WiFi Security Basics

Wifi or wireless networking has removed the need to run cables throughout a home to make sure that everyone has an Internet connection. Now you can access the Internet anywhere in your house, with the problem being that other people can also access your Internet connection. Here is how to secure WiFi, so people stop using your Internet.

  1. Open the Router’s Setting Page

For most routers, you can access their setting page by typing “192.168.1.1” into your web browser. If this does not work, you will need to look up the make and model of the router, and locate the address of your specific router. Once on the setting page, enter the routesr user name and password. This can be found in the manual or somewhere on the router.

  1. Unique Password

Once you are logged into the router, you should change the password for the router. Since anyone who accesses the router is able to lock you out of the router until you manually reset the router. The can be changed on the Administration setting page.

  1. Change the SSID name

You may be asking “What is SSID?” The SSID meaning is Service Set Identifier and is a 32 letter identifier attached to all the packets sent on the WLAN (wireless local-area network). SSID is like a password for mobile devices. For more routers, the SSID is preset, but you can easily change them in your router settings. This does not really make your network secure, it helps make your router easier to find.

  1. Turn on WPS

Another question many people have about WiFi security is “What is WPS?” WPS stands for WiFi Protected Setup and covers all the types of WiFi protection. There are a few options for WPS and network encryption, and you should enable one of them as the option that works the best for your devices. The best option, if all your hardware was manufactured after 2006, is WPA2. If you have any hardware from before 2006, you will need to use WEP. To enable WPS settings, you will need to open the wireless security settings page. Once there, select the protection that your device can use, and enter a password that would be hard to guess.

  1. Use MAC Filtering

No matter the device that you are accessing the WiFi from, each of the devices is going to have a unique MAC address. MAC addresses are like IP addresses, but you are able to filter what MAC addresses can use the network. To enable MAC filtering, you need to have a list of all the devices that you want to connect to the network. Then enter add the MAC addresses to your routers administrative setting.

Improving your WiFi security when you get a new router is important to keeping people from using your Internet. There are many more ways that you can up your WiFi protection.

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