Guest Wi-Fi Setup
A separate Wi-Fi network for visitors. Keeps your printer, smart speakers, and computers hidden — and your main password private.
Why a guest network matters
Anyone who knows your main Wi-Fi password is on the same network as your smart lock, baby monitor, security cameras, printer, and the laptop where you do your banking. A guest network puts visitors in a separate room with a closed door — they get internet, but they cannot see your devices. If a visitor\'s phone has a virus, it cannot spread to your computer either.
Pick your router
Not sure what you have? Look at the sticker on the back of the router. The brand name is printed there.
App: TP-Link Tether app (Archer routers) or Deco app (mesh)
Setup steps
- 1Open the Tether or Deco app on your phone and sign in.
- 2Tap "More" (Tether) or the gear icon (Deco), then tap "Wi-Fi" or "Wi-Fi Settings".
- 3Tap "Guest Network" and turn the switch ON.
- 4Type a name for the guest network. A clear pick is your last name plus "-Guest" (for example, "Smith-Guest").
- 5Type a password. Eight or more characters. Avoid your address or phone number.
- 6Tap "Save". The new network appears in your visitor's Wi-Fi list within a minute.
Hide your devices from guests
In the same Guest Network screen, look for "Allow guests to access my local network". Make sure that switch is OFF. This is the setting that hides your printer, smart speakers, and computers from anyone on the guest network.
Set a daily time limit
Tap "Access Time" or "Effective Time" inside the Guest Network screen. You can set the network to turn itself off at, say, 11 PM, and turn back on at 8 AM. Helps when grandkids visit.
Worth knowing
- •Most TP-Link routers also let you set a separate guest password for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Pick the same password for both — simpler.
- •On Deco mesh, the guest network covers every Deco unit in the house automatically.
Always set a password — never leave the guest network "open"
Some routers offer an "open" guest network with no password. Do not pick that. An open network is a magnet for neighbors, people parked outside, and anyone scanning the area. They can use up your data, slow your internet, and in rare cases use your connection for illegal downloads — which the police trace back to you. A simple password (eight characters, plain enough to read aloud) blocks all of that.
A few good guest-network habits
- •Write the guest name and password on a small card and tape it inside a kitchen cabinet door. Visitors find it without you having to look it up.
- •Change the guest password once a year. Old visitors\' phones stop auto-connecting — that is fine.
- •Use the guest network for any new gadget you are unsure about — a smart bulb from a brand you have never heard of, for example. Keeps it away from your real devices.
- •Never give your main Wi-Fi password to repair people, contractors, or short-term help. Guest network only.
Related
Quick Tip: write the guest password somewhere a visitor can find it without bothering you. Inside a cabinet door works great.