How to Keep Your Home WiFi Network Secure

With working from home being the norm these days, it is important that you keep your home WiFi network safe. Many remote employees are accessing onsite servers and cloud resources or other important and confidential information that if leaked, could cause harm to their work and their company’s business. Here are a few steps to make sure that your home WiFi network is updated and secure.

Change the Administrator Password for Your Router

Administrator passwords are different from the one you use to connect to your router and WiFi. Administrator passwords are fairly common and any novice or advanced hacker can easily find this password. Changing this password will help to keep your WiFi network safe.

Follow these steps to change the administrator password:

1. Look for the label on your router with the IP address, administrator username, and password
2. Open a new tab in your web browser
3. Enter the IP address in the web address bar
4. Enter the administrator username and password on the login screen
5. Look for the administration area and change the password. Make sure you set a long password using a variation of letters, symbols, and numbers.
6. Make sure to disable remote administration. This allows someone from outside your home to connect to your WiFi and access information.

Update Firmware

When you are logged in to change your administrator password, make sure to update your router’s firmware. There may be fixes or updates needed since it was last updated. It is essential to update your router’s firmware to protect it from threats. In the administrator window, you should be able to locate where to perform this update. We recommend setting your router to auto update if possible.

Configure WiFi Security Settings

There are three settings that you should make sure to check: SSID, encryption method, and WiFi password.

1. WPA3 is the newest wireless encryption standard but most routers offer WPA2 encryption so that is the best selection. Be sure to select WPA2-PSK, WPA2-PSK (AES), or WPA2-personal.
2. Be sure to change your wireless password to something more complex using letters, symbols, and numbers.
3. Change the SSID or name of your wireless network to something generic and hard to identify.

If you have any additional questions about how to keep your home WiFi network secure or if you need any assistance, contact the IT team at Integrated Computer Consulting (ICC) at info@iccusa.net or 970.821.8592.