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Home Network Basics

Securing your router properly, running your own DNS server, and setting up VPN access to your home from away, explained hands on.

Last updated: September 1, 2026

Securing your router properly

Basic protection

Change the default passwordRight after setup, many devices otherwise use a well known factory password
WPA3 or WPA2Turn on current Wi-Fi encryption, avoid older standards
Keep firmware up to dateRegularly check for updates for the router itself
Disable remote accessDon't make the router's interface itself directly reachable from the internet

Port forwarding

Only what's neededEvery open forward is an additional possible point of attack
Fixed, internal IPAssign a fixed address to the relevant device on the network so the forward stays stable
Unusual portsReduces automated mass scans, but doesn't replace real security

Running your own DNS server

What DNS actually does

Domain to IPTranslates a name like eliasdev.de into the matching IP address
By defaultUsually runs automatically through your internet provider, without you noticing

Your own DNS server on the network

Ad blockingA DNS server of your own can block ads and trackers for the whole network, not just in the browser
For every deviceAlso works on devices where you otherwise can't install an ad blocker, like smart TVs
Needs its own serverRuns as a small service of its own that you operate yourself on the network

Alternative, without your own server

Privacy friendly DNSYou can often set an alternative, public DNS provider in the router instead of your internet provider's own
DNS over HTTPSEncrypts the DNS request itself, so it can't be read along on the way

VPN access to your own home while away

The basic idea

Encrypted tunnelConnects your device securely to your own home network while you're away
WireGuardA modern, lean VPN software built for exactly this purpose
Access as if at homeThis lets you access your own devices on the home network while away, as if you were right there

What's needed for it

A running VPN serverFor example WireGuard, set up on a device of your own on the network
A port forwardThe VPN port needs to be specifically forwarded inward in the router
DynDNS for a changing IPIf your internet provider doesn't assign a fixed IP address, a DynDNS service helps you stay reliably reachable anyway
Worth a look

The path from away back home

Simplified view of how a VPN connection reaches your home network from outside.

Your own device, away from home
Internet
Router, port forward to the VPN port
WireGuard server on the home network
Your own devices at home, now reachable

This is exactly the principle you'd use with a VPN like WireGuard to securely access your own home network while away, without having to expose individual services to the outside one by one.