On many occasions when we try to connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi we run into certain problems that make it impossible. These failures can be caused by errors at the software level, a bad configuration or even occur due to some hardware problem. Normally we will have different options to try to solve it and be able to navigate normally. In this article we talk about an alert that sometimes appears: the Wi-Fi network is not secure . This appears in Windows and can be an alert to whether or not we connect to a network.
Wi-Fi networks must be protected at all times
First of all, we must remember the importance of always connecting to wireless networks that are reliable . Hackers can take advantage of Wi-Fi connectivity to steal information or compromise our computers in some way.
This means that we must always have a good password . That key must be totally random, contain letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and also special symbols. You always have to generate a password that is as strong as possible to avoid intruders.
Now, we must not only take into account the importance of the password itself, but also the type of encryption that we are using. This that we mention is very important to understand the alert message in which Windows tells us that we are trying to access an unsecured Wi-Fi network.
There are multiple types of Wi-Fi encryption and they are not all the same when it comes to security. In fact today there are some that we can consider as obsolete and unsafe. We speak for example of WEP encryption, which can be exploited with the necessary knowledge and tools. The same is not the case when compared to WPA-3, which is currently the most reliable.
Why Windows Says The Wi-Fi Network Is Not Secure
Windows alerts us that the Wi-Fi network is not secure when we try to access an available wireless network that is using outdated encryption. It does not matter if the password you have is very long and meets all the requirements. In this sense, the operating system does not analyze that, but the encryption it is using.
Therefore, if we are faced with a wireless network that indicates that it is insecure, either in a public place or even in our own home, the reason is that we are using WEP or TKIP encryption . They are considered obsolete, since they served many years ago as the main security measure but currently do not meet this requirement.
Why can we find old ciphers? The main reason is that we are trying to access an old router , which does not have current encryption. This could also include some public place, such as a restaurant or a library, and they haven’t changed their password or changed the network in a long time.
Even the router we have at home. Perhaps it is old and does not have more recent encryption or even due to some error we have it configured with WEP encryption, for example. In this way, when trying to connect in Windows it would warn us of this problem.
What to do if we come across this message
Keep in mind that even though this message appears, we could connect. We would simply have to accept the risks and establish the connection. Now, the normal thing is that it is not the most advisable and we could have problems.
There may be two situations in which we find this message indicating that the Wi-Fi network is not secure: in a private network , such as our home or workplace, as well as in a public network , such as a shopping center , airport or train station.
We can act in one way or another depending on where we are. We are going to talk in detail about both cases, whether we are in a private network or in a public network and we want to avoid having problems with this message.
Connected to a private network
Let’s say we are connected to a private network, such as our own home. We are going to connect a computer to the network and Windows tells us that the Wi-Fi network is not secure. This logically makes us think that something may be wrong and we want to fix it.
In this case, since the network is private and we can access the router , what we are going to do is modify the type of encryption. For this we will have to enter the device configuration. We will have to know what the default gateway is and enter with the corresponding data.
In Windows we can know which is the default gateway in a simple way, although the normal thing is that it is 192.168.1.1. We will have to go to Start, enter the Command Prompt and execute the ipconfig command . It will show us a series of information related to the network, although the one that interests us is the gateway.
Once we are in the router we will have to go to the Wi-Fi and security section and there modify the type of encryption that we are using. The ideal is to use WPA-3, although not all routers and devices are compatible. In this case we would have to put WPA-2.
Connected to a public network
Now, the other option is that we find ourselves in a public network that we are trying to access. In this case things change, since we will not be able to access the router and it is also a network that does not correspond to us.
What should we do? It is important to remember the importance of avoiding insecure wireless networks. We should not log in or make a payment on Wi-Fi that we cannot fully trust.
In case we need to browse and have no choice, our advice is to use a VPN . In this way, by using this type of service we can avoid problems, we can ensure that the connection is correctly encrypted and our data is safe.
Therefore, if we find the message of an unsecured Wi-Fi network, it means that we are trying to access one with an outdated encryption. In case it is in our power, it is important that we modify it and use a more recent one.
