Informative Guide on How to Secure Linksys WiFi Network
Linksys WiFi range extenders have been used by a plethora of users to get seamless internet for surfing, HD streaming, online gaming, and much more. Although they use the internet day and night, they often neglect its security. Wireless network security should be one’s top priority as every single important job is being done online. There is a possible threat to every vital and confidential information breach. There are a number of hackers out there who are always ready to target devices with weak network security. This article covers all the necessary information in form of hacks that you can implement and save your WiFi from the prying eyes of cybercriminals. This article talks particularly about the security measures about how to secure Linksys WiFi network, though the hacks apply to most other extender models as well.
How to Secure Linksys WiFi Network?
Keeping in mind the following precautions you can learn about how to secure Linksys WiFi network:
1. Modify Default Login Credentials
This is the topmost hack that you must put to use in order to secure your wireless network. Make sure you never leave the value of the Linksys admin login username and password as default ones. This is so because almost all other Linksys models have the same default credentials and the information is available all over the internet. Leave aside a professional; hacker, just anybody can gain access to your WiFi.
What you can do is simply modify the admin details now. Access the management interface using extender.linksys.com and make the necessary changes.
2. Choose a Strong WiFi Password
How do you think most wireless networks get hacked? It is because of having a weak and easy-to-guess WiFi password. The possibility of cracking the password becomes higher if the password is the default one.
Thus, use a strong password and keep the intruders away. While changing the WiFi password to a new one, keep in mind to use a combination of alphanumeric characters as well as special characters. Do not ever use your personal details like name, date of birth, contact numbers, etc. as WiFi password. Moreover, make it a point to keep changing your wireless network password every now and then to make it hard for hackers to access your WiFi.
3. Hide Network Name
After the password, it is the network name or the SSID, being the gateway to your extender’s network, which is mostly used by hackers to get into your WiFi network.
So, to keep your Linksys extender network secure from unauthorized users, consider hiding its network name from the list of network devices. Head toward the settings page of the Linksys extender and disable the SSID broadcast from here.
4. Update Extender Firmware
Linksys extender firmware update is mandatory to enhance the security of the wireless network. However, the Linksys range extender firmware updates are not only limited to providing more security. This also improves the device's performance. With every update, new security features get added to the Linksys range extender.
Get to the admin dashboard by using the Linksys extender login web address and carry out the firmware update process. Make sure that you update the firmware for the respective Linksys extender model that you own. For instance, if you have a Linksys RE4000W setup done at home, then download the firmware for this model only and install it on your device. To know more about how to secure Linksys WiFi, proceed further.
5. Activate WiFi Encryption
WiFi range extenders support different encryption languages such as WEP, WPA, and WPA2. In case your Linksys extender is using the WEP security then it’s network is easy to be hacked. Thus, make sure that your Linksys range extender is using the WPA2 security standard. This will help you enhance your security level.
6. Enable Guest Network
A guest network is a network that can be set separately to give access to your wireless network to your guests. Linksys range extenders provide its users with this facility wherein they can set up a separate network such that the main network remains threat-free in case some malware is accessed by other users or guests.
Overall, it may be concluded that by walking through the aforementioned hacks, you have learned about how to secure Linksys WiFi network. We would like to give an additional tip apart from the above hacks. Place your Linksys range extender in a central location of your home. This will help keep intruders away from your wireless network. Although the above hacks will prove to be very beneficial to keep your WiFi secure, in case you want to know advanced security tips and tricks, get in touch with our technical staff to know more about it.