Level 1 · 1C How the internet works · Lesson 3 of 3
Your home network: the router and the Wi-Fi
The router is your home's front door to the internet. Everything you have connected goes through it: phones, computers, the TV, cameras, even the doorbell. If someone gets into the router, they can see and touch all of that.
First: the router password
Many routers come with a factory username and password that are printed on a label or known to everyone, like admin and admin. That's the password for managing the router, and it's different from the Wi-Fi password. Change it the same day you set it up.
Next: the Wi-Fi password and security type
Choose WPA2 or WPA3, and a long password made of several words. Avoid open networks and the WEP type, which can be cracked in minutes. Pick a network name that doesn't say who you are or where you live.
Guest network and connected devices
Most routers let you create a guest network, separate from the main one. Use it for visitors and for the devices you control least, like cameras, the TV, and smart light bulbs: if one of them is vulnerable, it can't reach your computer.
Going deeper
Why WPS is a door
WPS lets you connect devices with an eight-digit number, to make it convenient. That number can be guessed by brute force in a few hours, so on many routers it's best to turn it off. Same with UPnP, which lets devices open doors to the internet on their own.
Review questions
What should you change as soon as you set up a router?
Answer: The router's admin password and the Wi-Fi password. Factory passwords are well known. You need to change the admin one and set a good one for the Wi-Fi.
What type of security is best for your Wi-Fi?
Answer: WPA2 or WPA3 with a long password. WPA2 and WPA3 encrypt the connection. WEP can be cracked in minutes, and an open network encrypts nothing.
You want visitors to connect without giving them your main network's password. What do you use?
Answer: The guest network. The guest network gives internet, but kept apart from your devices and your files.