How to Improve the Security of Wireless Routers

As we all know, the security of wireless routers is very important because wireless routers contain all the data shared across the network as well as the network entry point. Therefore, measures and steps should be taken to improve the security of wireless routers. Here are the steps to improve the security of wireless routers:

Changing Your Router Password

The first thing to do is to change the router and wireless network passwords. This can be easily done through the router firmware. On the router firmware page, there is an option to change the administrator password or router password, as well as the wireless network or WiFi network password.

The IP address of your router may vary depending on your internet service provider and the router you are using. For example, the default gateway IP of a TP-Link router is http://192.168.0.1/, so make sure to check your configuration before proceeding.

When changing your password, make sure you choose a strong password that contains letters, numbers, special characters, and uppercase and lowercase letters. Such passwords are difficult to crack and they protect your router and wireless network.

Keep your router firmware updated

Keeping the router firmware or software updated is another thing that should be done to improve the security of the wireless router. Old firmware has some vulnerabilities and flaws that can be easily exploited by attackers, through this way, they can access the network without us even knowing it.

Manufacturers regularly release firmware updates that patch bugs and vulnerabilities. You should check for firmware updates for your router regularly and update your router as soon as a new update is available.

Open the firewall

Turning on the firewall is another security measure that can improve the security of your router. Nowadays, almost 90% of routers come with a firewall pre-installed, and all you have to do is turn on the firewall.

A firewall is used to protect computers and networks from unauthorized intrusion. It monitors incoming and outgoing traffic to prevent unauthorized intrusion into the network. If your wireless router does not have a firewall, then you should enable a firewall on your computer to prevent unauthorized access attempts.

Enable MAC address filtering

MAC filtering is a function that filters devices based on their MAC addresses. MAC addresses or physical addresses are the hardware identification addresses of each device.

When MAC filtering is turned on, devices must be whitelisted or blacklisted based on their MAC addresses. When a device is blacklisted, it will be blocked from connecting to the network even if the owner of the device knows the correct WiFi password.

When you whitelist a device, only the whitelisted devices can join and access the network, while other devices will be blocked from accessing the network even if they enter the correct WiFi password. ​

Turn off SSID broadcast

If you use a wireless router at home and all your devices are connected to the network, you should disable the SSID or network name broadcast. When this feature is turned off, you will have to manually enter the SSID and join the network. Otherwise, the network's SSID will not be displayed, and no one will be able to connect to the network if they don't know the network's SSID.