If you have bought yourself a new Wi-Fi Router then here are some basics that you need to know in order to make your Wi-Fi Router and internet connection more secure:
There are many encryption protocols available nowadays, the latest one being the WPA3. On most of the modern routers, you will be able to find this encryption protocol but on older routers, this may not be available. So, on older routers instead of opting out for any other encryption protocol, you should choose WPA2 which is the secure option available after WPA3.
Also, when setting up the passphrase, make sure that you set up a strong combination of alphabets, digits, and symbols. The default password set by the manufacturer can easily be guessed by software, so you should set up a strong combination of alphabets, digits, and symbols that cannot be guessed by anyone and prevent any unauthorized access.
Turning off SSID Broadcasting means that you hide the name of your network so, it won't be shown publicly. This is useful to enhance the security of your router because for anyone to connect to your network, he will have to know the SSID of your wireless network and your family members should be knowing the name of your Wi-Fi network so, it is better that you turn off the SSID broadcasting for your Wi-Fi Network to secure.
Keep in mind that you should not only depend on this single method to protect your Wi-Fi Network. This is just a measure that you can take to make your Wi-Fi network even more secure.
To make everything even more secure, you can turn on the encryption for the guest network at your network admin panel which is mostly an IP Address such as 192.168.1.1. Turning on the encryption will prevent anyone without the passphrase to leech off your internet and will also prevent anyone from snooping onto the guest network.
A firewall protects your router and network from most of the attacks that you don't have any idea about. So, when you set up a new router, make sure that you turn on the firewall for your router too.
Read next: The Latest In Physical Data Theft Threats (infographic)
Use strong encryption
Sometimes when you buy a new router then it may be having some sort of encryption or it may not have any encryption at all. The first thing that you should do whenever you buy a new Wi-Fi Router to make it secure is that you should set up strong encryption.
There are many encryption protocols available nowadays, the latest one being the WPA3. On most of the modern routers, you will be able to find this encryption protocol but on older routers, this may not be available. So, on older routers instead of opting out for any other encryption protocol, you should choose WPA2 which is the secure option available after WPA3.
Also, when setting up the passphrase, make sure that you set up a strong combination of alphabets, digits, and symbols. The default password set by the manufacturer can easily be guessed by software, so you should set up a strong combination of alphabets, digits, and symbols that cannot be guessed by anyone and prevent any unauthorized access.
Turn off SSID Broadcasting
Your network is broadcasted publicly and the name of your wireless network is called service set identifier, or SSID. It makes it easier for different devices to find and connect to your network but you can enhance the security of your network by turning off SSID broadcasting.Turning off SSID Broadcasting means that you hide the name of your network so, it won't be shown publicly. This is useful to enhance the security of your router because for anyone to connect to your network, he will have to know the SSID of your wireless network and your family members should be knowing the name of your Wi-Fi network so, it is better that you turn off the SSID broadcasting for your Wi-Fi Network to secure.
Keep in mind that you should not only depend on this single method to protect your Wi-Fi Network. This is just a measure that you can take to make your Wi-Fi network even more secure.
Create a Guest Network
If you have guests frequently coming over then it is better that you create a separate guest network for them. Creating a separate guest network will not only provide internet access to the guests but your main network will also be protected. In this way, they will be able to connect to the internet without getting access to your main network and your main network will be protected because if someone was to steal your data using the guest network then he will be unable to do so.To make everything even more secure, you can turn on the encryption for the guest network at your network admin panel which is mostly an IP Address such as 192.168.1.1. Turning on the encryption will prevent anyone without the passphrase to leech off your internet and will also prevent anyone from snooping onto the guest network.
Turn on firewall
The next thing that you can do to make your new Wi-Fi router secure is turn on the firewall. A firewall provides an additional line of defense and protects your network from incoming attacks. Firewalls are now available in most of the routers and it checks the incoming and outgoing data. If it suspects anything suspicious then it blocks. By default, most of the routers have firewalls set and they are set at a moderate level, performing a reasonably decent job.A firewall protects your router and network from most of the attacks that you don't have any idea about. So, when you set up a new router, make sure that you turn on the firewall for your router too.
Disable WPS
When you buy a new Wi-Fi router then make sure that you disable the WPS for the router. WPS or Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a feature through the devices that can connect to your router easily but at the same time, this feature is also very vulnerable. Anyone can easily get into your Wi-Fi router through this feature because it is vulnerable and can easily be hacked. WPS consists of 7 digit PIN and this pin can easily be brute-forced to get access to the router. You should visit the router settings and disable this feature to secure your router.Read next: The Latest In Physical Data Theft Threats (infographic)
