Strong passwords prevent unauthorized access to online services, including social media accounts, banking services, and your home Wi-Fi network. By adopting the following security practices, you can protect your personal information while enjoying the benefits of high-speed satellite internet.
What Is a Strong Password?
Password security strength relies on length, complexity, and uniqueness. Here’s how to make a strong password, along with examples of both weak and strong passwords:
How To Make A Strong Password
Length
Length matters when creating a password. A strong password should include at least 12 characters. Passwords of 14 or more characters are even better.
Short, weak password examples include 34g3, uuy-, or 45hdgf. Strong password examples include raf8%@fgS^k and *Hi4SD49o_#jKn.
Complexity
Simple, easy-to-remember passwords like 12345, password, or password1234 are easy to guess and should not be used. Instead use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Avoid Personal Information
Personal information such as birthdays, anniversaries, and pet or family names should never be used in your Wi-Fi security settings or online passwords. Such information can be used against you if the password falls into the wrong hands.
By the same token, don't use words that are in the dictionary, or names of people, places, or things. Password-breaking “brute force” software tries combinations of words from dictionaries, name lists, and location names to guess passwords. Such software often uses dictionaries from multiple different languages, so using a second language won’t help.
Be Memorable
Passwords like raf8%@fgS^k or *Hi4SD49o_#jKn meet the criteria for password security strength because they’re random character strings, but their randomness makes them difficult to remember. Here are some ways to create memorable passwords:
Use four or five unrelated words without spaces, such as “tapebrowncircuitcompost” and replace letters with numbers, symbols, or deliberate misspellings. For instance, tapebrowncircuitcompost could become “Ta93B40Wn$ir$u1tK0M90$t.”
Take the first letters of a lengthy song lyric or memorable quote. For instance, the first letters of “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think” are Ybtybastysastyt. Substitute numbers and symbols for some of the letters and you get YbtUb&$tU$&$tUT, a strong password you can remember by remembering the quote.
Be Unique
Using the same password for multiple accounts isn’t advisable. If someone discovers your password for one service, they’ll often try the same password on other accounts. Your home network and online services should have passwords that are significantly different from each other.
Why Strong Wi-Fi Passwords Are Important
Security
Strong Wi-Fi passwords protect your online services and home network from unauthorized access, preventing potential data breaches and cyber-attacks.
Privacy
Strong passwords are essential for your online privacy. Unauthorized access to online accounts can expose personal information. Strong passwords ensure only authorized users can access sensitive information.
Bandwidth Management
Strong passwords prevent unauthorized network users from hogging your bandwidth, ensuring optimal internet speeds for legitimate users. (Learn more about bandwidth on our What is Bandwidth blog).
Best Way To Store Passwords
Remembering multiple strong passwords is difficult. Some people write their passwords down in a notebook or document file, but this has risks—anyone who gains access to the password list suddenly has full access to all your password-protected services.
A better choice is to use a strong password manager, such as Dashlane or Nordpass. Many password apps have free tiers, encrypt stored passwords, and allow you to create truly random passwords. A good password manager allows you to access your passwords across multiple devices and browsers.
Hughesnet internet plans include a Wi-Fi Modem featuring Wi-Fi 6 technology. The advanced, built-in Wi-Fi delivers improved speed with enhanced security and better performance for multiple devices. Combined with strong passwords, you can access high-speed satellite internet with confidence. Learning how to create a strong password is essential, even for reliable satellite internet from providers like Hughesnet.
