Dumali

Wi-Fi security isn’t really  all that safe, but if your router is more secure than others, the evil hackers will just likely to move along. Wireless access points don’t have too much in the way of security, and most are set to use WEP encryption to put a password their connections, but WPA which is becoming the de facto standard for wireless a bit harder to break than WEP. To convert to WPA, on your wireless devices admin page,(probably located at 192.168.1.1) change the level of security and make your WPA password to something hard to guess.

You can use a packet sniffer on the network, one like ethereal or wiresquid (shown below). This will shown you packet content(ethereal) and volume (wiresquid) as it flies past and around you through the air. Ethereal is a fantastic tool for those interested in the technical aspects of the network. Wiresquid is just plain interesting!

You can also extend your wifi signal with a repeater or you can also wire it with a bridge. Frankly, I like bridging, I think its hot!

If you are still not receiving enough signal in the cellar? Having to be a ninja and sit on your window ledge to steal a connection from a neighbor’s router? What you need is a wireless signal repeater to give you greater coverage. You can convert your own router to do this.
If you have wired electronics that are too far from the wifi router that require a data connection, you would find a solution in a wireless bridge. It can be utilized to convert your wifi signal and give you plugs for your cabled devices too.

You can improve your range and coverage with better placement. There are multiple hardware hacks and qquite a few programs you can use to strengthen and broaden your wireless signal. There is also  some easy to do tunings you can perform to a standard wifi router to get even better range and strength.

bearing in mind that radio waves travel  out and down you wil want to put the router or access point up high. On top of a shelf or an upper floor would be best

If the angles that the signal needs to traverse are not steep and the signal doesnt need to pass through dense and thinck substance, this is obviously better. Things like fish tanks mirrors and metal work to distort your signal.

Keeping network devices far from other electronics that would cause interference would be ideal. Things like cordless phones, and monitors for infants, some microwaves, and even those bright halogen lamps can cause signal distortion.

Altering your default broadcast channel will avoid signal collision with nearby networks.