In today’s world, the router plays the most crucial role in human life, and it is an essential gadget in our homes, public and private places. It controls access to our home Wi-Fi network, and through that, it connects all of our phones, tablets, laptops, and many more.
The important thing is these stages aren’t too difficult or time-consuming, and they’ll significantly reduce your risk. It is difficult to control who can access our home network. Consequently, we need to consider implementing some changes and routines that protect us from intruders, snoopers, and internet carpetbaggers.
It is commencement to feel like the Internet is an essential requirement for existence in the 21st century. With all our devices connected to the Internet, we have extreme physical mobility that leads to an increase in productivity. Here are some ways to secure a WI-FI router and protect your home.
Table of Contents
• Alteration of the name of our default home network
To provide better security to the home network, the first thing that should be done is to change the name of our Wi-Fi network, which is also known as the SSID (Service Set Identifier). It is not advisable to change the name of the home network with your name, family member’s name, or personal data because this gives a better chance of breaking into your system by a hacker
In most of the cases, it is the company’s name. When a computer with a wireless connection examines for and displays the wireless networks nearby, it lists each network that publicly broadcasts its SSID.
• Change the password regularly
To secure the network in a better way, we must change the password regularly. So, others would not hack or use the system. Good passwords should contain at least 20 characters, which include letters, numbers, and a symbol. This will make it difficult to access the network. It is recommended to change the password once you share the password with someone.
• Turn off the network when it is not necessary
To secure the network, endorse you to turn off the home network, when it is not used or when you’re not at home. It will reduce the risk of usage of the system, and it will be secure. It minimizes the chances of becoming a target. When you turn off the network, it reduces the damage by electric surges. The fewer hours than your Wi-Fi system is active, the less possibility there will be of a hacker attack.
• Restrict remote access
Most routers allow you to access their border only from a connected device. Though, some of them allow access even from remote systems. Once you turn off the remote access, it also lowers the risk of hackers or other persons to use the network without your knowledge. The console of a router should only have the accessibility from devices connected to the system.
• Enabling network encryption
Wireless networks come up with multiple encryption languages, such as WEP, WPA, or WPA2. Most of the wireless routers come with an encryption feature. By default option, it is turned off. Turning on your wireless router’s encryption setting can help you to secure your home network. Make sure you turn it on immediately after your broadband provider fixes the router at home.
• Change the default IP address on the wireless router
By changing and accessing the default IP address to a lesser common one is another thing you should consider doing for the betterment of securing your home network and making it difficult for hackers to track it. Change the IP address regularly to avoid risks to the home network.
• Keep the router software update
The software is a crucial part of your wireless network security. The wireless router’s firmware, like any other software, contains errors that can become significant susceptibilities and be exploited by hackers.
Inappropriately, many wireless routers don’t come with the option to auto-update in their software system, so you have to go through the difficulty of doing this manually. Even if the network has an auto-update option, it still needs you to switch on the settings.
• Firewall can help to secure Wi-Fi network
Firewalls aren’t just software programs which are used on the Personal computer; they also come in the hardware diversity. The significant advantage of the firewall is that it adds an extra layer of security to the network. Firewall hardware protects the system from hackers. A firewall monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and permits or blocks specific traffic.
Use a virtual private network
A VPN (a virtual private network) is a network that allows you to communicate over an unsecured, unencrypted network especially. Setting a VPN up is pretty straightforward too if you know what you are doing. A VPN encrypts the data so it cannot tell what you are doing/working online or your location to the hacker.
The virtual private network also alters the IP address of the system, showing that you’re using the computer from another site. These are the few suggestions to secure your WiFi router and protect your home.
You’re spot-on! In 2021 your blog is very relevant! I also found it to be interesting and informative. We are living in a guard-gated community in Las Vegas and guards are not enough. We were robbed living in a gated community, and the people wanted in, so they got in. I wrote our story in a blog last week – https://homesforsale.vegas/benefits-gated-community/ and can never instill into my clients how important cameras and security systems are. I tell them to talk to a security consultant before they move!
Kurt Grosse
Realtor
https://HomesForSale.Vegas