However, self-updating is not necessarily nirvana. Among the self-updating routers are Google's OnHub, Eero, Luma, the Synology RT1900ac, Starry Station and the upcoming Turris Omnia, if it ever ships. That is, they download and install new firmware on their own, much like a Chromebook. Komando mentioned, is that some new routers can self-update. Reviewers care about Wi-Fi speed, Wi-Fi range and little else.Īnother change, as Ms. Anyone can read a multitude of reviews of the Eero, Luma, Starry Station and OnHub routers and come away with no clue whether they can disable UPnP, Telnet, SSH, SMNP, WPS, IPv6 or how isolated their Guest networks really are. I don't know for sure, because no router review ever discusses the security of the router, other than to recommend WPA2. My fear with these new consumer-focused routers is that security features may get thrown overboard. It can be thought of as Routers for Dummies. More and more routers are dumping the web interface with 312 options and replacing it with a mobile app with very few configuration options. Interestingly, the router world is changing. Updating the router firmware is the last item on the list. This is not a complete list, but it would make any router far more secure. There is no reward in the consumer marketplace for router security.Īs for the actual configuration changes that can make a router more secure, I have a list of 13 items on the home page. Manufacturers of consumer routers want the software to be cheap, not secure. That means avoiding consumer routers too. Perhaps the best thing you can do for router security is to buy one from a company that cares about the software it runs. ISPs are notorious for the security failings in the way they configure routers. This leads to one of the first recommendations I make on my site - don't use a router provided by your Internet Service Provider. If a router does, then chances are that it was configured that way by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Most routers do not respond to commands issued to them over the Internet.

To hack into a router, a bad guy needs more than just an IP address and a router password. A simple Google search is all it takes to find both for just about any router make and model. It only takes knowing a router’s IP address and administrative password to get on a network. Armed with just a few details that are readily available online, your personal files and devices are at risk.

Hackers are continually looking for targets. Komando also engages in scare mongering, writing that

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