9 Home Network Security Best Practices to Protect Home WiFi

The home network is widely used to enable wireless connectivity. It provides convenience for internet access and online entertainment. To access social media, stream sites, and even work at home, people connect their phones and computers to the home internet. However, big threats may hidden there. The more digital traces you leave behind, the bigger risks you may encounter in the future.

How to protect your home network? This guide provides 9 home network security best practices. Follow and strengthen your WiFi now.

A home network, also called a local area network(LAN), is a technique that turns the wide area network(WAN) into a home area network(HAN) through a network cable or just a wireless WiFi connection.

It enables wireless connection among devices within the close vicinity of a home, thus providing easier access to online entertainment and remote work.

Generally speaking, home network security threats tend to refer to wireless connection threats, that is home WiFi security threats. It mainly lies on the following aspects:

- Unwanted access

Unwanted access may be the lightest threat home network owners encounter. Though, still annoying enough for the gradually slower internet speed. Let alone that any viruses contained in the download file of your neighbors who connecting to your WiFi may infect your devices.

- Information leak

An unsecured WiFi is easier to be hacked with techniques like a packet sniffer. A hacker can intercept your traffic to get your personal information including but not limited to your browsing history, identity information, and bank account password.

- Malware & viruses attack

Malware and viruses may silently be downloaded to your devices through an unsecured network. In addition, enabling the file-sharing feature for more efficient work also gives convenience for hackers to drop malware and ransomware on your devices.

Faced with all these risks, how to protect your network? Here are 9 home network security best practices.

A secure home network reduces the possibility of being hacked and sensitive information leaked. Furthermore, it will protect unwanted devices from slowing down your connection or freeloading on the internet service you pay for. How to make home network secure? Here are 9 home network security best practices.

1. Manage Connected Devices

It is not suggested to allow your neighbors or other passersby to connect your home WiFi. Not only does their connection slow down your Internet speed, but it also forces you to share the risks of their downloads.

How to check and kick out unwanted WiFi connections:

Step 1. Login to your router by entering the router's IP address and the administrative user's password to the browser.

Step 2. Find settings like DHCP, Attached Devices, or something similar.

Step 3. Check the list and kick out the unwanted ones.

Don’t know your router information? Check the following picture to see whether it is covered.

2. Set Strong Password & Update Frequently

It is necessary to set a strong and unique password for your home network. Furthermore, you should keep it changing frequently. Here are some tips about creating a strong password:

• No less than 16 characters of a password is recommended.

• Make a string of mixed-case letters, numerals, and symbols at random.

• Use different strong passwords for different accounts.

• Use a password manager to prevent you from forgetting them.

3. Equip a Safeguard VPN

Using a VPN is the best home network security practice. It encrypts your traffic, hiding it from third party tracking and intercepting. iTop VPN is highly recommended for safeguarding both home and public WiFi connections. It safeguards your online activities with powerful privacy features like 256-bit encryption protocol and transmission control protocol (TCP).

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• Get 3200+ servers to visit sites freely worldwide
• Hide your IP address to protect your privacy
• Automatic kill switch to protect your data
• Double VPN & dark web monitor for extra security

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How iTop VPN protects your online activities and enhances digital live privacy:

First-rank encryption: iTop VPN uses best-in-class encryption technology to encrypt and transmit your online information. Effectively avoid the tracking and recording of any third party such as ISP, hacker, advertiser, etc.

IPv6 servers: This free VPN utilizes advanced IPv6 protocol when others still stay at IPv4, and brings stronger protection.

Kill switch: The smart kill switch feature of iTop VPN protects your privacy even when you are accidentally disconnected from the VPN. It helps automatically cut off the local network to prevent info leaks.

P2P support: iTop VPN is believed to be the best free VPN for streaming for it provides dedicated P2P servers that enable you to download or upload torrent files safely.

DNS protection: The DNS protection iTop VPN brings prevents your DNS settings from being tampered with and hijacked, thus keeping fraudulent sites away.

VPN protocol: There are UDP, TCP, and HTTPS protocols provided by this free VPN for Windows, iPhones, and Macs. You can set it according to different occasions and goals.

How to protect your network with a VPN:

Step 1. Free download iTop VPN to your devices. It will safeguard your online activities on 5 devices at the same time.

Step 2. Connect to a server to encrypt your online traffic. There are also dedicated servers for downloading, streaming, gaming, and social media.

Step 3. Click on the Privacy Protection tool to enhance other privacy settings like DNS and IPv6 protection.

4. Never Use the Default WiFi Name

The default name of a home network usually contains your personal information like address or room number. Change it to any other random things and don’t give hackers the chance to know your info.

5. Change Router IP Address

The default IP address is easy to be found by hackers. You can log in to your router and find Network Settings, LAN, or DHCP to change and save IP.

What if you need to change your IP back on some occasions? You can write the old one down, or just restore it to the factory settings.

6. Open Router Firewall

In most cases, the router firewall is automatically turned on. You can check or enable it by locating the configuration page > Firewall/SPI Firewall > Enable > Save > Apply.

7. Create Guest Network

A guest network works perfectly when you have visitors. Login to your router to find the wireless network guest option, and set a username and strong password for the guest network.

8. Unplug the Internet When Leaving Home

Turning off the home network when leaving the room not only safeguards your net for a long time but also benefits the router for frequent restart.

9. Regularly Backing Up Data

Preparedness averts peril. A backup habit helps you stay safe from any file loss and ransomware attacks.

- Why is my home WiFi not secure?

Usually, a “home WiFi not secure” notification shows up for the router's encryption protocol. WPA2 is no longer secure. You must either modify the router settings to use WPA3 or upgrade to a new router that supports WPA3.

- What’s home network security best practice?

Using a free VPN without payment is the best home network security practice. It encrypts your online traffic and protects your privacy.

- Can you tell if someone is using your WiFi?

Yes. By logging in to your router, you can see the list of connected devices. What if you can’t tell which one is unwanted? You can disconnect them one by one to check.

Cyber threats and hacker risks are hidden everywhere. It's always better to plan ahead than regret later. How to protect your home network? Implementing the 9 home network security best practices provided in this blog to create a safe and secure home network environment. To be noticed, threats not only exist in your home network but there are especially huge risks of public WiFi, which makes a safeguard VPN like iTop VPN necessary at any time. Paying attention to home network security and safeguarding your and your loved ones' digital lives for today.

iTop VPN - Private VPN to Stay Anoymous Online

• Get 3200+ servers to visit sites freely worldwide
• Hide your IP address to protect your privacy
• Automatic kill switch to protect your data
• Double VPN & dark web monitor for extra security

Buy iTop VPN Download Now

Buy iTop VPN Download Now