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I recently obtained internet in my home. To stay safe, should I change the network name and default password that I was given by the provider? — Laurie

Absolutely, Laurie, you should.

The password to your router is kind of a master key to your digital life. So just as you would not give your house key to a stranger, you shouldn’t unlock the door to your home network.

I’m not suggesting a web prowler or even a nosy neighbor is looking to hack into or hijack your Wi-Fi network. But they could, and you wouldn’t want to leave it to chance.

Besides, it is good practice to change all your digital passwords semi-regularly.

For the uninitiated, the router is a box that handles the internet networking chores for the myriad devices in the home that tap into cyberspace— some via wired hookup, others through a

wireless Wi-Fi connection.

Nowadays, that’s not just computers. The slew of internet-connected devices in your abode may include televisions, thermostats, garage door openers, video doorbells, smart speakers,

appliances and a slew of other smart home devices under the collective internet of things (IoT) moniker.

AARP writer Ed Baig will answer your most pressing technology questions every Tuesday. Baig previously worked for USA Today, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report and Fortune, and is author

of Macs for Dummies and coauthor of iPhone for Dummies and iPad for Dummies.

Have a question? Email [email protected]​

Some routers are eyesores with antennas. Others are sleeker, which in theory means you may be more willing to place them in a central location to reach every corner of your living quarters.

You, or the person charged with installing your network, connects the router with an ethernet cable to the modem that delivers internet into the home. Your internet service provider (ISP)

probably sold or rented you that modem or maybe both devices.

Frequently, the modem and router from your ISP are housed in a single box, referred to as a gateway, which is what I have in my house. I also take advantage of a separate mesh router system

consisting of a base router that connects directly to the gateway by ethernet, and satellite boxes placed elsewhere around the house that wirelessly piggyback off one another to spread the

Wi-Fi signal.