If your WiFi password is your mobile number, your child's name, or the name of your apartment building, your network is not secure. In Indian apartment buildings, your router signal easily reaches dozens of neighbouring flats. Here is what you should actually do about it.
Signs Your WiFi Network May Have Been Compromised
- Internet suddenly slower with no change to your plan or number of devices
- Unknown devices appearing in your router's connected device list
- Router admin page password stopped working someone changed it
- Unusual data consumption on your broadband plan without corresponding usage
Step 1: Set a Strong WiFi Password
A strong WiFi password is at least 12 characters long, mixes uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols, and does not contain dictionary words, names, or easily guessable patterns. Here is how to change it:
- Open a browser and go to 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 (check the label on your router for the correct address).
- Log in with your router admin credentials often printed on the router label.
- Find Wireless Settings or WiFi Configuration and update the password.
- Reconnect all your devices with the new password.
Use WPA2 or WPA3 encryption. If your router settings show WEP or TKIP as the only options, the router is outdated and should be replaced.
Step 2: Change Your Router Admin Credentials
The router admin page password is separate from your WiFi password. Default admin credentials, admin/admin or admin/password, are publicly documented for almost every router model. If you have never changed them, anyone on your network can access your router settings.
- Log into your router admin page and look for Administration, System, or Security settings.
- Change the admin username and password to something unique and strong.
- Save and log out.
Step 3: Create a Guest Network for Visitors and Smart Devices
Every smart device you connect, your TV, CCTV cameras, smart speakers, air conditioner, is a potential entry point if it gets compromised. Putting them on a separate guest network isolates them from your main devices.
- In router admin settings, find Guest Network or Guest WiFi and enable it.
- Give it a different name and password from your main network.
- Enable client isolation this prevents devices on the guest network from seeing your main network devices.
Step 4: Update Your Router Firmware
Router firmware updates patch security vulnerabilities. Most Indian ISP provided routers receive firmware updates that are not automatically applied. Log into your router admin page and check for a Firmware Update option under Administration or System settings. Apply any available updates.
Step 5: Monitor Your Network Regularly
Download the Fing app on your phone. It scans your network and lists all connected devices with their names and manufacturers. Run it monthly. Any unfamiliar device is worth investigating.
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