Secure Your Wi-Fi

December 13, 2016

Sometimes people don’t have a lot to say about their wireless router in your house is that once it’s set up, they forget that it exists completely. If you keep a Wi-Fi connection that your device can function on, then that’s all that matters, right? Maybe that’s all that you care about, but we also live in the age of leaks and hacks. If you are worried about the security of your network, there are a few steps that you can take to you keep unwanted people from accessing it.

Change your router admin username and password. Every router you get comes with a generic username and password – if they have a password at all. You have to have this generic information the first time you access the router. However, after that, you need to change them both. This generic information is actually just a matter of public record for just about any router in existence. Changing these passwords secures your network much better than keeping it the same.

 

Activate encryption. This is probably the most important aspect of securing your Wi-Fi. No router that has been made in the last ten years has come without encryption. Each router brand is likely to be very different, so you should learn about your own router. Your router likely has a maker’s support site, which will help answer any of your questions.

 

Double up on firewalls. There is a firewall built in to your router that protects your internal network against outside attacks. It might not necessarily be activated, so make sure that you activate it if It isn’t automatic. But you should get added protection as well. For full-bore protection, install a firewall software on your computer.

 

Turn off guest networks. It’s nice and convenient to provide all of your guests with a network that they can access without an encryption password, but it also gives other people within the vicinity of your home access. If they’re close enough to be on your Wi-Fi, they should be close enough that you can give them your password. Remember that you can also change that password later if you need to.

 

Turn own the broadcast power. You might have a fantastic Wi-Fi signal that reaches outdoors to areas that you don’t even roam. This might seem great, but it actually gives your neighbors and passers-by easy access to your network. With most routers, you can turn down the Transmit Power Control a bit to make it harder for other people to access it.

 

There are plenty of things that you can do to give your router and network better security, and you should learn about all of them so that your network isn’t accessed by someone that you don’t want to access it. These are just a few of the many things you can do, so you should learn the facts.

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