Your computer and home Wi-Fi: updates, built-in protection and the router

Turn on automatic updates, find the date your computer stops getting them, confirm built-in protection is on, and list who manages your router.

1. Updates, and the date they stop Understand

An update is new software from the company that makes your computer's system. Some updates add features. The ones that matter here fix security problems that someone has found. CISA, the US government's cybersecurity agency, says attackers may go after a weakness for months or years after the fix is out, and tells people to turn on automatic updates whenever possible (CISA, Understanding Patches and Software Updates, February 2023). An update you have not installed fixes nothing. Physical principle

Your phone and tablet did this for the phone and tablet. A computer needs the same two things: updates that install by themselves, and a written date for when they stop.

What "end of support" means

Every system has an end. End of support, also called end of life, is the date after which the maker stops sending security fixes for that system. The computer keeps working the next morning. What stops is the stream of fixes for newly found problems. CISA's rule is short: "Do not use unsupported EOL software." Microsoft's own wording for a Windows 10 computer past its end is that it is "at a greater risk for viruses and malware" (Microsoft, Windows 10 support has ended on October 14, 2025). Neither source puts a number on that risk, and we do not either.

The date matters because it tells you how long a step you take today keeps working. Automatic updates on a computer whose updates have ended deliver nothing. That is why the device list has a column called "Gets updates until." Each maker states its rule in a different way, and the table How long devices get updates gives each rule as the maker states it, with the dates checked on 2026-10-19. This section shows how to find your own computer's row.

Which system you have

Before you can find the date, you need the system's name and version. A version is the release of the system your computer is running, such as Windows 11 version 25H2 or macOS Tahoe 26. If you listed the computer in Your starting list, its system may already be in the "System and version" column. Check it again here, because the version changes when an update installs.

Windows: telling Windows 10 from Windows 11. The two look alike, and the dates are different. Microsoft's help page "Find information about your Windows device," which applies to both, gives the same path for each:

1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Select System.
4. Select About.
5. Under Windows specifications, read the edition (for example, Windows 10 Home or Windows 11 Home) and the version.

In short: Start (right-click) > Settings > System > About > Windows specifications.

A second clue is where Windows Update sits. On Windows 11 it is its own entry in Settings. On Windows 10 it is inside Update & Security (Microsoft, Install Windows Updates). Write the edition and version on the device list, for example "Windows 10 Home 22H2." Product-specific

Mac. Apple's help page "Find out which macOS your Mac is using" says to open the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and choose About This Mac. The window shows the name and version number of macOS. Write both down, for example "macOS Tahoe 26.7." Product-specific

Chromebook. Select the time at the bottom right, select Settings, then select About ChromeOS. The same screen holds the end date, as described below.

Turning updates on

Each system checks for updates by itself. What you add is a check now, so anything waiting gets installed, and a look at the setting that lets updates install without you. The table gives the short path for each. The full steps follow it.

Windows 11.

1. Select the Start button.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select Windows Update.
4. Select Check for Windows updates.
5. If updates are listed, select Download & install.
6. If Windows asks you to restart, save your work and restart.

In short: Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for Windows updates > Download & install.

Windows 10. The steps are the same, except that Windows Update sits inside Update & Security: select Start, select Settings, select Update & Security, then select Windows Update. On Windows 10 this screen is also where the ESU enrollment link appears.

In short: Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

Mac.

1. Open the Apple menu.
2. Choose System Settings.
3. Click General.
4. Click Software Update.
5. If an update is shown, click the button to install it. The Mac asks for its login password.
6. In the same window, look at the automatic update settings and turn on the options that download and install updates.

In short: Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update.

Apple notes that Software Update shows only the updates that work on your Mac. If it says your Mac is up to date, that is true for your model, even when a newer macOS exists for other Macs (Apple, Update macOS on Mac). Product-specific

Chromebook.

1. Select the time at the bottom right of the screen.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select About ChromeOS.
4. Select Check for updates.
5. If a notice asks you to restart, select Restart.

In short: Time > Settings > About ChromeOS > Check for updates.

Then write "updates automatic" on the device list, and the date you checked.

Windows 10: the dates and the three options

Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Since then it sends no feature updates, no technical help and no free security updates to Windows 10 computers. Microsoft lists three ways forward (Microsoft, Windows 10 support has ended):

• Upgrade to Windows 11, free, if the computer meets Windows 11's requirements.
• Replace the computer with one that runs Windows 11.
• Enroll in Extended Security Updates. Extended Security Updates (ESU) is Microsoft's program that keeps sending security fixes to Windows 10 computers for a set time after support ends.

