With more and more portable and mobile devices using wireless internet every day, WiFi in the office and at home has become simply a cost of doing business. Employees and clients alike essentially demand to connect their laptops throughout one’s office space. For years, large business have been using WiFi extenders/repeaters to boost the range of their WiFi network and cover all of their office space.
Becoming More Widespread
As such, these devices have become now a consumer and small business favorite as the price points have come down drastically – extended WiFi now costs under $100 and the products work extremely well. However, we must ask the critical question: What are the security risks associated with a WiFi extender?
Increased Risk is Real
A WiFi extender does raise an additional need for mitigating security risks. First of all, your network now has a bigger range, exposing more potential people who might try to get in. Next, it creates a second “point of entry.” Your router could be locked up properly, but if your extender is repeating an unsecured connection, your network is still sitting open.
What You Can Do
Experts tend to recommend following the manufacturer’s instruction; generally, the latest security features are set by default on most of the better devices. However, recent IOT exploits (where devices like smart TVs and baby monitors were being used to attack websites) suggest that it is a good idea to go further in locking down your extender. Some of these techniques include activating encryption, changing default passwords, activating MAC filtering, and hiding the SSID among others.
We are security experts and would be happy to explore how you can expand the breadth of your WiFi while maintaining security. With questions, please contact Superior Technology at 845-735-3555 or online at www.superiortechnology.com.
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