How to Enhance Your Home Network Security

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A step-by-step guide to secure your Wi-Fi Router and connected devices.

The only measure most people use to protect their home wireless network nowadays is to set up a password and prevent neighbors and other people from taking control of your data. But we have to be more serious about home network security and do more than just setting a simple password.
 
Securing the home network has two main components. The first one is router security, whose foundation is investing in a high-quality next-generation device that comes with inbuilt security controls. This will allow you to set up a firewall, VPN, parental controls, and even DNS filtering from the router itself.

The second component to keep in mind is securing the devices that connect to the network via the router. This includes both wireless and cable links.

In this article, you will learn how you can better protect your network connection and decrease the chances of getting your valuable data compromised.

Use these steps below to enhance the security of your home wireless network.

How to Secure Your Wi-Fi Router

Step 1. Update the router firmware to the latest available

The software is an essential part of your wireless network security. The wireless router’s firmware, like any other software, contains flaws that can become major vulnerabilities and be ruthlessly exploited by hackers.

Unfortunately, many wireless routers don’t come with the option to auto-update their software, so you have to go through the hassle of doing this manually. And even for those Wi-Fi networks that can auto-update, it still requires you to switch on this setting.

But, we remind you about the importance of software patching and how neglecting to do this can leave open doors for cybercriminals to exploit various vulnerabilities.  Read what security experts have to say about updating your software and why it is key to online security.

Step 2. Change your router administrator login

To set up your wireless router, you usually need to access an online platform or site, where you can make several changes to your network settings. You can usually access this by entering your router’s IP address into your web browser.

If you have a new router, you can find its IP address listed on the manufacturer’s website or in the product manual you were provided with upon purchase. However, if your device is rather old, you can still discover its IP by following this handy guide.

These basic steps will teach you how to easily connect to your home network as an admin. Usually, the address bar type looks like http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1.

Most Wi-fi routers come with default credentials such as “admin” and “password” which are easy for malicious hackers to break into. Therefore, you need to access the router’s settings and change them to unique credentials that cannot be guessed so easily.

My recommendation is to create a username that isn’t personal to you in any way and pair it with a strong password that contains both uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as alphanumeric characters.

Step 3. Change the default Wi-Fi network name

If you want better wireless network security, the first thing you should do is to change the name of your Wi-Fi network, also known as the SSID (Service Set Identifier). While giving your Wi-Fi a somewhat provocative name such as “Can’t hack this” may backfire at times, other names such as “this is not a Wi-Fi” or “too fly for a Wi-Fi” are perfectly acceptable.

Changing your Wi-Fi’s default name makes it harder for malicious attackers to know what type of router you have. If a cybercriminal knows the manufacturer name of your router, they will know what vulnerabilities that model has and then try to exploit them. We strongly advise not to call your home network something like “John’s Wi-Fi”.

You don’t want them to know at first glance which wireless network is yours when there are probably three or four other neighboring Wi-Fis. Also, remember that disclosing too much personal information on a wireless network name may expose you to an identity theft operation. Here’s a step-by-step and simple guide that explains how you can easily change the name of your wireless network.

Step 4. Set a strong Wi-Fi Password and activate the highest encryption possible

You probably know that every wireless router comes pre-set with a default username and password, which is needed in the first place to install and connect your router. The worst part: it’s easy for hackers to guess it, especially if they know the manufacturer.

So, make sure you change them both immediately. A good wireless password should be at least 20 characters long and include numbers, letters, and various symbols. And, most importantly, don’t use the same password as the router admin one.

As for encryption, wireless networks come with multiple encryption languages, such as WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3. To better understand this terminology, WPA2 stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 and is both a security protocol and a current standard in the industry (WPA2 networks are almost everywhere) and encrypts traffic on Wi-Fi networks.

It also replaces the older and less secure WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and is an upgrade to the original WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) technology. Since 2006, all Wi-Fi-certified products should use WPA2 security.

WPA2 AES is also a standard security system now, so all wireless networks are compatible with it. If you want to enable WPA2 encryption on your Wireless router, use these six steps. If you are using a TP-Link wireless router, here’s how to secure your wireless network.
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