Guides Maintenance
Securing your home router
The one device every other device depends on, and the one almost nobody has opened since it was installed.
Change the administrator password
Not the Wi-Fi password - the one for the router's own settings page. Many are shipped with a default printed on the box or common across a whole model, and anyone on your network can reach that page.
Update the firmware
Routers receive security updates like everything else, and are among the most neglected devices in the house. Check whether yours updates automatically; if not, check for an update now and note a reminder.
If the manufacturer no longer issues updates for your model, that is a real reason to replace it. An unmaintained router is directly exposed to the internet by definition.
Use current Wi-Fi encryption
Choose WPA3 if both the router and your devices support it, and WPA2 otherwise. If WEP or an open network is offered, neither should be used - WEP is broken and an open network places every device on it within reach of anyone nearby.
Turn off what you do not use
Remote administration from the internet is rarely needed at home and is a direct route in. WPS, the button-press pairing feature, has known weaknesses in some implementations. Port forwarding rules added for something you no longer run should be removed.
Use the guest network
It exists to keep visitors' devices, and anything you do not fully trust, away from your own. Smart home gadgets are a good candidate: they are frequently the least maintained devices in the house.
Check what is connected
The router lists connected devices. Reviewing it occasionally is a quick way to notice something you did not expect, and a good prompt to remove old devices you no longer own.