Your router is the front door
Every device you own connects through your router, which makes it the most important, and most neglected, device in the building. Most people plug it in, never touch it again, and leave the factory settings running for a decade.
- Change the admin password. Factory logins like admin/admin are printed on labels and listed on the internet. This is different from your Wi-Fi password; it's the one that controls the router itself.
- Update the firmware, and turn on auto-update if the router supports it. Old routers with known holes get conscripted into botnets.
- Turn off remote management (access to the admin page from the internet) unless you have a specific need for it.
- Turn off WPS. The push-button pairing feature has a long history of weaknesses.
- If your router is ancient (no updates in years, no WPA3 or even WPA2 support), replace it. This is one of the cheapest security upgrades that exists.
Wi-Fi settings that matter
- Use WPA3 encryption if available, WPA2 otherwise. Never WEP or an open network.
- Make the Wi-Fi passphrase long, using a few random words. You type it once per device; attackers get to guess it forever.
- Run a guest network for visitors. They get internet; they don't get your file shares, printers, and cameras.
Smart devices: convenient, chatty, and forgetful
Cameras, doorbells, TVs, plugs, thermostats: each one is a small computer that rarely gets updates and often ships with a default password. They're a favorite way into home and office networks.
- Change every default password, and register devices so you hear about security updates.
- Put smart devices on the guest network (or a dedicated IoT network), away from your computers.
- Buy from brands with an update track record; a $12 no-name camera is $12 for a reason.
- Unplug what you don't use. The most secure device is the one that's off.
For small offices
- Separate work, guest, and IoT traffic on their own networks.
- Use a business-grade firewall, since consumer routers aren't built to protect payroll and customer data.
- Change Wi-Fi and admin passwords when staff leave, along with their accounts.
- If remote workers need to reach office resources, use a proper VPN or zero-trust setup, never port-forwarding to a desktop.
Not sure what's on your network right now? Neither are most businesses. We run network audits that map every connected device and lock down what shouldn't be there. Ask us.