Family safety
Your home network: the door most families leave unlocked
A weak router password or an unpatched smart device can give an attacker a way into every phone, laptop, and camera in the house.
How do you lock down your router?
- Change the default admin username and password on the router itself
- Change the default network name (SSID), and leave your name or address out of it
- Turn on WPA3 encryption, or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode if you have older devices
- Update router firmware regularly, and enable automatic updates if available
- Turn off remote management, WPS, and UPnP unless you specifically need them
- Put smart-home devices (cameras, doorbells, TVs, speakers) on a separate guest network
- Use a long passphrase: 5 to 7 random words, at least 16 characters total, is a solid rule of thumb
- Change shared Wi-Fi passwords every few months, especially after guests or repairs
How do you keep every device secure?
- Install app and OS updates promptly, since most exploited bugs were already patched
- Use a password manager instead of reusing passwords across accounts
- Avoid logging into sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi without a VPN
- Turn on auto-lock with a PIN, passcode, or biometric on every device
- Use an authenticator app instead of text messages for two-factor authentication, and ask your mobile carrier to add a PIN or port-freeze on the account, to guard against SIM-swap attacks
- Uninstall apps nobody in the family uses anymore
- Check smart devices, including cameras and baby monitors, for a default password you never changed
Why are smart-home and IoT devices a weak link?
Cameras, baby monitors, and smart locks are the most commonly exploited devices on a home network, mainly because so few people ever touch their default settings.
- About 70% of IoT devices are still running their factory default username and password
- Cameras and baby monitors are the most targeted smart-home devices, since some ship with the same default password printed right on the box
- Devices past their manufacturer's "end of support" date stop receiving security patches, even while they keep working normally
- Hackers actively scan the internet for these unpatched, still-connected devices, then use them as an entry point into the rest of your network
Check your device manufacturer's website for its support end date, and retire devices that have passed it. If a smart device has no option to change its password, it doesn't belong on your main network.
What are the signs your network may already be compromised?
A device turns on, off, or changes settings without anyone touching it
The internet suddenly runs much slower, or your data usage spikes with no explanation
Devices you don't recognize show up on your router's connected-devices list
You get login alerts or password-reset emails you never requested
Your router's admin password suddenly stops working
A camera or speaker makes noises, moves, or turns on when nobody is using it
What hardware and software can help?
Firewalla
A standalone firewall box for device-level monitoring, ad and tracker blocking, and parental controls. One-time purchase, no subscription required.
firewalla.com →Bitdefender BOX
Combines a network firewall with antivirus protection for every connected device, including smart-home gadgets that can't run their own security software.
bitdefender.com/box →Eero Secure
An add-on for eero mesh Wi-Fi systems that adds threat blocking, ad blocking, and content filtering into your existing router setup.
eero.com/eero-secure →Official step-by-step guidance: CISA: Securing Your Home Wi-Fi.