PCs All-in-One For Dummies®, 5th Edition

Chapter 5. Securing Your Home Network

In This Chapter

• Keeping your wired network secure

• Ensuring that your wireless network is secure

• Working with shared folders

• Understanding NAT security

• Setting up virtual private networking (VPN) in Windows 7

Probably the number-one question in my Outlook inbox these days is when readers ask me about home network security. "Am I opening my files to folks I don't know?" ranks right up there with "Am I sharing my Internet connection with the seedy teenager next door?" Frightening thoughts, indeed.

Regardless of whether you run a wired or wireless network — or some meld of both — I've got you covered in this chapter with a discussion of security tips and tricks you can use to help keep your network (and you) safe. Sure, a wired Ethernet network is easier to secure, but I have good news for the wireless network crowd, too. Read this chapter to see how to keep the private stuff private, even while sharing (using shared folders) the stuff you want to disseminate amongst others on your network.

And if you're always on the move, I also introduce you to the whiz-bang Windows 7 virtual private networking (VPN) feature, which allows you to reach your home network securely using any Internet connection!

Common Sense Tips for Wired Networks

Folks with wired home networks are often pretty doggone smug about their computer security because a connection to your network can occur only over a wired port or over the Internet. (In other words, you don't have to worry about ...