How to Make Your Verizon FIOS Router 1000% More Secure

If you’ve just switched to Verizon FIOS and they’ve installed the new router in your house, there’s just one problem: it’s set to use lousy WEP encryption by default, instead of the much more secure WPA2. Here’s how to fix it.

The problem with WEP encryption is that it can be cracked really easily—a skilled hacker can do it in a few minutes, and even an unskilled geek can do it in just a little more time with the right tools. Once they’ve done that, they can leech off your internet connection and do anything they want—including illegal stuff coming from your network.

Note: if you are using an old Nintendo DS connected to the internet, they usually only support WEP encryption, so you may not want to do this.

How to Enable WPA2 Encryption on a Verizon FIOS Router

Once you’ve logged into your router—if you don’t know the password, see our article on how to reset it to the default—go to the Wireless Settings icon.

Next you’ll want to head to Advanced Security Settings, and then click on the WPA2 option.

As soon as you click the WPA2 radio button, you’ll be taken to the screen where you can enter more details about the encryption—like the all-important shared key. Make sure it’s something long, like a full sentence, which is easy to remember, but much harder to be cracked with a brute force attack.

Note: if you were connected to the router over your Wi-Fi connection, it’s going to immediately disconnect you, and you’re going to have to connect to the network again using the new password.