Home Router Tip of the Week: Terminology
November 18, 2022
Home routers, the ones provided by your Internet Service Provider, are your home network firewalls. These are the devices that let your home devices such as laptops, smart phones, security cameras, all connect to the internet. A firewall is a device that has security settings that control what types of internet traffic is allowed to happen. Without it, the only way to connect is via cellular, which can be extremely expensive.
Alaska has an incredibly limited network infrastructure. Most larger communities use Direct Subscriber Line (DSL) connections, which is a subset of 鈥淏roadband鈥 telecommunications. Broadband can include coaxial cable, optical fiber, radio or twisted pair. Twisted pair lines are your typical home telephone landlines. For rural communities, broadband is not an option, they are limited to satellite internet in most cases.
As the Internet of Things (IoT) has developed, there are more networked devices than ever before in our history, and the amount of information they put out to the internet is staggering. By being aware of what you have, and how they talk to the internet, you are better able to protect your own privacy and that of your family and friends.
Your 绿奴天花板 Security Matters team will be presenting a 鈥淩outer Tip of the Week鈥 series of articles covering different topics on how to protect your home network. However, here is a link to a printable document that is issued by the National Security Agency that will guide you through more steps.
绿奴天花板 Security Matters is a system-wide effort to increase awareness on cybersecurity topics. For more information, please visit the 绿奴天花板 Security Matters website at or email us at ua-securitymatters@alaska.edu.