How to Secure Your WiFI

Here are some simple ways to secure your WiFi router and make your wireless connection hacker-free.

Method 1: Change your network’s SSID name

The SSID, or wireless network name of your router is usually pre-defined as the brand name of your router. Changing this default name makes it difficult for hackers to know what type of router you have and its specific vulnerabilities.

 Here’s how to change the SSID name:

Step 1: Log in to your router’s web interface or app as Administrator.

Step 2: Go to the “WiFi settings” page of your router or its equivalent. 

Step 3: Look for the SSID name in your settings. It would typically be somewhere in the basic settings page. Common labels for the SSID name include “Network Name,” “Wireless Network Name,” “Router Name” or something similar.

Step 4: There will probably already be a name in the field. Click on it and enter a new name. Make sure not to use your name, your address or any personal information in the SSID name.

Step 5: Save the settings and restart your router.

Don’t put the default passwords like this

Difference of Week, Medium and Strong passwords.

Method 2: Create a strong and unique WiFi password using WPA2 encryption

WiFi routers typically come with either a default password or no password at all. Such a password is usually simple and especially easy for hackers to guess if they know the router’s manufacturer. 

Changing this default to a unique and strong password plays a major role in the security of your WiFi network. A strong WiFi password is typically at least twenty characters long and includes a combination of capital and small letters, numbers and symbols.

Here’s how to change your WiFi password:

Step 1: Log in to your router’s web interface or app as Administrator. It’s best if you do this with your device connected to the router via an Ethernet cable. If you connect to the router’s interface via WiFi, you’ll be kicked out when you change the settings, and you will have to log back in to make any adjustments.

Step 2: Go to your WiFi settings and find the security settings of your network.

Step 3: Select an encryption type. The options are usually WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA2-PSK. WPA2 is the most secure of these.

Step 4: Enter your new password where asked. 

Step 5: Save your settings and restart your router.

Method 3: Change the administrator password on your router

To log in to your router as Administrator, you need a username and password. Most routers have default username/password combinations like “admin/admin” or “admin/password.” These generic login details can easily be guessed. 

Even if your router manufacturer has given you login details that are different from this, there is a public database of such usernames and passwords, or hackers can brute-force them. So it’s best to change the default login details of your router. Here’s how:

Step 1: Log in to your router’s web interface or app as Administrator. 

Step 2: Access your router’s settings and find the Administrator settings. This might take some digging as the interface for each router is different.

Step 3: Change the Administrator username and password. Even if you can’t change the username from the default “admin,” make your password complex and unique so it can’t be guessed or brute-force.

Step 4: Save the settings and restart your router. 

Method 4: Keep your router up-to-date

Your router’s firmware also plays a major role in WiFi network security. But, like any other software, router firmware also has its flaws, which skilled hackers can easily exploit. 

Unfortunately, most routers don’t come with an auto-update option, and even if they do, the option has to be manually enabled. So it’s always better to check regularly for updates and to install them. Here’s how to update the firmware:

Step 1: Connect your computer to the router using an Ethernet cable (usually required) and Log in to its web interface or app as administrator.

Step 2: Look for the “Firmware Update” option on the interface, and select it. You would need to look for it, as this option can be anywhere in the settings.

Step 3: Wait until your router finds and installs the latest update. When done, restart the router.

Method 5: Use a firewall

Firewall come in two forms: Software Firewalls, which run on your PC, providing security against suspicious apps and programs, and Hardware Firewalls, which are not much different from the software variety, except that they provide the first line of defense against attacks. 

The good thing is that most routers come with a built-in firewall, with the default settings providing reasonable protection. Here’s how you can check if your router has an in-built firewall, and activate it:

Step 1: To check if your router has a built-in firewall, first log into its web interface or app as Administrator and look for a configuration page labelled “Security” or “Firewall.” If such a page exists, your router has a built-in firewall. To activate the firewall, go to “Step 3.”

Step 2: If there’s no such page, it indicates that your router doesn’t come with a firewall. In this case, you can install a good firewall device to your router to protect your system from malicious hacking attempts against your home network. 

Step 3: To enable the firewall, go to the “Security” or “Firewall” page located in “Step 1.”

Step 4: Locate an entry labelled “Firewall” or its equivalent. 

Step 5: Select the button near it labelled “enable” or “activate”, or something similar.

Step 6: Save the settings and restart the router.