If you own a wireless router at home or in your office, it is normal for visitors who come to visit to connect to and make use of your wireless network, people do this as a kind and charitable gesture and to keep their visitors relaxed. But while this gesture might seem like a good thing to do, you are equally setting your devices up to huge security risks and possible misuse of internet data. Let say a customer visits your office and connects to the wireless network, and while surfing the web, somehow downloads a malware, there’s a very high chance that your device and other devices that get connected would be affected by that malware.
In this article, we will discuss how to use Guest Network to keep your device safe from malware and misuse of data.
What is Guest Network
A Guest Network is a security feature for a wireless router which allows individuals to set up a separate network (on the same router) for visitors and other devices. With Guest network, you can give visitors access to your Internet connection without sharing your Wi-Fi password and also limit what they can access on the internet through your router. Also, devices on the main network stay protected from whatever threat or malicious activity present on the guest network.
When you set up a guest network, it’ll have its own SSID (network name) and password which will be totally different from the login credentials of the primary local network.
Note– Not all routers support the guest network feature, old or low-end routers do not support the feature, you might need to get a modern home and business class router. Make sure you check your router manufacturer’s Web site and documentation to know whether it supports the guest network feature. Also, Some routers support only one guest network at a time while others can run multiple networks at the same time.
How to set up a Guest Network
- Log on to the administrator’s interface or web management panel of your router and activate the guest network feature.
- You will see ‘Guest network’ ‘Guest Zone’ or ‘Guest Access’ depending on the router type. Also, Some router devices have a guest network option disabled by default; you’ll need to toggle the ‘on/off’ option to control it. If you are unable to find it, you will need to check your router manual or visit your manufacturer’s website for better info.
- Set up the Guest network name and password you want a visitor to see on their devices.
- Go ahead and configure other settings like the SSID Broadcast on/off which allows their network name(s) to be found on devices scanning for nearby Wi-Fi networks.
- Enable other security options like allowing or restricting the guest network’s access to either the Internet or just local home network resources (file shares).
- Set up the maximum number of guests allowed on the network.
