The router is key to achieving a correct Internet connection, with good speed and stability. Taking care of this device is going to be essential, so you should always check safety very well. Therefore, we are going to give you some simple checks to see if the router is well protected. If you see that something fails, that you do not apply any of these points, you should make changes and increase the protection so as not to have intruders that could affect the quality of the network.
This is something you should check regardless of what router you have. It does not matter if it is a current model or, on the contrary, it is a very old device. In both cases there may be security problems and it is always advisable to increase the protection to be prepared for possible problems.
Check router security
Just as you would do with any other device, such as a mobile phone or a computer, it is good to check security from time to time. It will help you detect errors, intruders and problems that put your personal information and the quality of the connection at risk. There are simple measures that you can apply.
have a good password
The first thing you should look at is if you have a good Wi-Fi password. This is essential to prevent intruders. You should not leave the one that comes from the factory, nor use things like your name, date of birth or similar that can be found out. The interesting thing is that it is a complex key.
But do not focus only on the Wi-Fi password, but you must also look at the password to access the router settings. It is equally important and sometimes overlooked. It follows the same requirements as with the wireless network, that is, it has letters (upper and lower case), numbers and other special symbols.
You use current encryption
Are you using good encryption for Wi-Fi? Beyond the password, the type of encryption is essential to improve security. If you see that you use an encryption that is not adequate, that may mean that your router is in danger and you will have to change it to enhance security and avoid problems.
Today, the most current encryption is WPA-3. However, many devices are not compatible and you would have to use WPA-2. You should avoid outdated ciphers, such as WEP or WPA. If you use them, an attacker could steal your password and gain access to the network without you realizing it.
you have updated it
You should also check whether or not you have updated the router. It is important to correct vulnerabilities that may exist and thus achieve optimal operation. You can see the firmware version you have installed and check with the router model to see if it is the latest or not.
Some routers update automatically, but in other cases you will have to do it manually. You may have to enter the settings and look for the firmware update section, but sometimes you will have to go to the manufacturer’s website and download the file there to install it.
No unknown devices connected
Another point to keep in mind is that you can review possible unknown devices that are connected to the Wi-Fi network. For example, you can see if there is a mobile, computer or any other that you do not recognize. It could be some intruder who has managed to break into the network without you being aware of it.
This will mean that there is some gap. Some security problem has the router and that has caused them to enter. We recommend that, in this case, you change the password of the Wi-Fi, of the configuration and make sure that the firmware of the device is correctly updated.
It works well
Something as simple as seeing if it works well or not can help you detect security problems. You could do a speed test, for example, to see if what you get corresponds to what it should. To be more accurate, we recommend that you do it connected by network cable.
But you can also keep an eye on details such as possible outages in the network, failures to connect devices, continuous disconnections, etc. All this will be very useful for you to determine if the connection is going well or, on the contrary, there is a security problem that is affecting it.
In short, with all this that we have explained, you will be able to carry out checks on the router to see if the security is adequate. You can make some changes, in case you see that there is something wrong. The goal is to make it work correctly and not have problems of any kind.
