Security tip: How to change your home network from public to private

By Kim Komando

June 14, 2021

Even with unlimited data plans the norm these days, most of us still rely on Wi-Fi quite a bit. Especially in our homes. Many of us have smart TVs, tablets and smartphones always connected to Wi-Fi.

One of the main concerns with Wi-Fi is hackers and snoops. If they get into your home network, a savvy hacker could steal your personal and financial information. That’s why it’s critical to keep them off your home network. Tap or click here for ways to keep hackers out of your home network.

So, should you set your home Wi-Fi network to public or private? Keep reading to find out the answer. It might just surprise you.

Hackers and anyone else

This might seem a little confusing, and it is, but bear with us for a moment. You’d think having your home Wi-Fi network set to private would be the most secure setting, right? Well, that’s actually incorrect. But don’t let the sloppy terminology confuse you.

The reality is, when your home network is set to public, it means your device is undiscoverable by other devices connected to the same network. So, in this case, the public Wi-Fi setting is more secure than the private one.

However, if you want to share files or send documents to a family member in your home on the same network or to your home printer, you’ll need to have your network set to private. For example, when the network is set to private, your printer will recognize and connect to your device to receive documents that you want to print. Clear as mud, right?

How to change your network from public to private

Since many are still working from home, there’s a good chance you’ll need to be printing documents more frequently than before. In that case, you’ll want to set your network to private. It is easy enough, follow these steps and you’ll be good to go.

• Right-click the Wi-Fi network icon on the far right of the taskbar.
• Select Open Network & Internet Settings.
• Find your Wi-Fi network and select Properties.
• Select Network Profile.
• Choose Private.

When you want to boost security, go ahead and change back to the public option. Simply follow the instructions above and when you get to the final step, select Public instead of private.

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Tags: Microsoft Windows 10, security