In a home network, everything goes through the router. As a result, when your home Wi-Fi router’s security is not up to snuff, many things can go wrong in your local network, and you might not be aware of that. However, security is also a matter of degree.
This post will explain steps to keep your Wi-Fi router secure enough for you to have peace of mind. If you want your network to be absolutely secure, turn Wi-Fi off and disconnect the router from the Internet.
Home Wi-Fi router security: How to keep your network safe
To have a local network, you need a router, and preferably no more than one. Nowadays, a home router tends to have a built-in Wi-Fi access point. It’s a Wi-Fi router. In many cases, that router is extended by more broadcasters. That’s when you use a Wi-Fi system. However, it’s always the router unit that handles security.
While it’s relatively easy to keep wired devices out of your network—you can simply unplug their network cables. Things are more complicated with Wi-Fi devices and remote parties on the Internet. The former are designed to connect wirelessly, and the latter may try to get in through your broadband connection. Both happen behind the scenes with no visible signs. Keep that in mind.
Routers are not created equal. Shapes and sizes aside, they are all differentiated by their firmware, which determines the router’s settings and features.
So, the first thing to keep in mind is that it’s best to get a router from a reputable networking vendor with long-term support—pick one from these best lists. After that, on the security front, there are two main types of routers to consider when it comes to home routers:
- Vendor-dependent routers: Those that must always connect to the vendor to work, such as Amazon’s eero, Google’s Wi-Fi/Nest, TP-Link’s Deco. They are app-operated hardware with limited features and settings.
- Vendor-independent routers: Those that can run independently without being connected to the hardware vendor. Examples are generally standard routers with an integrated web-based user interface from Ubiquiti, Asus, TP-Link, or Netgear.
Generally, with vendor-dependent routers, there’s not much you can do in terms of security other than the Wi-Fi password. Other security matters are at the mercy of the hardware vendor. That said, if you really care about having control over your network’s security, I’d recommend a standard router with a web user interface, accessible via its default IP address.
Tip
When logging into the web-based user interface of a home router or most devices, you might encounter a privacy/security error notice in which the browser suggests the webpage is potentially unsafe, similar to the screenshot below.
The reason is that the device’s built-in web server doesn’t have a mechanism to prove that it supports the now-required HTTPs protocol. For that, among other things, it needs to be signed by an external party.
It’s safe to ignore this notice and proceed to the interface when accessing a device within your local network.
Different browsers have slightly different warnings and ways to bypass them, but they all require clicking a few extra times. Pay close attention, and you’ll find out the way to proceed.
While many standard routers come with an option to link with a vendor account in return for added features or convenience, they don’t need to connect to the vendor before they can function.
With that, let’s move on to how to secure your home Wi-Fi router.
Common security items for home Wi-Fi router security
No matter which type of router you use, there are four things you can do with it to improve your network security, including:
- The admin password.
- The Wi-Fi password.
- The Guest network.
- The firmware.
With that, let’s go into the details of these four items.
1. The admin password: Make it unique and hard to guess
The admin password allows for changing the router settings. A person with this password has complete control over the network.
Some routers—especially ISP-provided gateways—have known default admin passwords. In this case, it’s best to change that password as soon as you start using a router. Even better, when possible, turn the username into something other than “admin” or “administrator.”
Nowadays, as a security practice, most routers’ initial setup process includes a step for you to change or create the admin password. In any case, make this password hard to guess and, most importantly, different from the Wi-Fi password. Again, this is the password used to manage the router, it’s not for any user to know.
Some routers have a built-in CAPTCHA to ensure only a real person can log in. Others might even have two-factor authentication (2FA) for the admin access. If yours supports this added security feature for the admin access, turn it on.
1. The Wi-Fi password: Make it unique but easy to enter
A Wi-Fi network includes the network name (a.k.a SSID) and its password. The name itself is not a secret—it appears on any device. The part that is not seen and keeps the network secure is the password.
This password allows a device to connect to your Wi-Fi network. Knowing the Wi-Fi password, among other things, a person can:
- Use your internet connection.
- See your network resources, such as a file server, a printer, or a media streamer. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean they can access these resources. For example, if your server requires a separate login, they cannot view its content until they have that login.
- See your router’s IP address and, with the admin password, access its settings and control the network.
That said, again, you need to use a different password for your Wi-Fi from the one used for admin management above.
Tips
When it comes to passwords, it’s always about keeping them a secret that matters. Complexity is not necessarily a good thing. The goal is to make your password hard to guess but easy to remember and use.
