Network security: 5 tips to beef up your home network.
When first setting up your home network, it's vital to prep with security in mind. An unprotected network is susceptible to security breaches and hackers that may steal banking info, credit cards, Social Security numbers and much, much more. Never fear! Network security doesn't have to be difficult. Follow these five quick steps to beef up your security.
Strengthen your Wi-Fi password.
When setting up your network, make sure to create a bomber password — something that's easy to remember but complex enough so no hacker would want to touch it. Check out our guide to Increase Your Password Strength.
Change your router password.
Go into your router's settings in any web browser. Depending on the type of router, you may have a default password that applies to all routers of the same type. Change your router password from the default to increase your network security.
Change your IP address.
You may not know it, but your router comes shipped with a default IP address. You can go into the router settings and change it to any string of numbers you desire. A non-default IP address is one extra line of defense to annoy a potential hacker.
Update your router.
Make sure you frequently check and update your router's drivers. Sometimes this is as simple as a quick restart. If that doesn't do the trick, check online to make sure your router is up to date.
Change only what you know.
Configuring other settings in your router, especially if you are not familiar with them, may leave you more susceptible to breaches. Try and stick to the basics unless you absolutely need to change other settings.
