Wouldn’t it be nice if you could give guests access to your Wi-Fi without worrying about them having access to everything on your network such as your files, computers, security cameras, etc.
Previously I had wondered this as well. I always cringed a little bit when I gave out my Wi-Fi password.
Even though I typically only gave it out to people I trusted, such as friends and family, you never really know if the information might be shared later.
Another concern is that you never know what may happen to a device that has your Wi-Fi credentials stored on it. Perhaps you give your password to a friend today, and maybe their tablet gets stolen tomorrow.
The thief could potentially find and access your wireless network from the tablet, or even worse, extract the password from it and share it on the dark web.
Another common scenario would be if your friend sold or gave their tablet to someone else, which could easily lead to your password being compromised.
The point is, once you start to give out your Wi-Fi password, you have lost control of the potential security implications that its distribution might bring about later.
Luckily, there is another way. Many modern routers feature guest network capability, which does exactly what its name implies – it allows you to create a special Wi-Fi network for your guests.
How it works
The guest network will have a different name (SSID) and a different password. Devices that join the guest network will still be able to access the Internet, but they will be restricted from accessing any of your private internal network resources, such as file shares (NAS), printers, security cameras, and more.
This means that you can give out your guest network credentials to friends and family without worrying so much about your security.
Additional Features
Some routers will have additional advanced guest network settings such as the ability to throttle bandwidth, define access schedules, etc.
Bandwidth Throttling
Routers that support guest network bandwidth throttling allow you to define how much bandwidth your guests can use. Sometimes, this limit is a global limit (enforced across the sum of all users) and others this limit is enforced per-user.
For example, my home broadband connection runs at 40Mbps download and 5Mbps upload. In light of this, I have chosen to set my guest user bandwidth policy to 5Mbps download and 1Mbps upload.
This is plenty of bandwidth that a typical guest user would need. It is enough for basic surfing or even streaming a video on YouTube.
It prevents a guest user from (knowingly or unknowingly) abusing access and consuming large amounts of bandwidth by downloading something large, running BitTorrent, etc.
This ensures that my family will still have an enjoyable experience online, since the majority of my bandwidth will be reserved for them.
Access Scheduling
Some routers support the ability to define a schedule for guest network access.
For example, if you only want your guest network to be available on weekdays between 8AM and 5PM, you can configure this.
Any time outside of that schedule, the guest network won’t even appear in the list of available networks and no device will be able to connect to it. How’s that for cool!?
Best Router for a Guest Network – TP-Link Archer A7
- OneMesh Compatible Router- Form a seamless WiFi when work with TP-Link OneMesh WiFi Extenders.Processor : Qualcomm CPU.
- Router for wireless internet, works with Alexa, compatible with all Wi-Fi devices, 802.11ac and older
- Dual band router upgrades to 1750 Mbps high speed internet(450mbps for 2.4GHz, 1300Mbps for 5GHz), reducing buffering and ideal for 4K streaming
- 3 external antennas for long range Wi-Fi. System Requirements-Internet Explorer 11, Firefox 12.0, Chrome 20.0, Safari 4.0, or other JavaScript-enabled browser. Cable or DSL Modem (if needed)
- Gigabit Router with 4 Gigabit LAN ports, fast access to multiple connected wired devices, Ideal as a gaming router
The TP-Link Archer A7 features all of the Guest Network capabilities mentioned above. Not only does it have the capability to create a basic guest network, but it also allows for bandwidth throttling and access scheduling.
Configuring the Guest Network features can be done easily from the administrative interface:
As you can see, you can easily configure an access schedule from the Web UI:
Configuring bandwidth throttling is equally easy:
The team here at Infravio loves the Archer A7 from TP-Link and we recommend it to our readers regularly.
- OneMesh Compatible Router- Form a seamless WiFi when work with TP-Link OneMesh WiFi Extenders.Processor : Qualcomm CPU.
- Router for wireless internet, works with Alexa, compatible with all Wi-Fi devices, 802.11ac and older
- Dual band router upgrades to 1750 Mbps high speed internet(450mbps for 2.4GHz, 1300Mbps for 5GHz), reducing buffering and ideal for 4K streaming
- 3 external antennas for long range Wi-Fi. System Requirements-Internet Explorer 11, Firefox 12.0, Chrome 20.0, Safari 4.0, or other JavaScript-enabled browser. Cable or DSL Modem (if needed)
- Gigabit Router with 4 Gigabit LAN ports, fast access to multiple connected wired devices, Ideal as a gaming router
The Archer A7 features a host of great features and specifications beyond its guest network capability, which explains its high ratings and widespread popularity.
Andrew Namder is an experienced Network Engineer with 20+ years of experience in IT. He loves technology in general, but is truly passionate about computer networking and sharing his knowledge with others. He is a Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) and is working towards achieving the coveted CCIE certification. He can be reached at andrew@infravio.com.