If we went back a nice few years, we would see our home wireless networks that were quite simple. One connection point and one, up to two computers connected to it. But in recent years, home WiFi has become increasingly important to us. Today we connect a lot of different devices to it. From smartphones and tablets to televisions or even temperature controllers. And imagination can suggest much more equipment. Therefore, it is even more important to properly secure your home WiFi network. Let’s look at how to do it.

WiFi, or what?

Even if there are still people among us who connect to the network using a cable, we most often use wireless connections, i.e. WiFi. It is a much more practical solution than using the entire “spider web” of cable connections.

As a rule, your home network is governed by a router. It can be a device with a built-in modem received from an Internet service provider or a separate router that you purchased, which is later connected to the modem. Regardless of what solution you use, the network works in the same way, i.e. via wireless signal sending. Your devices connect to the wireless network and thus you can access the internet in them.

SECURITY IN THE NETWORK

It is extremely important to do it safely. Much more is said about security in public, open WiFi networks, where sending important information involves a very high risk. Nobody wants his passwords to get into the wrong hands, for example, for e-mail, social networking, and even more so banking services. Hence, experts recommend using security in public networks to protect your information, such as VPNs. This is called “virtual private network”, that is, real protection of our data sent when connecting to individual pages. The VPN encrypts them and prevents anyone who should not have access to them. In a public wireless network, sending your vital information without any security is a bit like leaving the house and leaving the door open. We can count on the fact that nobody will take the opportunity, but it’s better to close the door. On the Internet, VPN “closes the door” and it has two locks that are very difficult to cross.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME WIFI

But danger is waiting for our important data not only in public networks. We often forget to additionally protect them also in our own home network, where also as a “protective shield” VPN will be perfect. In this case, it is an additional level of protection in addition to the password we use to secure the network. In addition to using a VPN, there are many other options for protecting your home WiFi network. Here they are:

1. CHANGE NETWORK PASSWORD

You can configure your network settings through an administrator account. Make sure you change the WiFi password in it. Routers and modems are often supplied with a very weak password that is easy to “crack”. Therefore, they should be changed as soon as possible after receiving the device to a unique, strong password that will securely access the network.

2. CHOOSE A “STRONG” PASSWORD

“Strong” in this case means one that is difficult to break. There are a few basic rules for creating passwords that apply to all places on the internet. Use rather long passwords with a variety of characters (lowercase, uppercase, numbers, special characters), avoid names (own, children, husband, wife, etc.) and common words. One of the basic rules of network security says that passwords should be changed regularly and this applies not only to WiFi.

3. ACTIVATE NETWORK ENCRYPTION THROUGH WPA2

When setting up your home network, be sure to activate WPA2 encryption protocol. This is a guarantee that your connections will be encrypted and that no outsiders will be able to use them. Active WPA2 means that anyone who wants to connect to your network must know the password for it.

4. CHANGE THE NETWORK NAME

Each network has a standard name set, so-called SSID. This is the name that the device searches for when connecting to WiFi. Make sure that it does not disclose any personal data that may be useful to someone conducting a possible Internet attack.

5. CONFIGURE THE GUEST NETWORK

By setting up a guest network, you will allow your home visitors to use a WiFi connection, but without access to devices connected to your main network. Just like in the case of the basic network, the guest network should have its name, WPA2 encryption and a separate password.

6. DISABLE THE POSSIBILITY OF CONNECTING THROUGH WPS

WPS is the ability to connect to the network without having to enter a password or configure the connection. For safety it’s better to turn it off. The WPS start and stop button is usually located on the router.

TAKE CARE OF THE DEVICES

In addition, remember that not only the network must be completely secure, but also the devices that connect to it. It is known that every chain is as strong as its weakest link. So remember the basic safety rules when using your devices:

• always update the operating system, browser and all software, because in new versions their producers contain solutions to previously emerging security holes
• choose unique, strong passwords, exactly according to the same rules as for networks
• remember to have different passwords on different devices
• avoid clicking on suspicious links and opening attachments from unknown sources, use antivirus programs that protect your devices against known viruses

These are basic tips that will make your Internet connection in a wireless home network safer. It is worth using all the simple solutions available on the network or on devices, and additionally secure your data using VPN connections, which will guarantee us security reliably.