For a computer that does not meet Windows 11's requirements, Microsoft's page recommends ESU or a new computer that runs Windows 11. Product-specific

The consumer ESU program now runs until October 12, 2027. Microsoft's ESU page says you can enroll any time until then, that coverage continues automatically for computers already enrolled, and that a computer is more exposed to viruses and malware until it is enrolled. ESU covers only security updates that Microsoft rates "critical and important." It brings no new features, no other fixes and no technical support (Microsoft, Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates). Product-specific

Microsoft lists three ways to enroll. The prices are given here as reference only; we do not recommend one over another:

All three end on the same date, October 12, 2027. Microsoft says one license covers up to 10 devices. The computer must be running Windows 10 version 22H2 with the latest updates installed, and the Microsoft account used must be an administrator account on the computer. Microsoft does not offer the consumer program on computers managed by a workplace. The enrollment link is in Windows Update, at Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Enroll now. The full steps are under Go deeper below. Product-specific

What to write on the device list: if the computer is enrolled, "October 12, 2027 with ESU." If it is not enrolled yet, "ended October 14, 2025; not enrolled." That second line is not a judgment of the computer. It is the date Microsoft states, written where you will see it at the next check-up.

Microsoft 365 apps such as Word and Outlook follow a separate schedule: Microsoft says they get security updates on Windows 10 until October 10, 2028. That date is for the apps, not for Windows itself.

Windows 11: the yearly version update

Windows 11 does not have one end date. Each yearly version has its own. Microsoft's lifecycle table for Windows 11 Home and Pro lists an end date for each version, about two years after it came out, and older versions' dates have passed: version 24H2's listed end date is October 14, 2026, and 23H2's was November 12, 2025 (Microsoft Lifecycle, Windows 11 Home and Pro). So a Windows 11 computer stays supported only while it installs the yearly version update when Windows Update offers it. Product-specific

The practical step: read your version in About (above), then find that version's end date in How long devices get updates, and write it on the device list. If your version's date has passed, check Windows Update for the newer version. If Windows Update does not offer it, Microsoft's page on installing updates mentions the Windows Update Assistant for getting the latest version by hand.

Mac: no published end date

Apple publishes no number of years for Mac software updates. It says only that it recommends "the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac," and Software Update shows what your model can install. On the device list, write "not published" under "Gets updates until," and the macOS version you read in About This Mac. The table How long devices get updates explains how Apple's security releases page shows, after the fact, which systems an update covered. Product-specific

Chromebook: ten years from the platform, not the purchase

Google says ChromeOS devices get 10 years of updates, counted from the release date of the device's platform: the set of parts a maker chose, which can be on sale for years after it first came out (Google, Auto Update policy). So a Chromebook bought this year may have fewer than ten years left. The device shows its own date:

1. Select the time at the bottom right.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select About ChromeOS.
4. Select Additional details.
5. Read the date under Update schedule.

In short: Time > Settings > About ChromeOS > Additional details > Update schedule.

Google adds two notes. The "End of Sale" date some sellers show is set by the maker and is not the update end date. And a "Final software update" notice means no more ChromeOS and browser updates, including security updates (Google, Check your Chromebook's update schedule). Write the Update schedule month and year on the device list. Product-specific

2. Built-in protection

Malware is software made to harm a computer or the person using it: to steal passwords, show fake warnings, spy on what you type or lock your files. Antivirus is software that looks for known malware and blocks or removes it. Windows and Macs both come with antivirus built in. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) puts the default plainly: antivirus is often included free with Windows and Apple computers, and if you make sure the built-in one is switched on, you are safer (NCSC, What is an antivirus product? Do I need one?, January 2019). Our default follows that: turn on and keep the protection that came with the computer, and keep the computer updated. Our convention

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tells people to use security software, set to update automatically and to scan new files. Its page does not say whether built-in protection counts or is enough (FTC, Malware: How To Protect Against, Detect, and Remove It, April 2025). Windows Security and the Mac's XProtect are security software that updates itself, so following the FTC's advice and the NCSC's default lead to the same first step.

Windows Security

Windows Security is the app built into Windows 10 and 11 that holds Microsoft Defender Antivirus, Windows Firewall and other protections. Microsoft says it provides real-time protection, which scans files as you open or download them, from the moment the computer starts (Microsoft, Stay protected with the Windows Security app). If real-time protection is switched off for a while, Microsoft says it soon turns itself back on. To check it:

1. Select the Start button.
2. Type Windows Security.
3. Open the Windows Security app.
4. Select Virus & threat protection.
5. Check that the screen says protection is on, or turn it on if it offers to.
6. Select Quick scan, and wait for it to finish.

In short: Start > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Quick scan.

