How to secure your home router
Securing a home router takes about twenty minutes: sign in to its admin page, change the default admin password, turn on the strongest encryption it lists, give the network a long password, and turn on automatic firmware updates. Switch off remote management and the push-button pairing feature if you do not use them, and put visitors and smart gadgets on a separate guest network.
About 20 minutes to learnEveryday skill
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How to do it
- Find the router's admin address and default login on the label, or in its app.
- Sign in and change the admin password to a long, unique one saved in your password manager.
- Choose the strongest encryption option in the wireless settings.
- Set a network password of at least fifteen characters, and rename the network to something that does not name you or your address.
- Turn on automatic firmware updates, or check for one now and install it.
- Turn off remote management and push-button pairing if you do not use them.
- Create a guest network for visitors and smart home gadgets.
- Reconnect your devices with the new password.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the admin password as printed on the label.
- Naming the network after your family name or apartment number.
- Giving every visitor the main network password.
Quick self-check
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Teach this to someone
A one-page sheet for showing a friend, a roommate or a kid: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to secure your home router
What to say
Securing a home router takes about twenty minutes: sign in to its admin page, change the default admin password, turn on the strongest encryption it lists, give the network a long password, and turn on automatic firmware updates. Switch off remote management and the push-button pairing feature if you do not use them, and put visitors and smart gadgets on a separate guest network.
What to show, in order
- Find the router's admin address and default login on the label, or in its app.
- Sign in and change the admin password to a long, unique one saved in your password manager.
- Choose the strongest encryption option in the wireless settings.
- Set a network password of at least fifteen characters, and rename the network to something that does not name you or your address.
- Turn on automatic firmware updates, or check for one now and install it.
- Turn off remote management and push-button pairing if you do not use them.
- Create a guest network for visitors and smart home gadgets.
- Reconnect your devices with the new password.
The check question
Ask: What is the first thing to change on a new router?
Related skills
- How to keep your devices updated
- How to secure smart home devices
- How to fix slow home internet
- Every skill in Tech and Digital Safety
Words on this page
Sources
- National cybersecurity agency guidance for home users, 2026. Checked September 28, 2026.
Last reviewed . First published .