ASUS router: sign in and lock it down

Plain steps for ASUS routers: sign in at router.asus.com, change the admin password and turn off UPnP.

This page is for people with a ASUS router. Menu names change from one model and software version to the next. If yours does not match, look for the words in bold, or search the maker's support site for your model number. You can always call your internet company instead.

Sign in

Open a web browser on a device connected to your ASUS Wi-Fi and type router.asus.com or 192.168.50.1. On older models try 192.168.1.1. You can also use the ASUS Router phone app.

Change the admin password

Go to Administration, then the System tab. Press Change next to the login password, enter the current password, type the new one, and press OK. In the ASUS Router app, go to Settings, then System Settings, then Router Login Configuration. ASUS recommends more than 10 characters, mixing capital letters, numbers and special characters, and keeping this separate from your Wi-Fi password.

Turn off remote access

ASUS says to keep access to the router's settings page from the internet turned off, so the page is not exposed to the whole internet. Look on Administration, then System for a setting such as Web Access from WAN and make sure it is off.

Turn off UPnP

Go to Advanced Settings, then WAN, then Basic Config, and set Enable UPnP to Off. ASUS lists turning this off as one of its security steps. More about UPnP.

Check the port forwarding list

Go to WAN, then Virtual Server / Port Forwarding. The switch is off by default, so any profile in the list was added by someone. If you are not sure what an address in that list is, see Which device is this?

Keep it updated

Go to Administration, then Firmware Upgrade, and turn on Auto Firmware Upgrade if your model has it. ASUS says automatic updates help keep known problems fixed. Is my router too old?

What we checked

ASUS's security page, its login password page and its UPnP wording were read directly. The exact place of the access-from-the-internet switch is not named on those pages, so that step tells you where to look.

See the full router checklist, how to sign in to any router, or signs a router has been hacked.

Not comfortable doing this? That is okay.

You do not have to do this alone. You can ask a family member, call your internet company, or take your router to a local computer repair shop. Take your time and ask for help instead of guessing.

Want a professional to look at it? Frequency 42 is the company that makes Network Check, and it offers IT help. You can email support@frequency42.com and ask whether they can help with this.

Then check again

Run the free check again after you make a change.

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