Wi-Fi at home has become a staple of daily life for many of us. With computers, tablets, laptops, phones, game systems, and more connecting to the internet (without the mess of wiring), we’ve become used to the convenience of Wi-Fi. As magically useful as it can be, your home Wi-Fi network and internet router can also be a sneaky gateway for cyberattacks from outsiders to gain access to your information.

You’ve likely set up a password for your home Wi-Fi network, but unfortunately, a simple password isn’t always enough to protect you fully. Online hackers can take advantage of weak Wi-Fi security to track your online activity, view sensitive information, and even launch malicious cyberattacks. Luckily, there are several measures you can take to reinforce your protection and fend off hackers.

Attackers frequently use preconfigured programs to try and “hack” your network based on its information and vulnerabilities. By obscuring your basic network information and by updating your passwords, the chance of a hacker’s success will drop considerably.

Check out these tips to make your home network less of a target:

  1. First, you will need to know how to log into your Wi-Fi router. For more information on this process, please see this article for instructions.
  2. Change your router login name and change the password you used to log into your router. Make sure you choose a complex password (see “Passwords and Furry Friends” for more information!).
  3. Your “SSID” is the network name of your Wi-Fi. Whenever someone wants to sign onto your network, this is the WiFi name that will show up on their device. The default name is set by the manufacturer and widely known. Change this name, and no one will know which manufacturer you are using—this will help protect you from hackers’ tricks tailored to that specific product.
  4. You can also change the password needed to access your Wi-Fi. Once again, have some fun with this, and be sure to pick a complex password. You can change this regularly to create an even stronger barrier of protection.
  5. If you want extra security, most router manufacturers let you monitor the devices on your Wi-Fi network. In other words, you can choose to “allow” or “reject” any new devices that sneakily try to access your network.

Bottom line is: Wi-Fi is an incredible resource, but it also requires a degree of responsibility to keep it secure. Try out a few of the tricks above to reinforce your protection.