If you haven’t touched your Wi-Fi router in a while – or switched it off and rebooted it – now could be a good time to give things a quick spring clean. Virgin Media has just published some updated advice for customers and it’s worth taking note if you want to keep things running smoothly and protected from cyber bugs and other issues.
“A quick WiFi safety check-up every now and again is never a bad idea,” Virgin explained.
“In fact, now we’re in spring, why not consider it a part of your spring cleaning?”
There are some very simple things to try and they could help boost the online security in your home along with speeding up the connection beamed around the rooms.
Firstly, Virgin says it’s a good idea to check the placement of your Hub (router) and make sure it’s in a prime position. This includes keeping it away from neighbouring or external walls.
“Finding the right spot is key if you don’t want to share your WiFi with a neighbour,” Virgin said.
“If you position the Hub away from an exterior or shared wall, it helps to keep your WiFi signal confined to your own household.”
The next thing you might want to try is to check what devices are connected to your network. Virgin’s Connect app will show you exactly how many gadgets are running through the router. It will also let you pause anything that seems unfamiliar – this not only stops rogue devices using you bandwidth but also makes things far more secure.
If you think you may have handed out your Wi-Fi code way too many times then now is also a good time to switch things up.
Virgin reckons that homes should consider changing this passphrase regularly via the Connect app. It’s a good idea to make the code 12 digits long and use a mix of upper and lower case characters along with numbers.
Another top tip is to change the broadcast of your SSID. For those not aware, the SSID (Service Set Identifier) is what appears when scanning for local Wi-Fi networks on your phone, PC or tablet. Virgin says it’s simple to make this appear less recognisable, so it’s not as likely neighbours or those passing by will try to access it.
“On the “WiFi Networks” section of the Connect app, you can swap the default network name and password for something less recognisable,” Virgin explained.
Finally, today could be a good day to switch off your router. Yes, a quick reboot can do a world of good and clear any issues or bugs that might be clogging things up.
Powering the router down will also ensure that the Wi-Fi receives all the patches and updates it needs. Just reach around the back of the box, tap the power switch to the off position and leave things shut down for a few minutes. Then turn things back on again.
“The firmware in your Hub monitors the security for your network, so it’s good to reboot your router once a month to make sure it’s running with all the security patches and updates it needs.”
Just remember that the reboot can take up to 10 minutes so make sure nobody needs the web before starting the process.
