Home Wi-Fi security: WPA3, WPS, guest network and the router password

Published 2026-11-03 · 5 min read · By the Alian Digital team

Most home Wi-Fi "hacks" are not movie hacking but a weak password, WPS left on or a default admin password. Here is what to do.

1. Encryption

Use WPA3 if all your devices support it, or WPA2 with AES. The mixed WPA2/WPA3 mode is handy for compatibility. An open network with no password, or old WEP and TKIP, are unsafe.

2. The Wi-Fi password

A long phrase beats a short "complex" string. Do not use a flat number, a name or a phone number. You can generate a password on our password generator page, it runs in your browser.

3. The router admin password

It is a different password from the Wi-Fi one. Change it because default login and password pairs are well known. Turn off remote access to the admin panel from the internet if you do not need it.

4. Turn WPS off

WPS with a PIN has known vulnerabilities. If you do not connect devices with the button, just disable it.

5. Update the firmware

Updates close vulnerabilities. Enable automatic updates if the router can do it, or check manually every few months. If the vendor has not released updates for a long time, the router should be replaced.

6. Guest and separate networks

Guests and smart devices are better kept on a separate network so one compromised gadget does not open access to your computers. More in the article on guest networks.

7. What gives no protection

• Hiding the network name: it hardly bothers anyone who knows what they are doing.
• MAC address filtering as the only protection: addresses are easy to spoof.