A protected cyber home network is the principal need of every modern household. Why is that? Because, in this modern, digitized world, most of our mundane activities have shifted on the web and if we are spending much of our time online, we must stay protected.
A secure home network allows your family to use the internet in a more wholesome and safe manner. Most homes have an interconnected network of gadgets connected to the internet and so if the integrity of the network is not taken care of, online safety can be a major risk.
In this reference, the first correction on your part should be to subscribe to an internet plan that guarantees online protection which offers high-speed and consistent internet, along with device and service protection.
Some other tips to secure your home network are discussed in the section below:
1. Encrypt your network
Nowadays, wireless networks are accompanied by varied encryption codes, like WPA, WPA 2, and WEP. The latest security protocol, WPA 2, encrypts the network traffic and replaces the less secure, older version of encryption, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
Now that the WPA 2 AES technology has become the standard security protocol system, all wireless networks have been made to be compatible with it. Furthermore, the next level of security protocol, WPA 3 is now ready to replace WPA 2. This new next-gen security protocol is set to solve microscopic levels of security loopholes residing in wireless networks.
2. Understand the positioning of your router
This might come off as a surprise, but please understand that the position of your router plays a significant role in your network’s protection. It is recommended that you place your router in the center point of your home. This way, its signal range would not reach outside of the home making it difficult for cybercriminals to penetrate your home network system.
Likewise, do not place your route near a window as the signal would not be impeded and outer forces might be able to enter the network. furthermore, placing the router in a central position increase the chances of every room of the house getting equal and high internet speeds.
- Switch off DHCP
Switching off the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) in your router is one of the most forward ways to protect your home network. The function of DHCP is to assign IP addresses dynamically to each device on the network and instead of using this, you should be inclined to assign a static address to your devices. This means that you would be in control to assign the IP address to a device that you deem suitable for your network and not every device would get passed this way, making your home network more secure.
- Disable your router’s Remote Access
Most routers have a restricted option that only allows connected devices to interface; however, some of the routers do allow remote access as well. You need to turn off this remote access so that unauthorized people cannot enter your router’s settings.
The following steps will allow you to carry forward this exercise:
- Open your router’s interface on the web
- Search for ‘remote access,’ remote management,’ or ‘remote administration
- Disable the access
1. Activate your firewall
If you thought that firewalls are exclusive to software programs, you are wrong. Firewalls are very much authentic when it comes to hardware, as well. Hardware firewalls come with an added layer of security in comparison to software. Most modern wireless routers have an inbuilt firewall system to secure your home network from any sort of cyber-attack. In the event that your router does not have an inbuilt firewall, you should install a decent firewall device to your wireless router.
2. Update your firmware
Web browsers, operating systems, and every software program has some loopholes and so require regular updates for maintenance and better functionality. In the same way, a router’s firmware, especially its software, also needs to be updated regularly to fix security loopholes.
As such, make sure to update your firmware as soon as the router manufacturers roll out any new updates, security or otherwise.
The Last Thoughts
In the event that your Wi-Fi network gets overpowered by outer threats, all your data and online presence would be at a major risk. That is the reason it is pertinent that you understand the importance of cybersecurity and take measures to secure your home network from cyber risks. Nonetheless, practically speaking, the risk of cybercrimes cannot be totally invalidated; all we can do is mitigate it. The best way to do so is to investigate every possibility of improving the security of your home network devices. You can achieve this by installing the latest antivirus software, traffic analyzer programs, and regularly updating your systems.
