Question: WiFi data encryption

[welshTerrier2]

I have a wireless router that provides the ability to activate data encryption (WEP) ... I haven't activated this feature yet. Should I?

are there any negatives to using data encryption on a home network?

is there anything i need to do on the various laptops that access the network to enable them to communicate with the router once encryption is activated?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

1. Only one real possible concern

is if you have shared folders on your wireless network with sensitive documents- financial stuff, email databases, porno, etc. :evilgrin:

If you encrypt the network each will have to be set up with the access password- I haven't played around with it much so don't know a lot about the technique. I do know it's a minor pain in the heiney, but it's fairly straightforward to accomplish.

If you don't encrypt your network and you're in a well-populated area there's a good chance others may be sharing your bandwidth without you knowing it. I have a close neighbor with wireless and from my front desk I can lock on to their router (never have because I have my own high speed wired network).

[LibLabUK]

2. Hmm

"Should I?"

Yes

"are there any negatives to using data encryption on a home network?"

Not really, however, you should bear in mind that it is not a foolproof method of securing your data, it is possible to break WEP encryption in a matter of hours (depending on the volume of traffic, more traffic makes it easier to break) if you need to be really secure use a wired network or VPN.

"is there anything i need to do on the various laptops that access the network to enable them to communicate with the router once encryption is activated?"

You'll need to input the WEP key into each device that you want to use the wireless network.