Five tips to secure your Wi-Fi network

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Nowadays, people are increasingly turning to WiFi networks. More than a quarter of Internet users worldwide use WiFi at home to connect to the web, according to Google.

However, many of them are unaware of how to protect their home network, or do not consider it important to do so. When data is being transmitted over an unsecured WiFi network, the information one is sending or receiving could be intercepted by someone nearby.

''Your neighbors might also be able to use the network for their own Internet activities, which might slow down your connection. Securing your network can help keep your information safe when you're connecting wirelessly, and can also help protect the devices that are connected to your network,'' says Google.

Hence, Google tells users as to how some simple tips can protect their WiFi network from hackers. Here are five tips that can make your WiFi safer:

1. Check to see what kind of home WiFi security you already have: Your network will likely either be unsecured, or secured with WEP, WPA or WPA2. WEP is the oldest wireless security protocol, and it's pretty weak. WPA is better than WEP, but WPA2 is best.

2. Change your network security settings to WPA2: Any device with a WiFi trademark sold since 2006 is required to support WPA2. If one has a router that was made before then, upgrade to a new router that does offer WPA2. It's safer and can be much faster, suggests Google.

3. Create a strong password: It's important that you choose a unique password, with a long mix of numbers, letters and symbols.

4. Secure your router too, so nobody can change your settings.

5. If you need help, look up the instructions: If the router's manual has been misplaced, type the model number of your base station or router into a search engine-in many cases the info is available online. Otherwise, contact the company that manufactured the router or your Internet Service Provider for assistance, says Google.