Should I turn off my wireless access point if I don't use it?

Good on you for taking the steps to make your computer more secure. A router as
a firewall is usually the first one I list.

That you happened to get a router than included a wireless access point is
probably common, and that’s what leads to your question. There are actually
three ways to proceed … although to be honest, you’ve already progressed beyond
one alternative.

It’s not really a problem, though.

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Set up a wireless password

Because your router includes a wireless access point, it’s important that it be secure. Most access points come pre-configured to be open and unsecured. Just like the coffee shop down the street that offers free WiFi, anyone with a wireless laptop or other device can connect to your router if they’re within range.

That’s incredibly easy to fix. Simply go into your router’s configuration and change the WiFi mode to be WPA2 (or WPA). A quick look at the setup manual for your router took me to this quote from Netgear:

The wireless Security Options are set to None by default. NETGEAR strongly recommends that you use wireless security. You can select a different Security Option and a different passphrase for each wireless network. For the highest performance of the 2.4GHz wireless network and the most secure encryption, NETGEAR recommends that you use WPA2-PSK as your security option.

I agree. The setup manual will show you how to get access to the configuration options and walk you through the settings. Be sure to select a passphrase that is both secure and something that you’ll remember. Someday, you might find yourself with a wireless device, and you’ll be all ready to go.

Disable Wireless

Turning off the wireless is often another option. I couldn’t quickly find it in the manual for your device, so I’m not 100% certain that it can be turned off.

The process to do so is similar to setting up wireless security – connect to your router’s configuration interface and locate the settings for the wireless access point. There may be an option to enable/disable or turn on/off the access point entirely.

If not, then I recommend sticking with the first option and simply setting a wireless password.

Heck, I recommend that anyway, because with the way that the industry is going, it’s likely that you’ll end up with a wireless device at some point in the future. That way, you’ll be ready.

Get a router without an access point

This is the step that you’ve already passed by, but I want to mention it for completeness.

Routers and wireless access points are actually two separate things. There are most definitely routers available that don’t have any wireless capability at all; they simply act as routers on completely wired networks.

With wireless devices becoming so common (my television set connects to my network wirelessly!), router manufacturers simply combined the functions of a router and a wireless access point into a single box, the wireless router.

You don’t necessarily need to have a combined device. Separate routers and access points work great. For various reasons, that’s exactly what I have here at Ask Leo! world headquarters.

Wireless access points can be added to your wired network as you need them. Once again, they are then separate devices that connect via a network cable to your router and provide wireless access to the network.

That way, if you don’t have a need for wireless capability, you don’t need to even have the hardware.

All of that being said, if you’re ever in doubt about what to purchase – it’s safe to get a combined device, a wireless router, as long as you take steps to secure the wireless network.

Next steps

Wired or wireless? There are definitely additional steps to securing your router. How do I secure my router? lists the steps.

Follow those steps and you’ll be much more secure whether you use the wireless or not or whether you leave wireless enabled or not.