Benefits of having Guest WiFi Networking
Guest network provides a way for users to access someone else’s home network with limited permission. On the other hand, they are operated by businesses but have become more common on home networks as well. In the field of home networking, a guest network is a subnet (local network) controlled by the router that controls its primary local network safely and securely.
Guest networks are proven a lot helpful in improving network security. With a guest network, for e.g., you can give friends and relatives access to your Internet connection without sharing the WiFi password.
On the other hand, guest networks strictly limit what information inside your home network that they can view or see easily. In addition, they also keep the primary network protected from network worms, cybercriminals, and anonymous people that could otherwise be spread to other computers, laptop or mobile devices if a visitor plugs in an infected networking or internet device.
Does Your Router Support a Guest Network?
Only business class WiFi routers and some kinds of home networking routers have in-built guest network capability. For this, check the manufacturer’s website and documentation to know whether yours does or not. Moreover, log in to your router’s administrative interface and look for linked or associated menu options. Most of them have a Guest Network configuration section, with some exceptions:
- Linksys supports a Guest Access tool via Linksys Smart WiFi remote management interface.
Note: To access any feature of the wireless router, you must register your device at Linksys cloud account.
Conversely, various routers support only one (1) guest network while at the same time others can run multiple of them. On the other hand, dual-band wireless routers support two — one on the 2.4GHz band and other on the 5GHz band.
Tactics to Set up a Guest WiFi Network with Ease
Follow these rose petal basic steps to set up a guest network:
- First of all, log in to the router’s administrator interface and activate the guest network feature.
- After that, confirm the network’s name (SSID). Guest networks on home routers operate using a different SSID (network name) than the primary network of a wireless router.
- Now, enable or disable SSID broadcast. Home networking routers normally keep SSID broadcast enable, which allows their network name(s) to be found on devices scanning for nearby active and available WiFi networks. Turning off broadcast hides the name from device scans and requires guests, friends or relatives to configure their internet connections manually. Some people acquire to turn off or disable SSID broadcast for guest networks to avoid their household from seeing two (2) different names.
- Next, enter the WiFi security settings. Home networking routers support using different passwords (security keys or passphrases) between the primary and guest networks. For example, Linksys routers use a unique password (default) of relatives and friends for logging into their guest networks. Here, we also recommend to change the default settings and choose a strong password that is easy enough to remember and hard enough to detect by unknown people.
- Enable other security options as per your need. Home network routers can restrict the guest network’s access to either internet or the local home network resources. Conversely, some routers allow guest access to the internet or WiFi connection and not to local network while others make it an option. So, if your home router has the option, enable guest network feature to surf the Internet only.
- Verify the maximum number of allowed relatives and friends. Home networking routers place a configurable limit on how many devices is capable of joining a guest network. So, set the limit to a low number of devices if you are concerned about too many visitors hopping onto your internet connection.
If you still have something to ask about the guest network feature, visit http://extender.linksys.com or call our technical department at toll-free number 1-844-726-2255. We are the solution providers of Linksys that are sitting beside users to help them in any manner.
Using a Guest Network
Joining a guest wireless network works similarly as connecting to a public hotspot. A member of household should provide the network’s name (SSID) and give the security key (password) assuming that they have safely and properly enabled one. On the other hand, the most common cause of guest network connection failures is using wrong network name and password.
So, be polite and ask before joining someone else guest network. In case you plan to use the internet connection heavily, tell the owner of that network in advance.
Moreover, if you are about to access Linksys extender login page for the setup and configuration of your signal booster (extender) then it is suggested to use your personal WiFi only.