Updated November 12, 2026Agent researchedEditor reviewed

Home Wi-Fi and smart devices

Your router is the front door for every phone, tablet, camera and toy in the house. Most of what keeps it safe is a handful of settings you change once, and none of them costs anything.

Reviewed by SafeMama editorial · November 11, 2026

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Do four things on the router in one sitting: change the default admin username and password, set encryption to WPA3 or WPA2, update the firmware, and turn off remote management, WPS and UPnP. Then change the default password on every camera, monitor and smart device. That is most of the job, and it costs nothing.

The router is the front door

Every phone, tablet, camera and toy in the house talks through one box, and for most families it is a box someone set up years ago and never opened again. That makes it the best place to start.

None of the steps below needs a purchase. The FTC's guide to securing a home Wi-Fi network lists them, and most take a few minutes in the router's own app or settings page.

The router: one sitting

Change the default administrative username and password, and the default network name too. The FTC says not to use your name, address or the router's brand in the admin login or password.
Set encryption to WPA3 Personal or WPA2 Personal. If your router offers only older options even after a software update, the FTC suggests considering a new one.
Update the firmware. Check the manufacturer's site, register for update notices where you can, and ask your internet provider whether it updates the router automatically.
Turn off remote management, WPS and UPnP. Remote management lets someone change settings from outside your home. WPS and UPnP are conveniences you can usually do without.
Use a guest network for visitors, and for devices you trust least.
Check the firewall is on, then log out as administrator.

Cameras, baby monitors and connected toys

Anything with a camera, microphone or account is a computer in your child's room. The FTC's advice for cameras and baby monitors is the same short list as for the router: do not keep the default username and password, install firmware updates, and turn on two-factor sign-in where it is offered. It also suggests putting cameras on a separate network from your other devices, and considering whether you need remote viewing at all.

Before you buy a connected toy, the FTC suggests asking:

Does it have a camera or a microphone?
What information does it collect, and where is it stored?
Who can see it, and can you view and delete it?

If the answers are vague, the toy is telling you something.

Smart speakers and smart TVs

A speaker that listens for a wake word, or a TV that can collect data on what your household watches, is a router-connected device worth five minutes in its settings.

Smart speakers and voice assistants. The FTC says to look for a physical button or switch that stops the device from listening, and for light or sound alerts that show when it is listening. Check whether recordings are stored, how long the maker keeps them, and whether you can delete them or turn on auto-delete. Read the privacy policy for who can listen to recordings, and opt out of human review if the settings allow it.
Smart TVs. The FTC says smart TVs can collect data on your behavior even when you are not using them, and to find your TV's tracking settings and change them to match your privacy preferences.
Cameras that store video in the cloud. The FTC says to look for two-factor sign-in on the cloud account.

None of that costs anything. Do it before you buy a new device to fix a problem a setting would have fixed.

What the router does not do

A locked-down router makes it much harder for strangers to get onto your network. It does not decide what your child sees on their phone. That is still the job of the controls on each device, which the FTC says need to be set up on all the devices your child uses. Start with the free parental controls, then see whether a paid app closes a gap you can name. Some routers also offer filtering and schedules, with features that vary by model, so check yours before you pay for something it already does.

What to check before buying

Is the router out of updates? If it cannot update or cannot offer WPA2 or WPA3, plan to replace it. If it can, configure it first.
Does it update itself? Automatic updates mean you do not have to remember.
Can you set it up from your phone? A router you can manage easily is one you will actually keep configured.
What would the extra features cost? Some routers and mesh systems add filtering or reports behind a subscription. Decide whether you need that before you compare prices.
For a camera or monitor: does it encrypt your account information, offer two-factor sign-in, let you turn off remote viewing and still get firmware updates?

This guide is general. Your router's manual or app has the exact menu names.

How we choose

We start from the settings a router and its devices already have, because the biggest gains in a home network come from changing defaults rather than buying hardware. We recommend a purchase only when it solves a named problem, such as a router too old to get security updates, and we say what that problem is.

Free settings first: passwords, updates, encryption
A named problem before a purchase
Guidance from the FTC and CISA, not from vendors
Honest about what a router cannot protect
No fear-based selling

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Home network cheat sheet

Skip these

Remote management, WPS and UPnP left on without a reason
The router's default network name and password
A router that no longer gets updates and cannot use WPA2 or WPA3
Connected toys bought without checking what they record and where it goes

Look for these

A changed admin username and password on the router
WPA3 Personal or WPA2 Personal encryption
Current firmware, with update notices or automatic updates switched on
A guest network for visitors, and for devices you trust least
Cameras and monitors with their own strong passwords and two-factor sign-in where offered

Default passwords are often published online or printed on the device. Changing them is the cheapest security upgrade in the house.

The science, briefly

What the guidance says to do

The FTC's guide to securing a home Wi-Fi network lists a short set of steps. Change the default administrative username, password and network name. Set the router to WPA3 Personal or WPA2 Personal. Check the manufacturer's site for newer software. Turn off remote management, Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). Set up a guest network, and make sure the router's firewall is on.

If the router offers only older encryption such as WPA or WEP even after you update its software, the FTC suggests considering a new router. That is the clearest case where buying hardware solves a real problem.

The same logic runs through the FTC's advice on cameras, baby monitors and other connected devices: do not keep the default username and password, install updates, and look for two-factor sign-in. CISA's home network guidance, published in 2021 and now marked as archived, makes the same points about updates, firmware and default passwords.

Common mistakes

What parents get wrong

"A new router is more secure"

A router is only as secure as its settings. A new one left on its default password and old software is not safer than an older one configured properly. Replace a router when it can no longer update or offer WPA2 or WPA3, not just because it is old.

"Smart devices come secured"

The FTC's advice for connected devices starts with changing the default username and password, because, as CISA notes, default credentials may be readily available online or printed on the device.

"The router handles kids' content filtering"

The FTC's guidance on parental controls covers device, app and platform controls and does not mention router-level filtering. Some routers offer it, with features that vary by model, so check your own router's app before assuming it. Set up the controls on each device either way.

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