5 Important Router Security Settings That You Should Change

A wireless router is an important part of every household these days, as it provides us with access to the internet and you can find a wireless router in almost every house. So, right after you set up your wireless router and configure it to access the internet, you should try to secure the router and prevent any unauthorized person from accessing the network. Since most people are not sure what to do in order to secure their router, we have discussed below 5 important router security settings that you should change after setting your router.

1. Change the Default Admin Password

Right after you set up your wireless router, you should change the default admin password. If you don’t know what the default admin password is, it is the password that allows you to access the router’s settings interface, such as Sky router settings, and change all the settings and configuration of the router from there. By default, the username and password are easy to guess and find online and anyone connected to the network can make unnecessary and unauthorized changes to the settings of the router.

So after you set up your router, change the default admin password and create a strong and unique password. This is an important setting change that you must do to secure your router and all devices connected to the network.

2. Enable WPA3 Encryption

So now that you have secured your router, the next step is securing your wireless network. This can be done by enabling the encryption option through the settings interface of the router. The settings interface of the router is accessible through http://192.168.1.254/. Once you access the settings interface, go to the wireless security section and enable WPA3 or WPA2 encryption. 

Currently, the industry standard encryption protocol is WPA3 and it is available in all modern web routers, but if your router doesn’t have this encryption protocol, you can still use the WPA2 encryption. Anything apart from WPA3 or WPA2 is not safe enough to keep your wireless network secure.

3. Disable Remote Access

Another important security setting that you should consider changing after setting up your router is remote access. On some routers, this feature is enabled by default and it enables you to access your router’s web interface or settings from anywhere on the internet. While as convenient as it may sound, it can also put your network and router at risk, as someone might be remotely toying with your router without you even knowing it.

So, right after you have set up your router, visit the router’s web interface and see if the remote access feature is enabled or not. In case it is enabled, you can turn it off. You can find this feature usually under the Remote Management, Advanced, or Firewall tab.

4. Enable MAC Address Filtering

If you really want to make your router impenetrable, an important security setting that you can do is implement MAC address filtering. MAC address filtering can add an additional layer of security to your network, preventing unauthorized devices from accessing the network. This feature lets you specify which devices can connect to your network or which devices are prohibited from connecting to your network based on their hardware address or MAC address.

By enabling this feature, you can authorize your home-held devices on the network and restrict access of unauthorized devices to the network. So even after knowing your network’s password, unauthorized devices would still not be able to join the network.

5. Set Up a Guest Network

Lastly, you should not provide guests with access to your main network. If you frequently have visitors who want to access the network, you should set up a guest network for them instead of giving them access to your primary network. A guest network is a separate network from your primary network, having its own SSID, passphrase, and settings. By setting up a guest network, you can separate your primary network from the guest network and enable guests to access the internet without accessing the main network or connecting with devices on the main network.