Home network security has become increasingly important as households connect more devices to a shared network, yet basic security practices remain surprisingly inconsistent across many homes despite the growing risk. Changing default router passwords and network names is one of the simplest but most frequently skipped security steps, since default credentials are widely known and represent an easy entry point for anyone attempting unauthorised access. Enabling WPA3 encryption, or WPA2 at minimum on older routers, provides significantly stronger protection than older, outdated encryption standards that remain surprisingly common on unmodified default settings. Setting up a separate guest network for visitors and smart home devices isolates these lower-security connections from primary devices like computers and phones that typically contain more sensitive personal information. Regular firmware updates for the router itself are often overlooked entirely, despite manufacturers regularly releasing security patches addressing newly discovered vulnerabilities that leave outdated firmware genuinely exposed. For households with numerous connected smart devices, reviewing and disabling unnecessary remote access features on individual devices further reduces the overall attack surface, since not every smart device genuinely requires internet-accessible remote control functionality to serve its intended purpose.