Securing Your Home Wi-Fi: A Cautionary Tale

In an effort to be a good neighbor, I recently offered the local teenager next door access to my Wi-Fi network. However, after giving it some thought, I’m starting to realize that this decision may not have been the best one.

To provide some context, a new family has moved in next door. The young man, likely around 15 years old, has recently moved in with his grandparents. Unfortunately, they’re not equipped with internet service since his grandfather has opted for the budget-friendly route. With our own recent upgrade to fiber optics—boasting an unlimited 50Mbps up and down—my initial thought was to extend a helping hand.

Initially, the young neighbor even offered to pay for the access. However, instead of accepting money, I requested that he “keep it clean” and adhere to a law-abiding use of the internet. But here’s where my concern arises: in granting him access, I inadvertently allowed him entry to my entire home network.

Reflecting back to when I was around his age, I remember the mischievous ways we could exploit network vulnerabilities. One such method involved a program that could wreak havoc on networked devices. With this memory fresh in my mind, I can’t shake the worry that my kindness could lead to unforeseen consequences.

Now, I’m considering how best to isolate his connection from my own devices to safeguard my network. I’ve come across the term “wireless isolation” during my research, but it remains somewhat unclear to me. One potential solution I’m pondering is to repurpose a spare router. By hardwiring it and placing it in a window, I could create a separate network using a different subnet, thus compartmentalizing the internet connection for the young neighbor. However, I am uncertain how effective this measure would be.

Currently, my main router is a Netgear Nighthawk R7000 (AC1900) that’s running on DD-WRT version 3.0, which may provide some advanced settings for managing device access. My home network, connected via a Bell Home Hub 3000, is more extensive than I’d like to expose to someone I barely know.

I would love to hear your thoughts or suggestions on effective strategies to isolate his connection while ensuring my home network remains secure. Any advice on setting up a separate guest network or other protective measures would be greatly appreciated!