--- title: Secure Your Home Network: A Ten-Minute Checklist url: https://hdiss.net/guides/secure-your-home-network/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Guides](https://hdiss.net/guides/) - Secure your home network: a ten-minute checklist # Secure Your Home Network: A Ten-Minute Checklist Change the router's admin password, turn on WPA3 or WPA2 encryption, install the latest firmware, switch off remote management, WPS and UPnP, and set up a guest network. Each takes a minute or two on most routers. A Wi-Fi router on a shelf. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) On this page - [Minutes 1 to 3: the passwords](#minutes-1-to-3-the-passwords) - [Minutes 4 to 5: encryption](#minutes-4-to-5-encryption) - [Minutes 6 to 7: updates](#minutes-6-to-7-updates) - [Minutes 8 to 9: switch off the risky extras](#minutes-8-to-9-switch-off-the-risky-extras) - [Minute 10: a guest network, then log out](#minute-10-a-guest-network-then-log-out) - [What is not on your side of the line?](#what-is-not-on-your-side-of-the-line) Your router is the front door to everything on your network: laptops, cameras, TVs, a work computer. The government advice for locking it is short and the same across agencies. This checklist follows CISA and the FTC, in the order that gives the most protection for the least effort. Set a timer for ten minutes. ## Takeaways - CISA: change the administrator password, use the strongest encryption available (WPA3 Personal with AES), update firmware, disable remote management. - FTC: use two unique passwords, one for Wi-Fi and one for the router's admin login. - CISA and the FTC both advise turning off WPS and UPnP. - Log out of the router's admin page when you finish. ## Minutes 1 to 3: the passwords Open the router's admin page. The [find your router address article](https://hdiss.net/support/find-your-router-address/) helps if you do not know where it is. CISA's tip is to “change your router's administrator password to help protect it from an attack using default credentials.” The FTC adds that you should set two unique passwords, one for the Wi-Fi network and one for the router's admin login, because an attacker who controls the admin account can change the Wi-Fi password. Pick something long, not tied to your name, address or the router brand, and store it in a password manager. Our [password guide](https://hdiss.net/guides/passwords-and-password-managers/) explains what makes one strong. ## Minutes 4 to 5: encryption Find the wireless security setting. CISA recommends the strongest encryption protocol available, which it names as WPA3 Personal with AES. The FTC calls WPA3 the newer and strongest encryption available and says WPA2 Personal is the fallback if WPA3 is not offered. If your router only offers WPA or WEP, update its software first; if WPA2 or WPA3 is still missing, the FTC says to get a new router (see [end-of-life routers](https://hdiss.net/guides/end-of-life-routers/)). ## Minutes 6 to 7: updates Check for the latest firmware on the manufacturer's site, or in the router's update page. CISA says to upgrade firmware, since updates fix flaws and security vulnerabilities. The FTC suggests registering the router for update notices and asking your internet provider whether it sends updates automatically. If your router has an automatic update setting, turn it on. The [firmware update article](https://hdiss.net/support/router-update-firmware/) shows the general steps. ## Minutes 8 to 9: switch off the risky extras Both agencies list the same three features to disable. Remote management lets someone change settings from the internet. WPS, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, has a PIN design flaw that CISA says makes brute-force attacks easier. UPnP, Universal Plug and Play, lets software on your network open holes in the firewall; CISA says malware on your network could use it to bypass the firewall. CISA also suggests changing the default network name to one that does not reveal your identity or location. If one of these breaks something you use, turn it back on for that purpose only, and note why. ## Minute 10: a guest network, then log out The FTC advises a guest network with its own name and password. It limits who knows your main password and keeps guest devices off your main network. Our [guest network guide](https://hdiss.net/guides/guest-networks-and-wifi-passwords/) has the how-to. Then log out of the admin account, which the FTC lists as its own step, and confirm the router's built-in firewall is enabled. Last, glance at the list of connected devices. CISA suggests monitoring for unknown device connections. If you see one you do not recognize, change the Wi-Fi password and check again. ## What is not on your side of the line? This checklist covers your router and your devices. The outdoor antenna, radio, power supply and injector belong to High Desert under the service agreement, and you do not need to touch them. Do not climb to the antenna or open the outdoor radio. If something looks wrong, call 775-575-9593 any day from 9 to 5. If you are still choosing a provider, send your address through the check form. A person looks at the path from the nearest tower and calls you back, and you can ask about router setup on that call. ### Sources - [cisa.gov/news-events/news/home-network-security](https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/home-network-security) (CISA, Home Network Security, read 10/15/26) - [consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-secure-your-home-wi-fi-network](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-secure-your-home-wi-fi-network) (FTC, How To Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network, read 10/15/26) - [hdiss.net/terms-of-use/](https://hdiss.net/service-agreement/) (HDISS Service Agreement V 1.12, read 10/15/26) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/) ### Keep reading - [Passwords and password managers in plain words](https://hdiss.net/guides/passwords-and-password-managers/) - [Guest networks and Wi-Fi passwords](https://hdiss.net/guides/guest-networks-and-wifi-passwords/) - [End-of-life routers: why an old router is a security risk](https://hdiss.net/guides/end-of-life-routers/) - [Smart cameras, doorbells and plugs: basic security](https://hdiss.net/guides/smart-device-security/) - [Update your router's firmware](https://hdiss.net/support/router-update-firmware/) ## More on wi-fi and home network - [The internet is fine but the Wi-Fi is slow: how to tell](https://hdiss.net/guides/internet-fine-but-wifi-slow/): Plug one computer into the router with a cable and test it. If the wired result is close to your plan's up-to speed and the Wi-Fi result is far lower, the line is fine and the problem is inside your house. - [Where to put your router](https://hdiss.net/guides/where-to-put-your-router/): Put the router as high and as central as you can, in the open, with a clear line toward the rooms you use most, and away from metal, mirrors, fish tanks and the microwave. High Desert's cable comes in at the indoor - [Whole-home Wi-Fi and mesh: when you need it](https://hdiss.net/guides/whole-home-wifi-and-mesh/): You need mesh when one router in the middle of the house cannot reach the far rooms with a usable signal, and a cable to a second unit is the way to get the most from it. For a small or open house, one well-placed router ## Questions people ask ### How often should I do this? Do the full list once, then check for firmware updates every few months. Repeat it whenever you replace the router. ### Will a stronger password slow my Wi-Fi? No. The password and the encryption type do not noticeably change speed on modern devices.