How to Encrypt Your Wifi Network

Encryption is usually not the first thing that comes to mind when an average Internet user sets up their new router. For quite a few years now, people have come to think about the Internet as a utility or a service akin to one - something that's just there. However, this is a flawed perspective - unlike the power socket in your wall or the tap in your bathroom, your router can be compromised and be used by freeloaders and malicious actors alike.

In the case of nosy neighbors, well... There's always one, isn't it? If you leave your WiFi without a proper password, there always seems to be someone willing to leach bandwidth off you. So you need to tinker with the device, and make sure you set up a proper admin account and put a strong password in. That's all you need to do, right?

Wrong. Once upon a time, that may have been enough, but unfortunately, nowadays widely available and potent network cracking tools can allow almost anyone with a shred of technical knowhow and in close proximity to intercept your signal, break into your network and latch on to your router if you leave it at that.

A person that's willing to do that may well just want to leach your Internet, which is annoying, but it's no big deal to most regular people. However, the fact remains that said person is both willing and technically savvy enough to breach your privacy - who knows if they have other, more nefarious goals in mind?

The way you can keep such individuals out of your network is by ensuring that said network is encrypted. As researchers have demonstrated with the Kr00k vulnerability, there are very few barriers that can stave off the attention of technically capable and ingenious individuals who wish to attack a network. However, employing encryption and proper passwords makes it unfeasible for the vast majority of attackers to even try to break into your network.

How to Encrypt Your Wi-fi Network

1. Open a browser of your choice.
2. Type or copy "http://192.168.0.1" or "http://192.168.0.1." into the address bar. Inputting one of these addresses should let you access your router.
3. Check off, turn on or enable WPA2-PSK (this may be marked as WPA2 or WPA Personal).
4. Choose AES as your preferred encryption type (Advanced Encryption Standard).
5. If you are given the option, turn WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) off.
6. Look for any easy-access features. Disable all of the ones you find.
7. BONUS TIP: It is also a good idea to keep an eye on the router and regularly check what devices are connected to it, as well manually update your router firmware from time to time, even if you have enabled automatic updates. These updates usually contain patches issued by the manufacturer to remedy vulnerabilities in the devices' software.