How To Protect Your WiFi Network

When your WiFi router is newly acquired, it is important to protect your WiFi network, as its default details can be searched by anyone online. If you are unsure how to do it, don’t worry—there are many ways to protect your network. At the end of this post, you will be able to perform your preferred method successfully.

Why should you protect your network?

Hackers can attack your network when you least expect it, which is why you need to make sure your network is secure. WiFi security threats are everywhere, and that can lead to the following risks when you overlook protecting your network:

Slow to no connection: When other unauthorized users connect to your WiFi, your connection may be weak. This is true especially if your plan has a data limit. For example, your router can only allow six devices to connect, and if someone connects without your knowledge, you won’t be able to connect as the slot was taken from that user.
Data breach: When your network is penetrated by unauthorized users, your data will be exposed to those users. What if you have saved passwords of your bank account, social media accounts, or other important passwords? Your financial records and confidential information will be at risk, which can lead to reputational damage and financial loss.
Malware attacks: Another bad thing that can happen to your network when hackers get access to it is a malware attack. They can inject malicious hardware into your computer that can harm or break your system.

Securing your WiFi Network: Step-by-Step Guide

I’m sure you don’t want those scenarios mentioned above to happen to you. To avoid those, you can follow the step-by-step guide below:

Change Default Credentials

The easiest way to secure your WiFi network is to change the password and SSID name of your router. To do it, just follow the steps below:

1. Type the IP address of your router inside the search bar of your browser, then press Enter.

2. When you are taken to the login page, enter your username and password in the fields given, then press Login. The login interface varies depending on the brand of your router. In this case, I use the TP-Link router as an example.

Note: You can find the default username and password of your router on its back.

3. On your router’s dashboard, look for the wireless tab settings and then click it.

4. Under the Basic tab, you will see the wireless settings. In the Network Name (SSID) field, enter your new WiFi name. In the Password field, enter your new password and make sure it is a combination of characters to make it more secure.

5. Press Save when you’re done.

Enable Network Encryption

Ensure your Wi-Fi network uses strong encryption protocols like WPA3 or WPA2. To set the encryption, follow the steps below:

Log in to your router using the assigned IP address for your router.
On the login page, enter your username and password, then press Login.
When logged in, go to the Advanced tab, where you can see the Wireless Settings.
On the security field, click the drop-down to see the options, then select WPA/WPA2-Personal Recommended.
Choose AES in the Encryption option.
Click Save to save changes.

Some of you may not know the assigned IP address for your router. Check out the list of IP addresses below!

Router	IP Adress
TP-Link , Netgear, Linksys	192.168.1.1
D-Link, Netgear, Zyxel, Belkin, TP-Link	192.168.0.1
Xfinity, Comcast, Cisco	10.0.0.0.1 – 10.0.0.1
PTCL, TP-Link, D-Link	192.168.10.1
Siemens, Sagemcom	192.168.254.254

Keep Router Firmware Updated

You should also update your firmware to protect your WiFi network. To do this:

1. Go to your browser and type the website of your router. Let’s say you own a TP-Link router. You have to type tplink.com into the search bar, then hit Enter.