A home router is your gateway to the Internet. When configured correctly to be secure, your home router can act as a first line of defense against network intruders. Configured incorrectly, however, and your router can be an open door allowing hackers and cyber-criminals to infiltrate your network and potentially access your computers and files.
Configuring a home router isn’t complicated, but many people don’t make needed changes to the default settings when they set up the device–and you might be one of them, but it’s okay, we’re here to help! Have you changed the default settings in your home router? When was the last time you checked your router settings to be sure it’s as secure as can be? Follow along below, and we’ll show you the main settings you can change right now to ensure your home router is secure and protects you from hackers.
Read the rest of the article on The Mac Security Blog.
“Also, some routers provide two Wi-Fi networks: one using the older, slower 2.4 GHz spectrum, and another using 5 GHz. Depending on your devices, you may not need both of these turned on. Check to see whether you can turn off one of these networks; doing so is more secure, and it could speed up your network throughput a bit.”
I’ve never heard a security researcher make this recommendation before, so I’d love to hear a technical explanation for why this would be “more secure” than running both bands.
Also, 5 GHz penetrates walls much more poorly than 2.4 GHz, due to the former having a much shorter wavelength. So unless all your devices are in relative close proximity to your router, I fear that you’d have a poor experience with only 5 GHz.
“Also, some routers provide two Wi-Fi networks: one using the older, slower 2.4 GHz spectrum, and another using 5 GHz. Depending on your devices, you may not need both of these turned on. Check to see whether you can turn off one of these networks; doing so is more secure, and it could speed up your network throughput a bit.”
I’ve never heard a security researcher make this recommendation before, so I’d love to hear a technical explanation for why this would be “more secure” than running both bands.
Also, 5 GHz penetrates walls much more poorly than 2.4 GHz, due to the former having a much shorter wavelength. So unless all your devices are in relative close proximity to your router, I fear that you’d have a poor experience with only 5 GHz.