Wireless Router?

[healimonster]

What are the security risks for when running a wireless router?

With a firewall up or down?

[Livy]

someone may do a drive by and hook up to your connection, or nearby neighbours.

i think the actual term used is war driving, but if u have it setup properly not exactly sure how and how well it is to secure, but if done properly then there shouldnt be any problems,

[SciManAl]

what kind of intrusions are you afraid of, and what kind of place do you have?? i mean my wireless doesn't reach the street... and i wouldn't mind my nieghbors grabbing internet... i have disabled open network settings... , but if it is really an issue then you can encrypt the lines, up to 256 bit key to use it, so it CAN be incredibly secure, but i normally, would just use wireless for open internt access, not network set up, that should be CAT5 for a fast secure connection...

[Livy]

sometimes it would be easyer to network your house with wireless though as you dont have to run cat5 cables around your house depending on where computers are, im sure they will be accesible from the street depending on where it is situated and how far away etc. but nowadays wireless networks are the same speed

[TheFilePirater]

my wireless linksys is the front of the house...(my room) and my bro can get the netty from next door, i always tried it and i got bout 100ft away from my house and a VERY VERY weak single but still connected....i dont mind if some1 "war driving" i check my DHCP table's often to see whos connected....also i dont have it open its encrypted to 256......AND i changed signal channels and the SSID

[GCNaddict]

this rich mofo in my apartment complex established an 802.11g network and shares it with the whole building! its amazing, cuz i can kick everyone in UT 2003 with a zero ping connection from anywhere in the building

my suggestion tho: if your not a rich homie, and dont know how the hell encryption works, you can always put up a powerline network. its very simple too (how the hell do u establish a internet conn with it? do u just plug the cable modem into its own powerline connector? hell, its easy either way)

powerline is expensive tho. it runs for about $50 per connector (a four pc network + broadband would be about $250, so you still gotta be pretty rich to get this one too

[Livy]

u can also get ones that work over the phone lines, which uses the same principals

[harrycary]

You should use WEP(wire equivalent privacy) at the very least. It's not 100% perfect but is better than nothing.

There's a good article here: http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/1368661

While a router will behave as a hardwire firewall I would also recommend some sort of software firewall as well.

Monitoring your wireless network is a given and something you should do regularly.

Outside of that you may not have to worry to much depending on where you live. Believe it or not, a lot of people don't know about wireless networks or what war-driving even is.