A home Wi-Fi network is a safe and convenient solution, especially if you have many devices at home that communicate via the Internet. Should we share it with our visiting friends?
The Internet is now an almost universal good in our country. Internet cafes have disappeared from the landscape of Polish cities for good, because over the past few years the availability of this medium has increased significantly and few people can now say that they do not have constant access to the network, whether through a home device (modem) or mobile (smartphone or tablet). What’s more: there are more and more devices in our homes that also use our Internet (printers, cameras, vacuum cleaners or refrigerators are just a few examples of equipment that can be connected to the home network using Wi-Fi)
This is convenient, because they can often be controlled remotely using a smartphone – printing, initiating cleaning in our absence, checking the shopping list, etc. But what about when we have friends or family visiting? Should we share our network with people who do not live with us permanently? How to overcome such a situation when an invited guest asks us for the access password?
Home Wi-Fi networks are secured with long, complicated passwords, so that unwanted people who may receive their signal are not able to use them, thus exposing us to loss of paid transfer or, what is worse, theft of confidential, often very sensitive data. Therefore, just like the pin to an ATM card, we should not share our Wi-Fi password with outsiders who could use it against us. However, what if a person whose intentions we have no doubt about and who is not a threat to us in any way asks for access? Here the decision really depends on us. If we have enough confidence in the person and we know that the situation requires a quick connection to the Internet, then we can provide him with the possibility of a one-time connection. You can also tell her that you would prefer her to uncheck the options for remembering the password. Then we will be sure that after logging out of the network she will not be able to join it again without our knowledge
But no one should hold a grudge against us if we firmly refuse to give out the password to access our network. This is a private matter and no one should be required to give out access to their Wi-Fi left and right. You can always offer to use our home equipment, laptop, tablet or smartphone, to access the network in this situation
However, if you’re concerned about your own safety but don’t want to come off as inhospitable, then it’s worth considering a so-called guest Wi-Fi network. What is it? Well, in simplest terms, it is a separate access point to the Internet. All home devices connected to the network use one point, and for guests a separate point is configured, which even in the case of infected files or programs penetration will not be able to threaten our home network
Setting up a guest Wi-Fi network is not complicated and does not require any additional hardware. It also does not involve any additional costs for the network owner. To set up the network, follow the steps outlined below
With these few simple steps, you can enjoy the security of your data and the favor of your guests.
