When it comes to setting up a brand new home network, many people end up choosing a short and simple password for their router so they can operate their internet-connected devices. Most of the time, router wizards only ask you to enter a minimum of eight characters. The problem is that when it comes to properly ensuring security, eight characters is considered too short and not secure enough password. Likewise, graphics cards are more powerful than ever, capable of scanning and guessing billions of password combinations per second. This means that your basic eight-character password might only take a determined hacker a few hours or days to complete, leaving your smart home devices and any other gadgets on your network potentially exposed. The solution? Choose a password of 16 characters or more.
Creating a longer password makes it significantly more difficult for humans or machines to crack, with a 16 character password statistically taking centuries to crack. Aiming for that many characters, which is the recommendation of the U.S. government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, is enough to give you serious protection without making the password impossible to type into something like a smart TV or gaming console. A super-fast Wi-Fi router with a secure password is a simple way to better protect all the devices you connect to your home network.
Securing your home network by going beyond password length
Making sure you have a high enough character count is only part of the security equation. If your password is 16 characters long, but it’s all lowercase letters, you’re still vulnerable (especially if it uses a recognizable phrase or word). To make your password as strong as possible, be sure to combine upper and lower case letters with numbers and a few special symbols, all in completely random sequences. Sorry, but using animal names is one of the most dangerous password habits you can have.
One of the reasons people often choose passwords that are easy to guess is because they are easier to remember; having a proper password (i.e. a longer, random password) puts a stop to this. So instead of trying to memorize a random combination of letters and symbols, find a secure password manager and let it take care of all that for you. These tools work across all your devices and can securely store logins, auto-fill passwords, and generate complex one-time passwords for you when you set up a new login, among other features, so you then only have to remember the single account password.
However, securing your home network goes beyond just setting a good wireless password. Some routers, which control all device settings, often use a generic factory connection that persistent attackers can easily find online. This connection should also be replaced with something more secure. By replacing your router and network passwords with complex and strong options, you can keep your home network secure.
