There is no doubt that the router is a very important piece to connect to the Internet. If this device fails, we cannot access the network from the computer, mobile or any device. Therefore, keeping it in good condition is essential. In this article we tell you what you should avoid doing on your router so it doesn’t start to malfunction. The goal is to achieve good speed, coverage, and connection stability.
Mistakes you should avoid in your router
You should avoid making these mistakes for different reasons. On the one hand, there is security, which is essential whenever we talk about devices connected to the network. But we must also mention usability and the ability to achieve a optimal router performance so you can have good speed and quality.
Have an open network or weak security
A major mistake is not having the Wi-Fi network well protected. Perhaps for convenience, to avoid having to enter a password when you connect, you decide to leave the network open. You think that no one is going to break into your network, but actually it is a major problem. Anyone within range could access it, be it a neighbor or just anyone passing by on the street.
But it is also a mistake to use weak security. For example, you should never put a short password, easy to memorize or even leave the one that comes from the factory. That could allow a hypothetical attacker to easily steal it and cause your network to perform poorly, with slow speeds or outages.
enable WPS
The wps setup it is something that can pose a risk to the security of the router. It’s basically a little button that comes with many models, especially the older ones, and serves to automatically pair other devices. For example, link a repeater without having to configure anything else.
This may seem useful, as it saves us time and makes everything easier, but it can pose a security risk. It could have vulnerabilities and an attacker could exploit them to gain access to the network. Therefore, enabling WPS today is a security risk and should be avoided.
Disable updates
Of course, something you shouldn’t do either is disable updates. Maybe you don’t want it to update automatically because you think it can affect performance or cause some kind of problem. This is a mistake, since precisely the updates can save you from many problems.
Sometimes vulnerabilities appear that put the router’s operation at risk. By installing the latest versions of the firmware we can correct these failures and prevent them from affecting us.
Change password encryption for old computers
You may have an old device that doesn’t support WPA-2, for example. That will make it unable to connect to the network. You are going to have problems entering the password and that device will not have a connection. Maybe you think about configuring another cipher, some older one, to be able to connect it.
But this is a problem. Think that encrypted as WPA or WEP They are outdated and insecure. An attacker could figure out your password if you use any of these old protocols.
Make no mistake when placing the router
This error is very present. Sometimes we put the router anywhere for comfort or ease. But it is a problem that can affect performance quite a bit. You could put it in a place far from where you really need it to have coverage or in an area where there is a lot of interference.
The ideal is to place it in a central location of the house. Do not put it near devices such as a television or any device that uses Bluetooth, since it uses the 2.4 GHz frequency and can cause interference.
As you can see, taking care of this device is essential. You can always know if the router works well and avoid problems. Carrying out a periodic review is important to achieve full operation and not have any errors.
