AHN Host Internet Guide

AHN hosts are required give guests access to reliable home internet, primarily for study purposes. Guests are informed of appropriate use of the internet through the AHN Homestay Policy (Guest Obligations 4. Be sensible, safe and secure).

This guide has been created to help AHN hosts set up and manage internet access while maintaining general cybersecurity.

Risks: Sharing internet access can result in slowdowns, potential security holes, and constantly sharing (and re-sharing) the Wi-Fi password.

PROVIDING GUEST INTERNET

Improving coverage: If your house has internet dead zones and slowdown spots, your guests are going to have consistent internet issues. In many cases, you might be able to simply move your router to a new spot for better coverage. Keeping the router high on a shelf without other objects blocking the signal and in a room that's central to the house so it can easily reach all areas may improve the coverage. You may also want to invest in a Wi-Fi extender or mesh system, which will rebroadcast your router's signal to the furthest rooms, ensuring you always get a strong connection.

Enable a guest network: Most modern routers offer a feature called guest networking or similar. It is used to create a separate Wi-Fi network for people to use when they visit. From the guest network, they'll be able to access the web, but not network resources like your shared folders, printer, or other devices. That means you can keep using your regular network while everyone else uses the more limited "Guest" network (or whatever you choose to name it). Your internet service provider (ISP) should be able to assist you in setting up an additional network, but if you’re tech savvy, you could try following the directions below.

To enable guest networking, you'll need to connect to your router's management interface. This may be done by using the mobile app that connects to your router, however, in most cases you can typically access it from a web browser by typing the IP address of your router into the address/URL box.

If you aren’t sure what your router’s IP address is, you can easily find it. The most common default IP addresses for routers are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.254, or 10.0.0.1. You can find your specific router IP in Windows by searching “cmd,” typing ipconfig, and looking for the “Default Gateway” address. On macOS, check System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi > Details. Most routers have the default IP address, username, and password printed on a sticker located on the back or bottom of the device.

Once you have connected to your router, look for options that control your guest network. These settings can vary in location from router to router, but they can typically be found under the ‘Wireless Settings’ or in a dedicated ‘Guest Network’ section.

Give your network a name, make sure access to your local network is turned off (if that's an option), and add a WPA2 or WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) password to the network. Ideally, you want a strong password, but it's a good idea to make it somewhat easy to remember as you may not want to look up the Wi-Fi password every time a Guest needs access.

Share your passwords quickly and easily: Giving your guests a password that is easy to remember works well, but for ease of use, you can wirelessly share the Wi-Fi in a more streamlined fashion.

Create a QR code on your Android or Apple device that Guests can scan to connect.
If you're on the Wi-Fi and someone in your contacts has Bluetooth and tries to join, a prompt will appear on your device allowing you to approve them.
For a more "low tech" option, you can generate and print a QR code for the guest network with QiFi (https://qifi.org/) so when a homestay placement commences, they can just scan the code in the house.

IMPROVING HOSTS’ CYBERSECURITY

The following tips can help AHN hosts improve their cybersecurity while sharing internet access with Guests.

Change your router’s standard credentials: Changing your router’s standard credentials – both the network name (SSID/Wi-Fi password) and administrative login – is critical to stop hackers, prevent unauthorised access to your network, and protect personal data. Default credentials are widely known, allowing intruders to hijack the network, steal information, or use your internet for illegal activities. See above in the section about how to connect to your router's management interface, then find the ‘Wireless Settings’ section.

From there find the ‘Change Credentials’ or similar section in the settings and change the following:

SSID (Network Name): Change this to identify your network easily.
Password/Key: Change to a strong, unique password.

Then click ‘Save’ or ‘Apply’. Note that this will disconnect all devices that were on the network, requiring them to reconnect with the new password.

Update your router firmware: In anticipation of extra devices and users on your home network, it is suggested that you make sure your router's firmware is up to date with all the most recent security patches. On some routers, this is done automatically whenever a new update is released. For others, you'll find this option in the device's web interface or mobile app.

If you're still using an old or outdated router, this process is more involved. You will have to go to the vendor's website, download a firmware file, and then upload it via the web console to apply the update. This process is not necessary with modern equipment.

While applying updates, it is a good idea to check with your internet service provider (ISP) to see if you have the latest firmware and cables for your router. Usually, the ISPs push these updates out automatically, but it never hurts to double-check.

Do a malware sweep: This step shouldn't strictly be necessary as long as everyone from outside the home is on the guest network but for increased security it can be recommended. Before you let anyone on your home network (not your guest network), check to make sure you aren't infecting them with malware.

Some routers come with anti-malware tools that will automatically scan new devices when they first log in and perform regularly scheduled network-wide scans. If your router lacks these tools, purchasing a well-reviewed anti-malware program and running a scan on all your PCs keep all devices safe.

Enable QoS on your router: Quality of Service (QoS) is a feature on many routers that allows you to prioritise different types of traffic. That way, your guests’ downloads or study doesn't interfere with your family streaming in the living room.

To access this feature, visit your router's web interface as described above and look for the ‘QoS’ or ‘Bandwidth Prioritisation’ settings. Plenty of modern routers make this easy by providing a list of pre-configured services and applications to which you can give high, medium, or low traffic priority.

Kick off unwanted users: Your router's administrative interface may provide a list of all the devices on your network, but if it doesn't, Wireless Network Watcher (Windows) and Who Is On My WiFi (Mac) are great tools that perform the same function. If you see something that doesn't look right – like a laptop or streaming device you don't recognise – it may be time to change your Wi-Fi password or use your router's MAC filtering feature to boot them off the network.

Enable parental controls: Many modern routers bundle parental control software or cloud services into the management interface. If you're expecting Under 18’s as guests, or if you want to ensure appropriate usage by all guests, it may be a good idea to adjust your router settings to see if there are any built-in parental controls. These settings will usually let you block internet content by category (such as pornography or gambling sites), ban specific URLs, or limit internet access at certain times of the day.