A Wi-Fi password that includes letters, numbers, UPPER case/lower case, and special characters can be a real pain, especially when you need to enter it into an IoT device, such as a printer or a media streamer—even a modern one like the Fire TV.
Generally, when it comes to Wi-Fi, it’s best to use a digit-only password. Here’s a way to make a password effective and easy to remember:
Pick a long sentence or phrase and use each word’s letter count to form the password.
If you use that previous sentence, the password would be 414833545652438—use another phrase for yourself. If you think you can’t remember the password, write that sentence down instead of the password itself.
If you want to offer somebody access to the Internet (1) and nothing else, a Guest Wi-Fi network comes into play.
3. The Guest Wi-Fi network
A Guest Wi-Fi network is a way to share your Internet connection without potentially compromising your entire system. It’s a fancy name for a virtual SSID network that’s isolated from your main one.
By default, the Guest network allows only access to the Internet but not to your local resources. Most routers include the Wi-Fi Guest network feature; you can turn it on via their web interface or mobile app.
A few things about setting up a Guest network:
- If you enable password protection, make the password different from the primary Wi-Fi network and the admin password.
- Keep the default setting that isolates the guest network. This setting generally tends to be “Access Intranet” (set to disabled) or “AP isolation” (enabled).
- If you give guest access to a lot of people, such as on a public network, it might be a good idea to limit the broadband bandwidth if that’s an option.
- You don’t need to name your Guest SSID with the word “guest” in it.
A Guest Wi-Fi network also comes in handy when you want to isolate specific devices from the rest of the main network, including those of your own.
4. The firmware: Keep it up to date and turn on protection features
Firmware is the operating system of a router. It decides how well a router works and how secure it is. Networking vendors often release new firmware versions to improve the router’s performance and security.
It’s a good idea to check for new firmware and update your router at least a few times a year, especially when there’s a security bulletin about your router or the networking vendor. While it’s generally best to use a router with its latest firmware, turning on the auto firmware update feature can cause issues such as unexpected interruption. That said, if you choose to use auto firmware update, pick a time that you know your network is idle.
The second thing you can do with a router’s firmware is to turn on its included online protection feature. Not all router brands have this, but those from Ubiquiti’s UniFi lineup and Asus have excellent security features for free. Other brands, such as TP-Link and Netgear, also have this type of feature, but it might require an add-on premium.
The last thing about the firmware is to be aware of the remote access feature. Not all routers have this, and those that do always have it disabled by default. If you want to turn it on, it’s best to have a good understanding of the WAN IP address, Dynamic DNS, and port forwarding before enabling any remote access or management.
Signs that show your router has been hacked and how to rectify it
When targeting a router, hackers generally don’t intend to destroy it. Instead, they want to manipulate it to steal your information, such as usernames and passwords for a website or service you use.
That said, if your router has been compromised, chances are it still works like normal. But some things won’t work right. Here are the telltale signs that your router has been hacked:
- Your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) often goes to unwanted websites, sometimes without you doing anything.
- You get unrelated, irrelevant, or spam results when doing an online search. Sometimes, it seems a different search engine than the one you pick (Google, Bing, etc.) is being used.
- When accessing your router’s web interface or mobile app, the admin password you created no longer works.
- The router’s DNS settings are different from “Auto” or what you have entered.
- There are settings you didn’t create, like a new Wi-Fi network or port-forwarding entries.
If your router has been hacked, the best and possibly the only way to fully repair it is a hard reset. After that, update its firmware to the latest and set up your network from scratch, in that order.
The takeaway
To summarize, to keep a tab on your home Wi-Fi router security, you first need a router that allows you to do so to a great degree. That usually means getting one that can work without first connecting to the vendor.
After that, change the admin password and, when possible, even the login username. Ensure the admin password differs from the Wi-Fi password and keep both secure.
And finally, when applicable, enable remote management only if you know how to use it safely. And keep your router patched with the latest firmware.
Security is nuanced. By default, every device connected to the Internet is vulnerable, much like as long as you live, you’re at risk of dying, to a degree. The only way to be absolutely secure is to turn that device off or when something ceases to exist.
As long as you follow these best practices mentioned here, you can consider your router, and hence your home network, safe to a reasonable degree applicable to most homes.
Dong’s note: I originally published this post on April 17, 2018, and last updated it on May 18, 2025, to add up-to-date, relevant information.
