Cast your mind back a year or two ago… many providers wouldn’t support users who went out and purchased their own wireless equipment. Now providers such as AOL, Eclipse Internet and Madasafish are beginning to offer free wireless routers as part of their broadband providers.

- What’s needed to go wireless?

You’ll of course need a pc and some way to connect to your new equipment. This often comes in the form of a wireless access point or ‘router’, which can be purchased from most computer stores or by enabling your wireless connection on your laptop computer. More often than not laptops will have been ready-enabled to connect to wireless networks, if not then you can easily purchase a wireless data card or USB connector from a local computer store to do this.

- Make sure you’re secure!

Check the settings within your router once everything is plugged in. Most users expect their broadband providers to configure the routers so they are protected before they send them out but many don’t.

Most wireless routers are protected by a WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) key, this is an alphanumeric code that is unique to the router and is usually supplied with it. Some ISP’s and router manufacturers don’t lock the router with WEP key protection, so make sure you check first before going online.

You should also be able to set up a password to access the router’s control panel that only you will know, meaning that only you can access your wireless network but most importantly – only you can see what you’re looking at!

Many users forget to change the password from the default settings, (usually admin / admin) and hackers take advantage of people neglecting this to gain access to files and passwords for websites containing personal information without the user knowing they’re being accessed remotely.

- What if you don’t want to go wireless just yet?

You’ve got every right to wait! There’s no need to rush out and go wireless just yet. Most wireless routers will give you the option to keep your existing wired network in place as many users only wish to use this technology when using their laptops.

The broadband industry is forever changing and we will undoubtedly see a change in the way providers operate over the next few years, with the introduction of more services and free hardware heading our way.

Gary Parsons
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/broadband-providers-turn-to-wireless-technology-for-their-users-121143.html