Router & network security: Locking the digital pantry¶

Your router is the bouncer of your digital house—except instead of keeping out troublemakers, it’s currently letting your smart fridge, sketchy baby monitor, and that one ancient IP camera from 2014 all party on the same Wi-Fi. Time to tighten security: Change the default login (because “admin/password” is just a welcome mat for hackers), ban remote admin access (unless you enjoy strangers rearranging your network), jail IoT devices on a guest network (where they can’t gossip with your laptop), and upgrade to WPA3 (because WPA2 is basically a “kick me” sign in 2025). A router’s job isn’t to be friendly—it’s to be the grumpy gatekeeper your smart home desperately needs.