Quote:The modern world is so hooked up to online services that when guests come around, “How ya doing?” will probably be followed by “What’s your Wi-Fi password?” But the hospitable host probably doesn’t realize that revealing this information could pose a network security risk.

For example, guests might accidentally download a malicious program or connect an already infected phone or laptop to the network. Many pieces of malware are able to spread themselves over a local network, and if an infected device is connected to your Wi-Fi, it will try to contaminate everything in its range.

Why set up a guest Wi-Fi network?
It’s possible to be both hospitable and safe — by setting up guest Wi-Fi. A guest Wi-Fi network is essentially a separate access point on your router. All of your home devices are connected to one point and joined as a network, and the guest network is a different point that provides access to the Internet, but not to your home network. As the name suggests, it’s for guests to connect to.
A guest network is a win-win: Friends and acquaintances don’t lose touch with the outside world and your data isn’t compromised. Malware that somehow ended up on a guest’s smartphone will not be able to get into your family photo archive or other important files.