Over time, we are exposed to the dangers that are entirely new and unknown for us. The way we work is different today, we are so bound to technologies among which the internet connection ranks on the first. These days, everything from ordering food to booking a cab is being done online.
Our lives are getting digital, and that’s where we are vulnerable to online security. The most common online security threat is hacking.
Hackers and cybercriminals have no limits when it comes to capturing data. Hackers can access everything from your personal camera to bank account, to emails, passwords and everything in between.
An individual who is not technically literate will not understand how he has been hacked or losing the amount from his bank account.
Therefore, the best way is to protect your network against hackers and prying eyes around the web. In this blog, I will show you the best approaches to keep your network secure and protected from cyber threats.
- Start with passwords update
No matter if you’re running an entire business or using the internet at home, the password is the ultimate gateway to access your network. It is highly recommended to frequently change or update personal passwords for added system and Wi-Fi security.
Note: Don’t just login to every website or email you see. Sometimes hackers throw such spam websites to get your ID and password details. Therefore, be very selective while accessing websites and platforms which involve your email and password.
- Protect your Wi-Fi connection with encryption
Encrypting your wireless signals will restrict other computers from using your internet connection.
You can enable wireless encryption on your network. It’s easy to activate network encryption simply, open wireless security over your router’s setup page. Select any security method you want, for older devices you can select WEP or else you may choose WPA2. Type in a difficult password for network access and that’s it.
- Decrease your wireless signal range
In case, if you’re using the internet inside your room then it’s safe to limit your Wi-Fi range for maximum security.
Limiting your Wi-Fi range will stop signals from moving outside and no one can easily access your network connection. To reduce your wireless network range, you can alter your router’s mode from 802.11n to 802.11b.
- Change your wireless router’s default IP address
You can change the default IP address of your wireless router to make sure that your network is well-protected from web sniffer and hackers. To change your wireless router’s IP address follow these quick steps below:
- Login to router’s console
- Type in username and password in the field
- At the left side menu, select Network >LAN
- Change IP address and tap Save.
Keep in mind that after changing your IP address, you are required to add in the same IP address in your web browser.
- Deactivate Remote Access
Some Wi-Fi routers are designed with remote access functionality. It means that you can remotely access the router. If you’re having a similar router with remote access functionality then it is recommended to turn off the remote access for your router.
Turning off the remote access will protect your connection. It won’t let any hacker access your router’s privacy settings through a remote device. In this way, your connection will stay secure against any malicious activity.
You can easily disable your router’s remote access by accessing the web interface and search “Remote administration” or “Remote Access” and deactivate it.
- Protect devices that are connected to the home network
If you want to secure your network, then it’s significant to protect all the devices connected to it. There shouldn’t be any place that can possibly be exploited by hackers or sniffer. You must add security layers for every device that is connected with your home network.
Make sure you’re using the updated version of the software for each of your devices. Also, don’t forget to use the latest antivirus software to protect devices against malicious attacks.
- Use A VPN
VPN offers you the strongest protection over the web. You can also use a VPN Wi-Fi router to protect all the smart devices in one go. When you use a VPN, it protects all your data through encryption and masks your IP address so no one can read or access your data.
VPN also helps you unblock geo-restricted connect, for example, if you are living in the USA and want to watch live UK sports then you can connect to UK VPN to watch live sports. VPN or virtual private network forms a secure connection between your system and the internet. It also protects your data over public-Wi-Fi with its strong AES bit 256 encryption and split tunneling feature.
- Hide your network’s SSID
To keep at the safer side, you can hide your router’s SSID. When you hide the router’s SSID, your home network becomes hidden. Only pre-connected devices will connect with it otherwise, no new device or by-passers can find it.
In the network list, your network will show up as “Hidden Network” without knowing the name, no one can access or connect to it.
This trick works great, and never lets unknown devices connect with your network. However, if you have a new device that you want to connect to the network then you have to turn on the SSD broadcast for a while. As soon as you connect your new device to the network, you can hide it again.
- Turn Off Wi-Fi
Unless you’re not downloading something important, it is advised to turn off your Wi-Fi when you are about to sleep. It will prevent your router from hijacking attacks plus, it will also reduce electricity bills to some extent.
Wrapping Up
To protect your home network against hackers and unwanted interceptions, you don’t have to be a technical champ. You just need to follow the most common security steps to protect your network. All the mentioned steps in this blog are easy to do but ensure maximum security for your home network.
You can also find a few more security options in your Wi-Fi router’s console including your device’s MAC address filtering. Following these safety measures will keep your connection secure from cyber thieves and hackers around you.