the process. If you have your instruction manual it can help you a bit on setting the security up or changing it. If you can get on to the router configuration then you are one step closer to setting a secure wireless connection.

When you are able to get on to the router configuration page there is something you can do its works with the Media Access Control or MAC. It is a level of security that you can setup that you can add for security. On you computers’ controller panel under network you can find your wireless cards’ MAC address. When you find it you should go back to your routers’ configuration page where you would find a place where you can enter the MAC address. This would help keep unwanted users of you wireless network.

Back on to the router configuration page there should be something labeled SSID (Service Set Identifier). This is to identify a wireless routers’ individual network, or your WLAN. It can be be 32 characters long combining letters or numbers. To prevent anyone in finding your wireless network you should disable the SSID. This would make your network invisible. If you do this you must now reconfigure any other computers or wireless devices to the routers new name, and password if you enabled it as well.

Then there is Media Access Control or MAC. This is another level of security that you can setup that you can add for further improved security. On you computers’ controller panel under network you can find your wireless cards’ MAC address. When you find it you should go back to your routers’ configuration page where you would find a place where you can enter the MAC address. This would help keep unwanted users of you wireless network.

These steps may seem a lot to do and it maybe but for security it may be enough. There are other forms of setting up more security, most of with would require additional hardware so if you want that extra security you should.
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It’s important to protect your wireless network. Bandwidth is expensive and knowing how your ADSL routers works can save you money.

Protecting your computer or laptop against a variety of malicious downloads is a very important aspect of personal computer security as malware and trojans are becoming increasingly refined and can be a lot harder to capture before infecting your system.

Antivirus software alone is simply not enough to offer adequate protection anymore but a vast majority of users believe that there anti virus will do the job just fine (even if they fail to update it).

Here is a useful artical that explains some of the other options for protecting your system

Step By Step To A Secure Personal Computer

by Richard Lechner

If you are the user of a windows computer you might already be aware of how distressing and annoying an infection from various malware can be. Some of the things you may have noticed from a computer with an infection include slowness, security issues and generally other strange behaviour.

Probably the single most annoying thing is when you have antivirus software installed but it doesn’t pick up on a virus on your PC.

This article is geared to help you build your own effective computer security system which will protect your computer form various malware, trojans, phishing, viruses and adware amongst other stuff. We hope that you will then have a computer that is far more secure than it was before from such attacks. The other important thing is that your computer will then be fully immunized from virtually all of these online security issues with the help of a really effective firewall.

We aim to help you make your computer impenetrable from all security attacks.

The speed with which you can secure your computer need not be a hurdle. A secure system can be achieved fairly quickly and without costing a lot of money also. If you are concerned that it all sounds to complicated then fear not as building a secure system is a relatively simple process and even a computer novice can take the necessary steps quite easily.

Here follows all the necessary steps that you need to take to build your security system..

1. Probably the most essential step is to install a really good antivirus software package from someone like Norton, ESet, Kaspersky or McAfee to name but a few brands. There are plenty of good comparison websites that offer some good reviews to help you make up your mind.

2. It is also very important that you have installed an anti malware software package like spy doctor or Malwarebytes anti malware. This will work hand in hand with your main anti virus package and will help mop up all the nasty malware that your main anti virus software might miss.

3. The next most important and essential item on your security checklist is to have a really good firewall blocking any infiltrations from unwanted sources that is trying to invade your computer. The windows firewall is adequate but it is a good idea to install something more robust. Once again there are many reviews and comparisons available online for you to make a decision. Some good brands are zonealarm and Norton.

4. A good secure browser is also important. Firefox comes highly recommended for its awesome addon architecture which offers addons like ad blockers and script blockers.

5. Another important thing to do is to ensure that your browser’s security settings are set correctly and that any active X controls are set accordingly. You should also ensure that any restricted sites are set up properly.

So in summary, a good security system for your windows computer should begin with a good anti virus package and anti malware and spyware package. Also a good firewall will stop any unwanted intrusions.

To help you with the next step in making your computer safe, this site will help you find the best antivirus firewall software

Hopefully you found article helpful but if you do need help with antivirus remopval or trojan removal give computer repair London a call

You may not know much or even care about how your memory module works with your Mac or PC and to be fair you may not need to but what you do need to know is computer memory is a vital component to making your computer run not only more smoothly but also in many cases a lot faster.

