By Roberta
18th April 2023
With so many personal devices connected to the internet these days’, it is more important than ever to keep your WiFi as secure as possible.
At Wi-Manx, we believe it is vital that you keep all your devices updated and secure to help limit the risk from hackers. We’ve pulled together some top tips to help you.
The default name of your router may not mean much to you, but to a hacker it may help them identify the type of router you are using. Ultimately, this makes it a little easier for them to hack into your home network and ultimately the devices you have connected to it.
Changing the name, or SSID to us techies, is not only best practice but also gives you the chance to have some fun with the name you give it. Just be sure to not use any names which may give away any personal information!
Changing your default password is even more important and changing it every three months is also best practice. You should make this a password that has a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols. Remember the passwords to access your router and the one to access your Wi-Fi are different!
As data is flying through the air from all the devices connected to your router, it is important that you ensure a feature to encrypt this data is turned on in the settings on your router. Having the data encrypted will prevent hackers from eavesdropping and grabbing any information as it goes from device to device and back and forth to the router.
Be mindful that when you change settings like this you will need to reconnect your devices that were previously connected to your Wi-Fi.
If you go on holiday or away for a long period of time, you may want to turn off your Wi-Fi. This will ensure your home devices are totally protected. While there are more and more devices such as doorbell cameras and smart home appliances that need to be connected to Wi-Fi to function, consider which ones are really needed.
This is a good idea for a few reasons. Firstly, placing the router in the middle of your home allows for better access to the internet. Different devices have different strengths and can access your Wi-Fi better than others. Having your Wi-Fi access point somewhere central helps more consistent access throughout the home.
More importantly, keeping your router away from doors and windows will make it more difficult for someone sitting in their car trying to connect to your network or eavesdrop onto your data. The goal is to to make it as difficult as possible for anyone outside your property to connect to your network, so moving your router into the middle of your home is a great idea.
Just like the software on your laptop, phone or tablet, your router has software and firmware which should be kept up to date. Some devices will do this automatically but others will require you to log in and click a few buttons.
Certain updates will be made to allow for new functionality and features and others will ensure they remain compatible with each other. Other updates will help the speed of access and downloads, but most importantly it ensures they have the latest security updates and patches in place.
Be mindful that when you updated devices, they more often than not require a restart and reboot, which will prevent access for a short period of time. When you do run these updates, keep in mind internet access will be down for a short time.
At Wi-Manx we offer reliable, high-speed, and cost-effective home phone and broadband services. Neve, Charlie and Emily are happy to help run you through your options, you can get in touch by calling 01624 641188 or emailing support@wimanx.com.
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