How to Secure Your Businesses’ Wi-Fi Network - Part 1

The convenience offered by Wi-Fi has made it an indispensable element in a business. Though, almost every organization has Wi-Fi connectivity, most businesses do not pay attention to secure their network. This makes the network vulnerable to cyber attacks and data theft. Let’s look at some of the router safety tips for businesses to safeguard their Wi-Fi network.

Change router login credentials
The first security measure you should take is to change the default login credentials of the router after setting up the wi-fi connection. Many manufacturers have the same default login for every router, and these credentials are easily available on the Internet. Therefore, it is important to change the default login credentials after setting up the connection. The password should be a mix of upper and lower case and special characters.

Update firmware and software
Never take firmware updates for router lightly. You might not know that these fixes are introduced to secure the device from documented vulnerabilities. Not updating the router could be an invitation to potential virus threats and malware attacks.

Keep routers at a secure location
Your router literally takes care of all the work that’s happening in the office. If somebody turns it off by chance or presses the reset button, it could mean an unwanted inconvenience. Always keep the router in a secured place that has restricted office. Keeping 24/7 video surveillance on might look too much, but it is good from safety perspective.

Set private and public access
You cannot let the guests and employees be on the same network, as this could be absolutely chaotic. Use a Service Set Identifier (SSID) to make public and private networks. This will provide an extra layer of protection to your network.

Last Words
Securing your office wi-fi network should be on the top of your IT Priority list. Failing to do so could have consequences that can affect finances, employee productivity, and growth chart. Also,  make sure that you install the most secure router because a lot of things depend on how advanced the device is and how efficiently it can work on connectivity and security front

How to Secure Your Businesses’ Wi-Fi Network - Part 2 :- https://sites.google.com/site/gryphononlinesafety/how-to-secure-your-businesses-wi-fi-network---part-2

Secure your home from intruders, digital attacks, and hackers · GryphonConnect.com

 

Installing a New Router? Make Sure to Tweak These Settings

There’s no life without the Internet and no home without Wi-Fi. It has become an integral part of our lives. We never imagined ourselves giving so much importance to the router, a device that transmits wi-fi signals in our home and keep us connected. And when you have a new router for installation, we recommend taking a step-by-step approach. Let’s look at a few router settings that need change at your end.

Network name and password
Every router comes with a default network name and password, but do not stick to it. Since every manufacturer has their own defined rules for setting password and user name, it gets easier for hackers to get entry into your network. As soon as you get the router, login to your account, change the network name and set a password. Try keeping password a little long and a mix of numbers, special character and uppercase.

Network bands
Modern-day routers come with two frequencies - 2.5GHz and 5GHz. Although both the frequency bands are on by default, you must check the status for confirmation. Also, you should know that 2.5GHz is the frequency in which your Bluetooth, microwave and other electronic appliances also work, making it more crowded. 5GHz is less congested and fast. However, it has a shorter range than 2.4 GHz. If both the modes aren’t on, turn them on so that the router can select which device to keep on which frequency.

Parental Controls
Most router with app control have restricted access, wi-fi pause and other features. If you have kids at home, it makes to activate router kid control features during the initial setup. This way, kids will have the habit of limited access to the Internet and other restrictions as well.

Guest Network
Setting up a guest network is not a bad idea, especially with so many security concerns arising over the Internet. Keep all the devices that you use on private mode and have a separate network for the guests. This way, you will never hesitate in sharing the wifi credentials and your network speed will also not hamper.

When you move to a new home or have Internet connection installed at your place, make sure you spend some time in changing the settings during initial setup and enjoy uninterrupted and safe access.

Understanding the Difference Between Fibre-optic and Coaxial Cables

If you have an Internet connection at home, there must be a line of fibre-optic or coaxial cable coming straight from your Internet Service Provider. Both the types of cables are different in nature and you must know their pros and cons, as this directly impacts the speed of Internet connectivity.

What is Fiber-optic cable?
A fiber-optic cable has small, flexible strands of plastic or glass. It uses light for data transmission, thus have more bandwidth than coaxial cables. The bandwidth with fiber-optic cable is high because the connection isn’t shared with another in the same area. This means, even if there’s congestion, the fiber Internet should work fine and transmit high-speed data to your house.

A fibre-optic cable can offer speed of up to 1 Gbps, however, it depends on the Internet Service Provider and equipment they are using. To make the most out of this blazing speed, make sure you have an advanced wi-fi router at home. If you have a mesh wifi router installed as well, it should again be able to support the speed.

