Many homes are now connected to the Internet via a wireless access point or router.  Securing these wireless devices is so very important, yet we are still finding many homes and small businesses are vulnerable.

Q.  How do I secure my wireless network?

Ans. Most modern wireless routers or access points have a means of secure access via an encryption key – a WEP key.
Most WEP keys would eventually be crack able but don’t be put off.
Type WEP key into Google and you should find a WEP key generator.  Simply put a memorable phrase into the ascii part or place indicated for your phrase and this will be encrypted into a hex code which you should configure your router with.  For utmost security change your key every month or so.  Each pc or laptop that uses the access point will connect using the hex key.  You will only have to put it in once.
Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP
802.11's WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy) encryption has well-known weaknesses that make it relatively easy for a determined user with the right equipment to crack the encryption and access the wireless network. A better way to protect your WLAN is with WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). WPA provides much better protection and is also easier to use, since your password characters aren't limited to 0-9 and A-F as they are with WEP. WPA support is built into Windows XP (with the latest Service Pack) and virtually all modern wireless hardware and operating systems. A more recent version, WPA2, is found in newer hardware and provides even stronger encryption, but you'll probably need to download an XP patch in order to use it.

Microsoft's new VISTA operating system incorporates bult in security features including WPA2 along with further enhancements enabling you to monitor and manage your network more securely.

Q. What is an IP address?

Ans. Put simply it is a network address.  To illustrate:  If you were looking to find a location in a specific area and you knew you were already in the locality, you might ask a local person for directions.  An IP address not only identifies the final destination (pc or website) but also the ‘area’ or network that machine resides in.  You couldn’t ask a Sheffielder for a street and house in Liverpool unless he had already been there.  Routers use their Network Operating Systems to  interrogate IP addresses to identify intended destination networks. Once on the right network a packet of data is directed to the right ‘house’ by the friendly local router.  To accomplish this the destination MAC (hardware) address is added to the ‘packet’ of data.  More specifically, the original data packet hasn't changed on it's journey. It is encapsulated in a frame (like an envelope) and the frame includes the MAC address of the destination. Each router on the way is like a sorting office which ensures that the final address is included in the frame it creates. So as not to be confused, the IP address is the whole address (routing address) or postcode, which gets you to the local area (network), whereas the MAC address is the final house (unique) number of the pc to get the data. Routers remember routes so if they have been there before or go regularly, this will be incorporated in their routing tables.
Unlike MAC addresses, IP addresses use decimal notation to identify addresses.  This makes them user friendly.
It should be noted that TCP/IP (Transport Connection Protocol/Internet Protocol) was devised for the internet and has become a standard for most operating systems to be configured for an internet presence.
An IP address is made up of 2 sections in a 4 Byte (32 bit) address
Eg:   192.168.1.1 is a recognizable address
The first 3 parts (octets) make up the network address 192.168.1  -  The first section
This is masked by the Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0 leaving the last octet .1–The second section, which identifies a node or device on the sub-network.
The default Gateway address is the address assigned to the router which usually is the internet access point or gateway to another subnet on a WAN (Wide area network)
Each octet has 8 bits which range from 00000000 = 0 dec  to 11111111 = 255
Computers on this subnet range could be assigned from 1 to 254 remembering to leave an address for your router and servers if you have them.  255 is not used

It's easy to become frustrated over network connection failures, especially when there's a lack of information and guidance on how to solve the problem. That's why Windows Vista provides Network Diagnostics to analyze the situation and present either immediate solutions or a list of possible causes and solutions so that you can fix the problem yourself.  

Network Diagnostics will either solve your problem automatically or walk you through the process to solve it. For example, a common error that occurs when you're browsing the Internet is that a web page will not load. An error message indicates the failure to complete the task (such as, "Page cannot be displayed" or "Server is not available") and prompts you to run Network Diagnostics. Within a few moments, a Network Diagnostics dialog box will display a description of the actual error and provide a recommendation on how to fix it.  
   For further information regarding VISTA or any other Microsoft product which will enhance your business or home multimedia experience, please call James on 0845 257 9 267.