When you set up your router, it has a name (also known as the SSID) and password that were programmed into it by the manufacturer. You need to change these. If someone sees a router named “Linksys” they are most going to assume that if you were too lazy to change the router name, you were probably also too lazy to change the password.

You can name the router anything you like. You may want to give it a descriptive name if you want people to be able to find it among other wireless signals. This is why a hotel might name their guest router "Hilton Garden Inn." If you do not want your neighbors knowing whom the router belongs too, then you can give it a more cryptic name. You can also choose to hide its name, but we will talk about that in a later chapter.

Changing the password is very important. The first password I try when I see a locked router that I like to try is "admin" because that is the default password on many routers. Pick another password that no one is likely to guess. Leaving the default password in place is just inviting someone to break into your router. Whether you want to share your Internet access or not, this password should be known to only you.

Why does this matter? Well, no matter how well you configure your router to be secure, if someone can gain access to your router's settings they can change those settings and unlock it so they (and the world) can use your router. They could even lock you out of it if they wanted to be mean!

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