What is Coaxial cable?
A coaxial cable transmits data through electricity. It is made of copper and this technology is most ISPs using after DSL and dial-up technologies went out of fashion. Though cable Internet is prevalent in many parts, it has no comparison with fibre-optic Internet transmission.

Data speed is slow in coaxial cables, but some ISPs are able to delivery speed up to 1Gbps (which is rare). Another reason for slow data speed could be that a coaxial cable connection might be shared in your area. When multiple customers are on the same line, this will reduce the speed.

Last Words
We can see that coaxial cable Internet is not as fast as fibre-optic cable. The former, however, is more economical. As the need for speed increases, there will be a steep decrease in coaxial cable connections. If you are planning to get an Internet connection at your home, make sure it is fibre-optic cable.

Protect your family from inappropriate web content · GryphonConnect.com

 

The Importance of Parental Control Feature in WIFI Routers

 Letting your children access smartphones and computers from a young age is your care towards their early digital learning progress. It can help indicate what are their interests, strengths and weaknesses. But doing so, you are also handing them the portal wherein they can become the victim to cyber threats.

To avoid such threatful situations, below are some tactics meant for parents to smoothly navigate the online world for children.

1.  Data Safety and Storage
Sometimes the usage of the internet by our kids surpasses our own. Other than exploring the wonders of the web, children use a lot of time doing school homework and other online projects.

They need to learn the concept of saving digital data for future use. There can be technical fault or damage to internet devices where all data like photos or files could be permanently lost.

For avoiding any emergency regarding data recovery, you can select from the best parental control router. It will automatically scan for websites and data backup apps online for malware or any virus issues.

2. Cybersafety as a Habitual Process
Children nowadays are much better at handling web related information. They can easily search and indulge in studies, social chatting, gaming and anything that makes them happy. If you want to letyour children learn things at their own pace, teach them the importance of online safety.

Make them know the common and natural concept of vulnerability of too much data disclosing like school, name or birth date. Let them realize the benefits of comprehensive parental controls, and ask them to take similar precautions themselves when being online. This will prevent cybercriminals from taking advantage of their simple minds.

3. Online Discipline
Going for the best parental control router available online has a huge advantage that can change the way of the online environment. If each of us adapts to the parental control routers, a clean and safe internet space can be achieved.

Many schools and colleges search for capable students through the web, like social media post pages. If you want to give your child a bright future,tracking and correcting their wrong steps will place your children on the right path. Besides, it will also improve its online etiquette.   

Conclusion
By going for comprehensive parental controls in WIFI routers, we can keep in check the privacy and security of your loved ones. All these internet measures will build an online reputation for your children, and develop a positive mindset to build ethics.

Your Guide to Buying a Wi-Fi Router

 Most homeowners opt for the free router that there Internet Service Provider offers along with the wi-fi connection. And why not? It’s convenient and not at all heavy on the pocket. Though everything looks good at the start, the problem arises after a couple of months or maybe year when you struggle to get good signal strength. Whether you are already in this situation or want to avoid this situation, this blog post will guide you more on how to buy a secure wireless router.

Wi-Fi Standard
Check the wi-fi standard supported by the router. Almost all new routers support the b, g and n standards. A router with n standard lets you transfer data at a speed of 600Mbps. The latest standard in Wi-Fi is 802.11ac that allows a transfer speed of 1.3Gbps. These routers come with better multi-antenna and MIMO support enabling high data transfer speed and multiple streamings from a single connection.

Wireless Frequency
There are two main frequency standards 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The main advantage with 2.5GHz is that it has only 4 free channels and all the devices be it your microwave, baby monitor, Bluetooth - they all work on a frequency of 2.4GHz. On the other hand, 5GHz frequency has up to 23 free channels, which means less congestion and better speed.

Antenna Range
Although there’s no definite way to measure the range of a router, the environment it is in does play a critical role. The architecture of the house, number of walls and location where the router is placed are some of the factors that can affect the range. When buying a router, you can consider dBi ratings of the antenna. If you live in a small or medium-sized house, anything between 2-4dBi is sufficient. If there are more rooms or walls in the house, look for a router with more than 4dBi.

Final Words
If you have a new wi-fi router that supports n standard, but wi-fi signal strength is still low, we recommend looking out for best wi fi mesh network systems instead of replacing the router. These mesh systems have multiple nodes that connect with each other and provide good signal strength even in the remote corners of the house.