Archives - Wi-Fi


Avoid free Internet access

When you find yourself out in the great “wild Wi-Fi West,” avoid free Internet access with no encryption. If you do use an unsecured public access point, practice good Internet hygiene by avoiding sensitive activities (e.g., banking) that require passwords or credit cards. Your personal hotspot is often a safer alternative to free Wi-Fi.

Use the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band for less interference

Is your Wi-Fi coverage spotty and slow? It might be due to interference on the popular 2.4 GHz band, which is also used by other devices like microwaves as well as popular wireless protocols such as Bluetooth. If your router/modem supports it, try defaulting to the 5 GHz band, as it is both faster and […]

Be cautious before you connect public Wi-Fi hotspots

Like on an airplane or in an airport, hotel, train/bus station or café — be sure to confirm the name of the network and exact login processes with appropriate staff to ensure that the network is legitimate. Cybercriminals can easily create a similarly named network hoping that users will overlook which network is the valid […]

Be Sure to Secure your Wi-Fi network

Your home’s wireless router is the primary entrance for cybercriminals to access all of your connected devices. More and more of our home devices— including thermostats, door locks, coffee machines, and smoke alarms—are now connected to the Internet. Secure your Wi-Fi network and your digital devices by changing the factory-set default password and username.

Tread lightly with public Wi-Fi networks

Public Wi-Fi is relatively risky to use. If you must use it, make sure it asks for a password and limit your activities to secure sites over HTTPS. Consider using a virtual private network as well for added security.

Know the difference between Wi-Fi security standards

Not all Wi-Fi networks are equally secure. Look to see if the network is secured with WPA, or preferably the more advanced WPA2 or WPA3. The legacy WEP protocol is not considered secure.