In todays modern society and along with all devices being interconnected WiFi networks have been the defacto standard when it comes to connecting portable devices (Phones and tablets) and also less portable devices (Desktops and Consoles) to the internet and local networks and for a long time many households would have one network and that was that.
The issue with this idea
Now there are many issues that arise with letting guests on your main network but the main problem with everyone all being on the same network apart was the glaring issue of security, this is where the “Guest Network” steps in, with having only one non-segregated network anyone can read all the data which is sent on that network which obviously isn’t ideal when many people use the internet for things such as online banking and so on.
How does this guest network magically solve these issues?
There are many ways in which guest networks aim to mitigate these issues:
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Sets up firewall rules to stop cross network “talk”
Commonly these rules will be added by your provider and you will have little control over these unless you are using a third party router. This helps greatly when it comes to the issue of guests being able to snoop on your internet activity.
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Allows bandwidth restrictions to be added to guest users
This stops the guests that have been allowed access from hogging all the data bandwidth and causing slow downs on the main network
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Stops unwanted visitors from accessing NAS drives etc.
It stops guests from accessing your shared network drives where you many have important documents stored
How do I set up a guest network?
Setting up a guest network varies between different devices and providers, I will be using a UniFi configuration for the photos but I will talk generally to allow others to follow.
Instructions
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First locate your routers login page most commonly it is using an IP address such as “192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1” but this may change, you can find it by going into your device network settings and locating the “gateway” ip address.
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Once you are logged in with your credentials locate a section that says “Guest network” this may be under titles such as “Advanced” or “WiFi settings” and will vary by device so have a look around.
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Once you have located these settings start by giving it a name I would recommend “YourNetworkName-Guests” This will help keep it simple and avoid confusion. And ensure that you pick a secure but rememberable password as one of the reasons for getting ones it to not have to remember the 45 character jumble the router comes with!
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Now apart from pressing enable that is all there is to creating a simple guest network, however, I will bullet point a few “good practices” when it comes to guest networks. These bullet points will vary from router to router but the principles remain
Good Practices
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Ensure that you use WPA-2 Security – this will ensure that your network will not fall victim to common hacking methods such as brute force or even just connecting if it is set to open!
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Ensure that you enable “AP Isolation” – While this is not 100% necessary it will ensure that users on the guest net are not able to communicate with one and other and limits them to just connecting to the internet.
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