Router Filters

In addition to WEP, you can use filters that your router likely provides to allow only the network adapters you own to access your network.

Each network adapter you have, both wireless and wired, has a unique number burned onto the hardware's chip. You can configure your router to only let your adapters on the network by entering this number, called a MAC (media access control) address, into the software that comes with your router.

The MAC address on wireless network adapters is typically printed on the network adapter's underside (Figure 12.5).

Figure 12.5. Flip your network card over and you should see a clearly marked MAC address.

There are other non-network -specific ways to secure your data as well. We'll look at software you can install on your computers to make the entire wireless network safer.