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In almost every modern house, a WiFi router acts as the gateway to link devices to the internet and the local network, whether wirelessly or by conventional Ethernet connections. Although routers make it easy to access the internet, it is important to prioritize security protocols and safeguards to protect your network and the data that passes through it.
The first line of defense against potential online dangers is your WiFi router. You can significantly enhance the security of your network by putting strong security measures in place, such as creating a strong password, turning on encryption protocols (such as WPA2 or WPA3), and more. These precautions guard transmitted sensitive data from unauthorized access between your devices and the internet.
Upgrade your router to WPA2 or WPA3
You would need a strong security standard to handle data encryption and authentication to safeguard your Wi-Fi network. As every router must have some type of wireless connection security, this is where Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) comes into play.
Change the password once in a while
If you want to make your devices more secure, it’s advised that you occasionally change the password on your WiFi router. Anybody who has obtained your password can be removed by changing the password, which breaks the connection between the router and all devices. This is a terrific approach to prioritizing your primary devices and not your non-used devices, which will speed up your internet connection.
Choose a strong password
One of the most common methods for someone to access your WiFi router and all of your connected devices is by obtaining the router’s password. A Wi-Fi router can be attacked by hackers using a variety of tools and software using random passwords, which can be accessed after a few minutes.
Although it is easy to remember, using a simple password for your router doesn’t provide much security. To make it considerably more difficult for strangers and hackers to guess, make sure that your password contains uppercase and lowercase characters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation. A suggestion would be to visit a website that calculates how secure your password would be or to use an online password generator.
Use a VPN for the network
When you connect a VPN to your router, all data sent between your devices and the internet is encrypted. This encryption protects your sensitive information from prospective hackers or eavesdroppers, such as passwords, financial information, or personal communications. It greatly decreases the possibility of illegal access or data breaches.
Geo-restrictions are used by many online services, such as streaming platforms or specific websites, to limit access based on your location. You are able to bypass these restrictions and access content that would otherwise be unavailable in your location by routing your internet traffic through a VPN server located in a different region or country. This broadens your access to worldwide material and enables you to enjoy streaming services or websites from any location.
Protection: When you install a VPN on your router, you can connect many devices at the same time. This means that all of your smartphones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices connected to the router will be protected by the VPN. You won’t have to install different VPN software on each device, which simplifies setup and ensures consistent security throughout your whole network.
Change the network name and login information
One of the most important tasks in assuring the security of your Wi-Fi network during setup is changing the router’s default name (SSID) and login credentials. By doing this, you reduce the likelihood of unwanted access and any breaches by making it difficult for potential attackers to recognize the brand and model of your router.
The default name given to your Wi-Fi network is frequently depending on the brand or model of the router. Individuals who know typical default names could use this information to execute specific assaults. In addition to making it harder for potential intruders to recognize your router, changing the SSID to a distinctive and unrelated name gives an extra degree of security and privacy.
Enable MAC address filtering
Each device on your Wi-Fi network has its own MAC address, which stands for Media Access Control. The MAC address is a string of characters issued by the manufacturer to network interface controllers (NICs). It acts as a unique identifier for each device, allowing the network to identify and connect with it.
The ability to control network access depending on your Wi-Fi router is made possible by MAC address filtering. Implementing MAC address filtering gives you the flexibility to allow or prohibit internet access to specific network adapters, improving network security and making it easier to identify corrupted or illegal devices.