How Secure are WIFI Networks?

The security of WIFI networks depends on the equipment being used and their network settings. When a WIFI network is configured properly and uses appropriate equipment, it will be made very secure. But many WIFI networks have poor security and can be vulnerable to hacking attempts.

Since many alarm systems use WIFI when communicating, it can be a very big problem if someone is able to access the network and intercept or manipulate the data. After all, the point of a security system is to keep the building safe. If someone is able to access the system through hacking, it defeats the entire process. Fortunately, a user can ensure that their system is kept secure by just following a few basic practices.

Users should understand that a WIFI network is only secure if they make it secure. To protect their data, a user should make sure that their WIFI signals are encrypted. All WIFI routers use some type of encryption. But older routers may use methods of encryption that are not secure by today's standards. We recommend using a router that uses WPA or WPA2 as its method of encryption. On the other hand, WEP is relatively outdated, and should not be used for keeping a WIFI signal secure. The user should also make sure that encryption is actively enabled for their router, as it may have been disabled at one point or another.

This is usually enough to maintain a fairly secure WIFI network. But there are also other practices that a user can employ to help ensure that their local WIFI network is kept as safe as possible. These additional practices include changing the default router password, disabling the SSID broadcast and renaming the SSID, enabling firewall, enabling MAC address filtering and disabling remote administration.

If a user is concerned about the security of their WIFI network, they can always use cellular communication with their alarm system instead. Virtually all cellular networks are protected using top-level encryption, making them very secure. Cellular communication is usually seen as superior to WIFI communication when used with alarm systems anyway. This is because cellular service is more reliable overall. Unlike WIFI, cellular connectivity almost never goes down suddenly, and it will continue to work during power outages.