There are a lot of ways how network can be hacked. Chance of this is fully depends entirely on the motivation and professionalism of the person doing this. If you didn’t make many enemies for your live and aren’t a source of very valuable information, chance, that someone try to hack you purposefully and diligently is very low.
The best way to be safe is don’t provoke random strangers and close basic network security holes. When attacker deal with your wireless network resistance, he will be scared and stop his try. Maybe he will find other victim, but it doesn’t matter for you.
In this article, you will find basic methods with your wireless router, that will help you don’t be hacked.
1. Get Access to your wireless router
Firstly, you should be able to access your device’s admin panel. To do it, you must know:
- Router’s IP address
- Username and password from router’s settings page
If you don’t know your wireless router’s IP address, you can rotate its body and find special sticker. There are a lot of different information on this sticker, but we need address. Usually it is 192.168.1.1.
Moreover, IP can be found in device user’s guide. If you lost box with manual, don’t worry. All device’s documents can be found in the Internet with help of Google search or in our website.
Also, there is way how to do it manually from your personal computer:
- Press Win+R button combination on your keyboard.
- Text “cmd” in appeared window and press Enter button.
- Then type “ipconfig” and press button again.
- In “Default Gateway” line. Here is your home wireless router IP address.
Copy this address and put it in your browsers URL bar. Then you will be redirected to authorization page of your router’s settings panel.
Now you should use your username and password. In the most cases, you can use “admin” (without brackets) as username and password. Sometimes, you don’t need to type something in password and let field empty. If your router was provided to you by your ISP, call customer support and ask them about credentials.
It’s so important to be able use your router’s configuration panel, because without it you are not the owner of wireless network. Don’t scare to reset your router to factory defaults if it’s necessary. Put your credentials on paper list and keep it in safe place without unplanned access.
2. Create new strong password for your wireless router
When you get access to your router, you should change password. Administration panel interface depends on manufacturer of router, model name, and firmware version. Information about changing password your router can be found in manual of usage.
3. Change your wireless network name
Wireless network name or SSID will help you to identify your network in list. Use strange names like “FBI WIFI”.
4. Set new password for your network
After your access point has been created, you should take care about making it private. Don’t use easy password.
Note! You can create a complex password using password generator
5. Make your WiFi network invisible
If no one can find your network in list without help of special software, chance, that someone will get unauthorized access, is decreased.
6. Enable encryption
Nowadays, wireless routers have different methods how to encrypt all provided through wireless network data. For example: WEP, WPA, WPA2. WEP isn’t very safe, but it’s supported by old devices. The best encryption method in most cases is WPA2.
7. Disable WPS
WPS was invented as easier way to make wireless networks, but it has a low resistance against hacker attacks. Disable it in router’s configuration page.
8. Enable MAC-address filtering
Modern routers provide owners to filter devices, that can be connected to network, by their MAC-addresses. MAC-address is unique identifier of device. Every device with network card or network interface, has its own MAC-address.
You can create your white list with all trusted addresses or create blacklist with addresses, that mustn’t get access to your wireless network.
Hacker can cheat the system and change its MAC-address, but there should be very good reason to do it. It’s very unlikely situation for common using of wireless router.
9. Reduce radius of wireless network signal
Modern wireless routers provide owners to change signal radius of their networks. It can be reduced or increased. Most of the users use network only in their apartments or office, so it’s necessary to make your signal power lower. It should be distributed only within office or apartment space. This will help you to make your network more hidden and less interfering with other signals.
10. Update your router’s firmware
In our century, there isn’t perfect technologies, so hackers can use manufacturer software bugs to get access. To avoid this, companies develop new firmware. They remove some security problems and help owner’s network stay safe. If you don’t update your firmware regularly, hackers can use old version’s bugs to get unauthorized access.
11. Block remote access
Credentials authorization to router’s configuration panel doesn’t guarantee full secure of your network. Hackers can enter to configuration panel through Internet, so better to block remote access to your device. Find this function in settings and turn it off.
12. Firewall
Some modern routers have built-in firewall. Firewall is software that protect your device from network hacker attacks. Enter in configuration panel and search here for “Firewall”. Enable it if it’s turned off. If there will be some additional firewall settings, you should read about them in router’s manual book.
13. VPN
VPN-services create encrypted tunnel between device and server. This technology helps users to send their information more safety and makes chance to lose personal information lower. Moreover, it’s harder to find device location if VPN is used.
To use VPN, you should install special software on your device. Similar programs are available on smartphone and personal computers, so they can be installed on router too. Router’s VPN provides owner to secure all connected to network devices.
You can check information about availability of VPN on your router from user’s guide book. The same applies to other settings.