According to statista.com, as of July 2020, there were 4.57 billion active internet users. It is safe to assume a good portion of that number is using a home Wi-Fi connection. It is important to secure your home Wi-fi from potential intruders. During my law-enforcement career, I noticed a lot of people hanging around certain parts of the city. Out of curiosity, I went and asked them why they were hanging around those areas of the city. A lot of them told me it was because there were homes in the area with unsecured home Wi-fi connections. Having an unsecured home Wi-fi connection can be very costly and dangerous. Because if they happen to search for something illegal, that will trace back to your account. So, we will go over just a few steps in securing your home Wi-fi connection.
- Change your default password to your router settings. All modems and routers come with a default user name and password. Make sure the first thing you do is change your username and password, so people cannot get into your modem and router settings. Most of the time, all you have to do is search the make and model of your device and type how to change my username and password. Make sure it is a complex password with 8-12 characters with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Make sure you add a complex password to your Wi-Fi connections. Most modem/routers are dual ban and have both 2.4ghz and 5ghz connections. If you decide to use both, make sure you have a complex password for both connections.
- If you do not need a guest Wi-Fi connection make sure it is disabled. A lot of people do not realize they have an open gues Wi-Fi connection on their modem or router. I recommend almost always disabling this feature for a home Wi-Fi connection.
These are just a few easy steps to get you started in protecting your home Wi-Fi connection. Feel free to contact us for more safety tips on securing your home modem and routers.
