Electronic Family Protection: Part Three, by Crusoe

Further reducing your vulnerability and exploitation points. Building upon the last two articles it is now logical to look at your wireless access point.  This sounds harder than it is and with a little bit of money you can make another solid leap in reducing your family’s digital signature.

How much is your security, privacy, and anonymity worth to you?

The sweet spot is to be where all three intersect, but as previously stated it severely impacts the convenience factor.  To add convenience, you most definitely sacrifice anonymity, but with some security protocols you can still have a bit of security and privacy.

When you sign up for wireless internet most use an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and their “free” router.  I bet if you look at your bill you will see that you are renting that router.

I highly recommend you buy a new router that has enhanced security capabilities.  K from Combat Studies Group sells routers already configured, but you can also buy the same router and work through the profile yourself with some basic internet surfing and patience.  I have both and for two separate use cases.

GL-inet’s new “Flint” router is a great option that has four different channels you can use that will fit the bill for most of you.  It is the same one “K” uses when you order his version minus all the security fine tuning that he does.

If upgrading your router is not palatable then at the very least make sure your security setting is at least WPA2.  Even better is WPA3 or WPA2/WPA3.

Additionally, most of you have never changed the admin password to your router or even the name/access password to your WIFI.  This is an obvious entry point into your system.  Bad guys drive around looking for WIFI routers.  When they find one, they can tell who the ISP company is and with a quick search can pull an IP address and Admin password.

If you look at your router there is a sticker that looks something like this.

The SSID is the “name” of the WIFI connection.  For example: If you go to Walmart and look for an internet connection you will see something like “Walmart Free Wireless” or something similar.  That is the SSID.  If you have not changed that then you will want to do so.

1. That is the IP address of your router. If I go into a web browser and type that into web address block, I should get the admin page for that specific router.  With your admin password you now have access to the inner workings of the router.

WIFI Key or Admin password.  That is your password.

Some Routers have a separate WIFI password listed and often most of you are still using that stock password.  Within the settings of your router, you can make all these necessary changes.

If you are having tech difficulties the University of YouTube is available or even a tech support call to your Internet provider.

One last item.

If you can get into a router, you can also use one as a repeater while travelling or even as a separate router within the same house.  I have two of the same “Flint” routers.  One is for everyday upstairs.  If my wife can stream Netflix with no hiccups all is right in the world.  I traded a little bit of security for a level of convenience.  I use the second router downstairs as a repeater of the first.  This router has all the enhanced security above and beyond the other.  All that I needed to do was give it a different IP address so that it did not compete with the other router.  This was all done via prompt within the settings menu.

Using this same methodology, you can buy a “travel router” from GL-inet or from CSG and use it while on the road, hotel rooms, internet cafes, etc

Crusoe is retired from the Air Force after 30-years of service as a flight crew member.  He spends most of his time thinking about the apocalypse and how to mitigate its effects.  When not immersed in academic pursuits, he is often on a trail hiking in the mountains of North Georgia or reading with a glass of Irish whiskey and a German Shepherd by his side.   Global travel enthusiast, history nerd, Appalachian Trail thru hiker, and recovering ultra-endurance athlete.  He can be reached at [email protected]