Securing your home Wi-Fi and router

TUREFF• •0

Your router is the front door between every device in your home and the internet. It is easy to plug it in on the day it arrives and never think about it again, but a few settings make a real difference to how safe your home network is. Most of this takes less than half an hour.

Get into the router settings

Most routers are managed through a web page or an app from your internet provider. The address and admin login are usually printed on a sticker on the router or in its manual.

Change the admin password if it is a default or simple one. This is the password for changing settings, which is different from the Wi-Fi password. Use a long passphrase, such as three random words, and store it in a password manager.
Check whether there is an app from your provider or the manufacturer that makes these settings easier.

UK law now requires many new consumer smart devices to avoid easily guessed universal default passwords, but a password printed on a sticker can still be read by anyone with access to the device, so changing it is still worthwhile.

Use strong Wi-Fi encryption

Choose WPA3 if your router and devices support it, or WPA2 with AES if not. A mixed WPA2 and WPA3 mode is a reasonable choice when you have older devices.
Avoid WEP and open networks. WEP is badly outdated and offers little protection.
Use a long Wi-Fi password. It only needs to be typed once per device, so length costs little.
Rename the network if you like, but do not include your name, address or flat number.

Keep the router updated

Routers have software, called firmware, which needs security updates just like a phone.

Turn on automatic updates if the router supports them. Many provider routers update themselves.
Check for updates now and then in the settings if it does not.
Replace routers that no longer get updates. Check the manufacturer's website for its support period. Your provider may replace an old one if you ask.

Turn off features you do not need

WPS, the push-button or PIN pairing feature, has had security weaknesses. Turn it off if you do not use it.
Remote management, which lets the router be configured from the internet, is rarely needed at home.
UPnP lets devices open connections through the router automatically. It is convenient for some games and video calls, but it widens what is exposed. Consider turning it off and only enabling it if something stops working.
Port forwarding rules you no longer need should be removed.

Separate guests and smart devices

Use a guest network for visitors, so their devices cannot see your computers and shared drives.
Put smart devices on the guest network too if your router allows several. Cameras, plugs and televisions are often less well maintained than phones and laptops, so keeping them apart limits the damage if one is compromised.

Look after the devices on the network

Update every device: phones, laptops, smart TVs, cameras and games consoles.
Change default passwords on smart cameras and baby monitors, and turn off remote viewing if you do not use it.
Review the list of connected devices in the router's settings occasionally, and remove anything you do not recognise by changing the Wi-Fi password.

Things that matter less than you might think

Hiding the network name does not stop a determined attacker and can make devices less reliable.
Filtering by device address is easily bypassed and tedious to maintain.

A quick checklist

Strong, unique admin password.
WPA3 or WPA2 with a long passphrase.
Automatic firmware updates on.
WPS and remote management off.
Guest network for visitors and smart devices.
A replacement plan for a router out of support.

What have you changed on your home router, and did anything stop working afterwards? Share your experience in the comments.