The faster a computer or CPU can access the information by keeping memory in a cache, the quicker the machine actually is and will perform, the problem is however is if you computer or laptop was a budget buy or is a year or two old then you may simply not have enough to run your computer properly.

Lack of system memory is one of the prime causes of slow computers and it is also a very cost effective upgrade

PC memory upgrades are pretty simple to do and with the hot summer months now with us this is an ideal time to have a memory upgrade completed at the same time as you are having your system maintained to ensure it is free from the killer dust that causes many Pc’s to overheat.

For IT support in London or computer maintenance in the London area give us a call.

Voice over IP (internet telephones) have been with us for quite a while now and the challenges of early systems have been left far behind.

What was once an “interesting” technology is now a fully grown communication medium and is being increasingly being adopted by business users giving them massive savings against conventional telephony costs, but this is also an area where private home users can save money too.

Surpringly however many people are still blissfully unaware of this technology or how it can save them money so here is an useful article explaining some of the pro’s and cons of VOIP.

VoIP Technology – Pros and Cons

If you are familiar with VoIP, the acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol, then you know that it is one of the latest and greatest ways of communicating. Instead of making a phone call using the telephone, people can now communicate by voice over the Internet. But is VOIP truly all that it is cracked up to be? Lets look at both the pros and cons of VoIP technology.

There are many benefits to VoIP. The only requirement you need is a broadband connection with either DSL or cable. If you have this, you can use VoIP. If you use VoIP through a PC-to-PC connection, then your calls are free anywhere, as long as, the receiver of the call has VoIP also. In addition, most VoIP providers offer unlimited calling plans for calls made within a certain area, for one monthly fee. There would be a nominal charge for calls made outside this area. In all cases, traditional phone service is much costlier. Most providers also offer extra premium services such as caller id, without additional charges.

Another benefit, with the integration of voice and data, is that there is a need for only one system. This makes for easy installation and saves money. An IP address, or number identifies each IP phone, and it is known by this address no matter where it is plugged in. The only thing required would be a broadband connection. This makes for easy moving or addition.

Along the lines of easy transportability, phones can be utilized anywhere as long as they are connected to an IP network. This assists telecommuting and international offices. All of these relate to cost savings. They are also very light and easy to carry.

There doesn’t appear to be any downsides to this new technology or does there? One of the biggest problems with VoIP is that it is run by power. If there is a power outage, your communications are down. This is unlike traditional phone service, where you can still use your phone without the aid of electricity.

Voice quality, in general, is efficient, but when you get into cable broadband, high traffic times could result in poorer qualities. Since the data is broken down and transmitted, sometimes a packet of data is delayed and will be dropped. This will result in silent periods.

You may also need to update your phone equipment since VoIP may only work with newer phones. Depending on how many phones you have to replace, this could be an expense.

The fact is that VoIP still has some kinks to work out. It is anticipated that these bugs will be resolved sometime during 2007. They are temporary annoyances, which will be soon be eradicated. As you can see, VoIP’s benefits far outnumber its negatives. From all aspects VoIP is the phone of the future, but the future may very well be here and now.

Are you sitting comfortably? With many jobs now so reliant on computer based systems and technology many of us are spending increasing amounts of time sat at desks or working on computers, and if you are like myself not only will you spend time on the computer during the day but you may also have a computer based hobby or do a job where research is essential to your success and often this is done out of hours.

The human body is not designed by nature to be permanently seated for what is for many in excess of 6 hours (and often 10??) and more so it is imperative to your health to ensure you have an excellent posture and your workplace is “set up” to meet your individual needs.

Who knows once the human race has had time to evolve things may change but as that will not happen in your life time you need to help yourself.

If you find yourself at the end of the day with stiff arms or shoulders, or even backaches then it may be either your office furniture or your posture to blame. There are many sources on the internet that you can check out that can offer advice and guidance one of which can be found here (this is for advice only and not a personal recommendation).

Addressing you posture will help your body feel more relaxed when working on your computer either at home or work so it is well worth the time to investigate this further.