WIRELESS FIDELITY or "Wi-Fi Network"
is the primary means of accessing the internet and sharing devices in most homes today.
Wi-Fi in the home usually involves a wireless device such as a router that sends a signal through the air; your phone, tablet, computer etc, connects to the signal and use it to access the internet.
However, if the wireless signal is not properly protected, anyone using a device that detects the signal can then connect to it and use it.
If that person(s) then use your wireless connection to perform an illegal act, like hacking someone’s network or sending illegal spam emails, their activity can be traced back to your network.
In addition to using your wireless network illegally, they could also see and capture your personal information which could potentially lead to identity theft.
SECURING YOUR HOME Wi-Fi NETWORK
To protect your “Wi-Fi network”, ensure your personal or ISP-provided router is capable of “Wi-Fi Protected Access-3” (WPA3).
As of this posting, WPA3 is the newest wireless encryption standard available.
Wi-Fi routers will usually support older security standards, so if you have devices on your network that does not support WPA3, you can select WPA2 or WAP2/3 if that option is available.
This allows the newer devices to make use of the WPA3 security standard while still allowing older devices to connect to the network using WPA2.
If you are planning to purchase a new device, ensure it is at a minimum WPA3-Personal certified.
ROUTER ADMINISTRATION
Out of the box from the manufacturer, the majority of the routing devices are generally configured to allow the user to just plug it into the home ISP-Internet connection and immediately gain access to the internet.
There are however two settings that you will need to change:
- The router admin password: This password allows you to perform administrative functions on the router, such as changing the Wi-Fi network password.
- The Wi-Fi network password: This password allows devices that detects your wireless signal to connect to your network.
It is a highly recommended best practice to limit administration of your devices to your internal network only.
This way, no one on the outside of your network will be able to make changes remotely to your network. Most of the routers are configured from the factory to deny remote administration, so you should leave it that way.
The router should be updated regularly with the latest version of the available software.
You should visit the router manufacturer’s site regularly to see if a newer version is available and download and install it.