What Are The Easiest Ways To Improve Router Security?

Your WiFi router is more than just a piece of networking; it is the gateway to your entire digital life. Every device in your home or office, be it your smartphone, laptop, or smart TV, relies on your WiFi router to access the internet. Despite the WiFi router being such an important device, the router's security is often overlooked.

Many users, after setting up their router, never revisit the security settings of the router again, leaving it vulnerable to being hacked, infected with malware, and taken over by unauthorized users. A poorly secured router is an open invitation to cybercriminals for unauthorised access, bandwidth theft, malware injection, etc.

The good news is that you can improve your router security on your own without requiring advanced technical skills. With a bit of knowledge about your router's settings, such as the Etisalat router settings and a few simple changes, you can protect your network from the most common threats. So here are the easiest ways to improve your WiFi router security.

When you first unbox and set up your WiFi router, it comes with a default username and password that are usually publicly documented and easily available on the internet. Most of the time, the default admin username and password are“admin” and“password” respectively, which are quite easy for hackers to guess.

Changing the default login credentials should be your first step after you set up your router because this password will protect the settings of your router. Choose a strong and unique password that is hard to guess and avoid sharing it with anyone, unless necessary.

Your firmware is the operating system of your router. Like any software, firmware can have vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to gain access to the router. Router manufacturers regularly release firmware updates to fix security holes. Make sure that you keep your router's firmware updated all the time to ensure that it doesn't have any known security vulnerabilities.

You can update your router's firmware by logging into your router's admin panel, e.g., default Huawei router page , and heading over to the Firmware Update section. Some modern routers come with an auto-update feature as well. If your router has an auto-update feature available, enable it to stay protected without manual checks.

Just like the login password of the router, you should pay attention to the WiFi password as well. Your WiFi password is the first barrier between your network and outsiders. If you have a weak WiFi password or poor encryption, your password can be cracked easily in a few minutes, and your network could be compromised.

Make sure to use a strong password, a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols, along with using WPA3 or WPA2 as the encryption protocol. Using any encryption protocol other than these is not acceptable in today's age for advanced security.

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