We have talked on different occasions through these pages about the importance of having the home Wi-Fi network correctly configured. It is not just about looking for its optimization to offer better performance, which it is, but about looking for it to be really safe and that is extremely simple to carry out.
And for that, the first thing we have to face is that the router, the gateway of our home with the jungle that is the network of networks that is beyond the entrance box of our house, is, in turn, the first filter to try to prevent strange presences from arriving and with this.
These are not night visitors, but WiFi vampires constantly looking for the slightest weakness in a system to get in and benefit (that’s the lesser evil) from our coverage. And it is that if it were only to use our bandwidth.
We must bear in mind that content of all kinds travels through our network. Personal data, identities, bank details … very appealing content for any friend of others, and we already know it. Information is power and your data, my data, the neighbor’s data are worth a lot in opaque markets.
So now is the time to sit in front of your router, either yours or your operator’s, and prepare to change four very basic but fundamental parameters. We talk about the username, the access code, and of course, the name and the password of your Wi-Fi network. Remember that if someone accesses your router, they may have the possibility of accessing the devices that you have connected to your network.
Changing the username and password
The first step is the one that concerns the change of username and password to our router. It is useless to have high security in the rest of the parameters if our user is still “admin” and the password “1234” so that anyone can alter them and leave us defenseless.
This will vary between the different brands and models of routers, in this article, I link to a list of the most popular routers so you can find the specific instructions for your router.
Therefore, we must start the browser and be well connected to our Wi-Fi or cable network, access the router with the corresponding IP (192.168.XX where the most common ones are usually found) that as a general rule is typified in the instruction manual or at the base of the appliance.
Once inside we find the section of the router management usually varies slightly from one brand to another. In my case, I change the password to the router supported by an alphanumeric turn into signs. It does not have to be very long, just that it combines all kinds of elements well. It is about making things as difficult as possible starting from the fact that the impossible … does not exist.
Once the parameter has been changed, the equipment will return us to the initial screen so that we can “log in” but with the new password (and if the browser asks you if you want to save it, in my case I always say no).
Once we control the possible security breach to access our router, we have to change the network key and the name of our Wi-Fi network. And before following a caveat and that is that you must bear in mind that if you have already connected devices to that network, with the change of name, password, or both, you will have to synchronize them again (this includes network extenders that they drink from the main web to spread it across the floor).
At this point, we are going to look for a section that puts Wi-Fi Settings, Wireless Settings, or similar (as in the previous case it may vary depending on the brand or model of the router), and once inside look for the name of our Wi-Fi network ” Network name (SSID) “. A name that as a general rule comes by default so that refers to our operator (if the router is provided by him) or to the name of the brand (if it is free). In this case, it is convenient to use network names that are not excessively flashy but that at the same time we can easily distinguish.
Looking for good encryption
When we proceed with the change, we will see how we find options that may sound strange to us. It is about the type of encryption, being able to choose between three different systems or protocols that we can find in most modern routers: WEP, WPA, and WPA2.
- WEP: is the oldest kind of encryption and is out of date and the least desirable. Provides level 2 encryption and can be easily broken with the device.
- WPA: the successor to WEP, stands out for offering more security by not being so limited in the number of characters that we can enter.
- WPA2: is the most secure protocol, the one that offers the highest level of protection of the three.
Now and without giving the save button or similar, we must change the access code to connect to our network. It is about avoiding the one that comes by default and even not having to make use of those that we can find on the Internet. You can create your own network key but always without it being associated with a logical parameter (license plates, dates of birth) or mathematical formulas. It is so interesting, as we saw before, to use letters, numbers, and signs.
The most common thing is that once we have changed the name of the network and the password, the router restarts, becoming disconnected for a few seconds. In addition, if we did it via Wi-Fi, it is advisable to make a paste copy of the key to take less time to reconnect to the network.
As you can see, these are very simple steps, but they will allow your network to have a security plus and that is that although full waterproofing is impossible to achieve (his thing is to be able to deactivate the WPS button) if we are going to get the make things a little more difficult.
