Security tip: 5 reasons you need to replace your router now
Your router is responsible for sending Wi-Fi signals to your phone, laptop, smart TV, security cameras and more. This makes you especially vulnerable if your router is hacked. Yes, that can happen.
Chinese threat actors are going after routers, telephone networks and online storage and using their combined power to target critical and military targets, steal login credentials and hijack banking information. Tap or click here to secure your home network.
Securing your router is one of the most important steps to keeping hackers out. But there’s a limit to what your old router can do, no matter how well you take care of it. Do you need a new router? Read on to find out.
1. How secure is your router?
You know the adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, this doesn’t usually apply to tech, especially when it comes to cybersecurity. Your router may be doing a fine job keeping you connected to the internet, but is it keeping you safe?
The latest security standard is WPA-3, released in 2018. If you’re still using a router that uses WPA-2 encryption, it’s time to switch.
You can run an encryption check on your router. Go to your router’s admin menu. Under the Wireless or Security menu, you’ll see the encryption status. If you have an older router, select one that starts with WPA3. If your router is not WPA3 compatible, WPA2-PSK AES is the next most secure option. Still, you should upgrade as soon as you can.
RELATED: Free check to see if your router has been hacked by criminals
2. Future-proofing your network
Wi-Fi 6 significantly improves over the Wi-Fi 5 routers most people still use. You get improvements in two critical categories: speed and range. Wi-Fi 6 routers are a considerable upgrade compared to old technology and are no longer overly expensive or hard to find.
If you have a lot of connected technology, such as your phone, computer, smart TV and smart home devices, you put a lot of strain on your network. Wi-Fi 6 can handle as many as 50 devices or more. Compare that to the 10-device limit of Wi-Fi 5.
There’s something even better than Wi-Fi 6, though not many devices can utilize it yet. Wi-Fi 6 uses the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, while Wi-Fi 6e operates on the 6 GHz band. You’ll find this tech built into many mesh networks, which we’ll get into below.
iCloud vs. Google Photos: Which one should you use?
A series of photos punctuate every milestone in our lives. Many of those photos live on our smartphones and computers. It can be difficult to organize the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of photos we snap, especially with limited storage on devices. Tap or click here to see how you can find any photo on your smartphone.
5 ways to share files that are too big to email
We all have file-size problems. Our cameras now take fabulous photos and crisp videos. Our computers can tackle monstrous spreadsheets. But all of that comes with a drawback: really huge files. So what do you do when you want to send that pile of digital photos to grandma, but the file is too big to attach to an email? In this tip, I’m sharing five ways to handle it.