Home Wi-Fi is an integral part of your entertainment and professional life. But as good as it comes, your home Wi-Fi is vulnerable to security breaches that can expose your personal information to unsafe hands. To prevent this from ever happening, there are several home Wi-Fi configurations you can adopt to make your network safer and more secure. This article lists some of them!
Wi-Fi Router Inbuilt Security
A Wi-Fi router is a network gadget that receives and sends internet data to a computer. Because of this critical function, most routers come pre-installed with security features to block malicious apps and protect your data. In short, the router is the first ‘door’ that protects you from the outside internet world.
That said, there are different router encryption technologies to consider. They include:
- WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) – This is the oldest router encryption program and uses radio waves. However, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) ranks it as the weakest against hackers.
- WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) – It works like WEP, although WPA doesn’t use the permanent encryption key. But WPA still lacks some security because it uses WEP technology.
- WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access Version 2) – This is the latest router encryption system. It doesn’t require an authentication key and uses an effective authentication protocol.
- AES (Advanced Encryption Standards) – AES is arguably the most secure Wi-Fi encryption technology. In fact, the Federal Government uses it to protect critical data.
Setting Up a Wi-Fi Router Securely
After finding a router that ticks the encryption box, you must set it up securely to prevent data breaches. First, ensure that the router runs on the latest firmware for a faster, more secure, and more stable connection. You should also check if the router updates regularly because updates come with security patches and bug fixes.
Don’t stop there. Change the log-in details of your Wi-Fi network after a successful connection. The thing is that hackers can quickly know a pre-set password. Ensure the password has at least 12 characters with numbers, letters, and symbols. This is an excellent way to keep away unwanted users from your network.
Keep Your Browsing Habits Private
With your Wi-fi router fully set up, get a reliable VPN service to keep all online activities safe and secure. Always remember, that whenever you connect to the internet, you expose yourself to online hackers and thieves looking to steal your personal information, payment data and other sensitive data. But with a VPN service, all your activities are encrypted in a private tunnel.
If you’d also like to keep your data completely private from the prying eyes of data brokersyou should consider using Incogni’s service, an affordable and user-friendly data removal tool for individuals.
Conclusion
Since routers are some of the most frequently used devices at home, keeping your connections secure is vital by using the tips above. Remember that you share lots of critical details online, like ID number, phone number, home address, and more. And to be even more secure, turn off your Wi-Fi network when you’re not using it because you never know who’s lurking around!
