Description: Are you worried about the protection of your home router? Let’s consider effective ways to secure it.
Nowadays with the help of your own router, you have the possibility to connect to the Internet from any device (PCs, laptops, smartphones, etc.). What’s more, smart home Internet of Things (IoT) devices likewise can use the power of your home router (baby monitors, door locks, video cameras, etc.). Thus, you should treat home network security with responsibility.
Protection of your home router is of high importance. The reason is that cybercriminals are able to hack any of your devices through your network. Your valuable data is at risk of being stolen. Thus, if your home Wi-Fi is still not protected, you should find methods on how to secure a router from hackers.
How Do I Change My Router to Be More Secure?
There is no need to be an IT expert in order to protect your router. Also, do not hasten to hire a specialist who would take care of your home Wi-Fi security. Below we gathered easy but effective ways to protect your network and keep your data safe.
Create a Strong Password
Whether the age of your router, it is advisable to change the administrator password. It provides access to the management interface. Also, the Wi-Fi password by itself should be changed.
It is worth mentioning that routers of older versions utilize default easy passwords for the administrator account. For example, “admin” and “password”. We are sure this won’t be a problem for cybercriminals to hack such passwords.
It is not excluded that you set the same crackable password when turning on encryption for your network. In both cases, your password should be changed into a new and stronger one. Using a built-in password generator would be the best solution. It can be found in a password manager.
Created passwords will be really random. There is no necessity to worry about you forgetting your new password. The manager guarantees this won’t happen. A large number of password managers can be found that are free of charge. This means you will pay nothing for reliable home Wi-Fi security.
Speaking about modern routers, random passwords as default are set on them. There is nothing that can prevent you from changing it as well. Just check that your router or gateway includes such information.
Make Use of VPN
If you have multiple devices, setting up protection on each of them can take a long time. This is where configuring your router to use a VPN will make this process faster and simpler. Being one of the best examples, VeePN will be handy the most. What are the benefits after users install a VPN on a router? They will get encryption of their data since VPN is constantly working. There is a necessity to set up a VPN on the router just once. The protection router level with VPN will be the highest in comparison to other ways of your home Wi-Fi security. You will be free of unfair hackers.
The best part is that installing VPN does not require much time and effort. All you need to do is to select the desired subscription and download the VPN on your router. Protection will be applied to all devices. Having a VPN on your router means secure and anonymous web surfing without restrictions. Secure all your and your family members’ data with military-grade encryption.
Turn Off Remote Access
A large number of routers can boast of a list of useful functions. One of them is the remote access feature. It enables users to access their Wi-Fi network from any place where there is an internet connection.
This is convenient during managing a wireless network from another location. On the other hand, this can cause network security problems. The probability of hacking raises in case you did not change the default router credentials. This means everyone who desires can get access to your wireless password and your network.
If there is no need for you to utilize the remote feature, it would be better to disable it. The reason is that it is pretty easy for cybercriminals to receive your legitimate credentials to get access to your wireless network. In order to turn off this function, you should find remote access settings in the interface of your router.
Disable your Wi-Fi Network
Probably one of the simplest ways how to secure Wi-Fi is to turn it off every time you leave home. At first, it may seem that it is a hassle to disable your network every time you intend to walk out the door. Still, you should get used to turning off your Wi-Fi if you plan to leave your home for an extended period of time. This ensures your Wi-Fi network will be completely safe.
Conclusion
Learning how to secure a router is an important and necessary step to ensure valuable data and private information are secured from hackers. Although it is hard to answer the “What is the best security option for your router?” question, all the discussed ways are worth your consideration. While these protection methods are effective separately, only uniting them will guarantee 100% security of your home router.