Securing your home Wi-Fi network from hackers and prowlers

ncreasingly, people are installing wireless, or "Wi-Fi," networks in their homes for the convenience of remote access to the Internet.

Prices are falling rapidly for wireless access points and wireless routers, which enable you to connect remotely with the Internet. Also, most late-model laptops come with Wi-Fi capability built in. Finally, most people would rather not have to run new network cables in their homes so that multiple computers can access the Internet.

But now more than ever, it's important to make sure that the information stored in your computer is secure. The "Wired Equivalence Protocol" (WEP) security feature provided on early wireless devices already has been compromised. Newer wireless devices are certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit industry standards group, and they use security protocols called WPA or WPA2.