Last updated: November 1, 2026
Your router is the front door to every device in your home: phones, laptops, TVs, doorbells, speakers and anything else that joins your Wi-Fi. Most people set it up once and never look at it again, which is exactly why it’s worth twenty minutes of your time. This page brings together our guides on securing your home Wi-Fi and checking who is using it, in the order we’d suggest reading them.
Start with the basics. If the router’s admin password is still the one printed on its label, or you’ve never checked for a firmware update, the security guide comes first. It covers changing the admin password and network name, choosing WPA3 or WPA2 encryption, updating firmware, turning off WPS and setting up a guest network for visitors and smart gadgets. Next, look at what’s actually connected. Our device-list guide explains where each major router brand keeps that list, why your own phone can show up as an unknown device, and how to remove anything you don’t recognize.
A few rules we follow in these guides
- Your own network only. Everything here is about managing and protecting a network you own or are responsible for. We don’t cover getting into other people’s networks or devices.
- No default passwords. We never publish routers’ default admin passwords. If yours is still the factory one, the fix is to change it, not to look it up.
- Maker instructions first. Router menus vary by brand, model and firmware. We check steps against the maker’s own support pages and link to them. Internet providers often supply routers with their own software, so the label on your router and your provider’s help pages come first.
- The password change is the real fix. Blocking a device by its MAC address helps, but changing your Wi-Fi password is the step an intruder can’t easily get around.
Wi-Fi security also connects to your accounts. If someone may have had access to your network or your router’s settings, it’s sensible to check whether any of your passwords have appeared in a data breach. That guide is listed below too.
Secure your router and Wi-Fi
- How to Secure Your Home Wi-Fi (2026): change the router password and network name, use WPA3 or WPA2, update firmware, turn off WPS and set up a guest network.
Check who is connected
- How to See Who Is Connected to My Wi-Fi (and Kick Them Off): open your router’s device list or app (TP-Link, NETGEAR, ASUS, D-Link, Huawei, ZTE and others), identify each device and block anything you don’t recognize.
Protect your accounts too
- How to Check if Your Password Was Leaked (2026): check your passwords with Google Password Checkup, the iPhone Passwords app and Have I Been Pwned, then work through a fix-it checklist.
More guides like these are in our Security & Privacy section. Found a router menu that has changed? Let us know through our contact page.