Tips and Tools To Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network

By Harry Guinness

You don’t want an unknown intruder getting inside your home, so you take care to lock your doors and turn on your alarm. But you don’t want hackers and other bad actors inside your home Wi-Fi network either. So, what can you do? Well, let’s look at some tips and tools to secure your home Wi-Fi network, so you can have the best Wi-Fi security possible.

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Home network security 101

1.  Secure your router

The first step in any home network security plan is to lock down your router. The factory-default password is often the same across every router, which is incredibly insecure. Securing your router takes a couple simple steps.

First, log in to your router’s management app or panel. If you don’t know how, Google “[your ISP] Wi-Fi manager” and “[your router brand] Wi-Fi manager,” or contact your internet service provider (ISP).

Now, you’ll want to change the router login details to something more secure. Instead of the default password, create a strong, unique password. Don’t share this with anyone—it’s the password for the router’s admin panel, not your Wi-Fi network.

2.  Upgrade your home Wi-Fi security

While you’re logged into your router’s admin panel, it’s worth upgrading your Wi-Fi network’s security settings. The three things you should do are:

• Change your Wi-Fi network name or SSID to something unique that doesn’t include identifying information like your address. You can make it funny or just use something simple like “Our Home Network.”
• Change your network’s security protocol to WPA 2 or WPA 3. The older protocols, WEP and WPA, aren’t strong enough for a secure, modern Wi-Fi network.
• Change your Wi-Fi password to something strong and unique. Below, we’ll look at easy ways to share it, so you don’t have to worry about typing in a long password all that often.

3.  Create a guest network

Most modern routers allow you to create a guest Wi-Fi network. This keeps your guests’ devices on a separate network to your personal devices. While you obviously hope you can trust your guests not to try and hack into your computers, their devices could be infected with malware or otherwise compromised. Having a separate network is just a sensible safety precaution.

You can normally enable a guest network in your router’s admin panel. Make sure to give it a separate password to your main network. While it should still be long and secure, it’s a good idea to make it easy to remember and type. This way, you don’t have to hunt for a sticky note whenever you have guests.

You could use a passphrase (three or four words separated by hyphens or numbers) instead of a password. Something like “CAPITAL-infusion-banana” is almost as secure as “+-91j@3jkammMMkw7-+_12.”

4.  Keep your router and other devices up to date

One of the most important ways to secure your home network is to keep your router updated with the latest firmware. Whenever a bug or security vulnerability is found, router manufacturers issue updates that fix things. By keeping your router updated, you make sure it has the most secure firmware possible.

The same is true for other devices on your network like smartphones, laptops, tablets, game consoles, smart TVs and especially Internet of Things (IoT) devices. If you keep them updated to the latest versions of their operating systems or firmware, they’re more secure.

Advanced network security tips

Acing home network security 101 is essential if you want a secure Wi-Fi network, but if you’re looking for the extra credit, here are some more advanced things you can do:

• Create a separate network for your IoT devices. As they’re always on devices connected to the open internet, they can be a route for hackers looking to gain access to a network. By placing them on a separate network, you keep your primary devices safe.
• Internet ads can be a security risk. With a bit of technical know-how, it’s possible to have your router block ads using DNS. You can also use ad-blocking software on your devices.
• Many routers have built-in parental controls. If you’re a parent and want to make sure your children are using the internet safely and appropriately, they’re worth exploring.
• Add two-factor authentication and secure passwords to all your online accounts. Using a password manager can help make this easier. Keeping your personal information safe from bad actors helps stop personalized attacks on your home network.
• Brush up on common online scams. The more aware you are, the safer you’re likelier to stay.
• Disable Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) and remote access to your home network on your router if you aren’t using them.
• Go deep! Check out the NSA’s cybersecurity guide. The security recommendations are a bit more serious than most people need, but they’re still worth considering.

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