A quick scan checks the places malware usually sits. Under Scan options, a full scan checks every file and takes longer (Microsoft, Virus and threat protection in the Windows Security app). When something goes wrong uses the full scan after someone has connected to a computer. On the device list, add "Windows Security on" to the "System and version" cell, with the date. Product-specific

The Mac: XProtect, Gatekeeper and the App Store setting

Apple's security guide describes three layers. The App Store, Gatekeeper and notarization keep harmful apps from opening. Gatekeeper is the part of macOS that checks an app from outside the App Store for a developer signature Apple has issued before it opens. XProtect is the antivirus built into macOS: Apple calls it "built-in antivirus technology," and its signatures update by themselves, separately from system updates (Apple Platform Security, Protecting against malware in macOS). Apple's guide describes no XProtect setting for you to change. The setting you can check is where the Mac allows apps to come from:

1. Open the Apple menu.
2. Choose System Settings.
3. Click Privacy & Security.
4. Scroll down to Security.
5. Under "Allow apps downloaded from," choose App Store, or App Store and identified developers.

In short: Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Security.

Apple says the App Store is "the safest place to get apps for your Mac." When macOS blocks an app, an Open Anyway button can override the block, and Apple warns that software that is not signed and checked may expose the Mac to malware (Apple, Safely open apps on your Mac). Our default: leave the block in place unless you are sure where the app came from. On the device list, add "App Store setting checked" to the Mac's row, with the date. Product-specific

Chromebook

A Chromebook has no antivirus screen to check. The NCSC's guidance for organizations says a device running ChromeOS in its default setup should not need separate antivirus (NCSC, Antivirus and other security software, reviewed May 2025). That guidance is written for workplaces, so read it as an agency's view of the system, not as a rule for your home. The protection steps that apply are the ones above: updates on, and the date written down. Product-specific

One antivirus, not two

Microsoft says that if you install a compatible antivirus from another company, Microsoft Defender Antivirus "will automatically turn itself off." The NCSC says separate products may not work alongside the built-in one and could stop it working. So a second antivirus on top of the first is not twice the protection; one of them steps aside, and sometimes they get in each other's way. New computers often come with a trial of another company's antivirus, and the NCSC notes that you will have to pay when the trial ends. If you keep a product you paid for, keep that one updated. If you let a trial run out, open Windows Security and check which protection it shows as on. Test it We do not recommend, compare or rate antivirus products. Product-specific

Browser extensions

A browser extension is a small add-on that changes what a web browser does, such as a coupon finder or a toolbar. An extension can read the pages you visit, so it can do harm. Google's Chrome help says to make sure you approve only extensions you trust, and notes that installing some Windows or Mac programs can add a Chrome extension too, in which case Chrome asks you to enable or remove it (Google, Install and manage extensions). The FTC lists new toolbars or add-ons you did not install among the signs of malware. To look at what is installed in Chrome:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Select More (the three dots) at the top right.
3. Select Extensions.
4. Select Manage extensions.
5. Turn off or remove any extension you do not recognize or no longer use.

In short: Chrome > More > Extensions > Manage extensions.

Other browsers have the same idea under different names; we have not checked their menus.

Locking the screen when you step away

A computer left open on a table is open to anyone who sits down. Your phone and tablet set an auto-lock on the phone. On a Mac, Apple's path asks for the password soon after the screen goes dark:

1. Open the Apple menu.
2. Choose System Settings.
3. Click Lock Screen.
4. Next to "Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off," choose a short time.

In short: Apple menu > System Settings > Lock Screen (Apple, Require a password after waking your Mac).

We did not find a current Microsoft page with the equivalent Windows setting that we could check, so we do not give one here.

3. Your home Wi-Fi and the router

A router is the box that connects your home to the internet and makes your Wi-Fi network. Every phone, tablet, computer, TV and doorbell camera in the home talks to the internet through it. It runs its own small piece of software, called firmware, which needs updates like any other system. If your internet company installed it, you may not have opened its settings.

The FTC's page on home Wi-Fi is the source for most of this section (FTC, How To Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network, December 2022). It points out that a router has two passwords, and they are easy to confuse:

The admin password is the one that matters most here, because whoever has it controls the network. The FTC says to change the router's default admin username and password, and the network name, and not to use your name, your address or the router's brand in the network name.

Who manages the router

Start by finding out what the router is and who looks after it. Look on the router itself for the maker's name and model, and write what you find on the router sheet. Then choose who manages it:

• Your internet company, if it supplied the router and you have not logged into it. The FTC says to ask the company whether it updates a router it supplied. Call the number on your bill, not one from a search result, and ask two questions: does the company update this router's firmware, and does it still support this model. Write the answers and the date in the sheet's notes.
• You, if you bought the router or have its admin password. Then the admin password, the security type and the firmware are yours to check, as below.
• Not sure. Write "not sure" and call the internet company and ask whether the router on your account is theirs.

Router screens differ by model, and we do not give the steps for any one brand. The router's maker, or the internet company that supplied it, is the place to ask how to reach its settings. Ask the maker or internet company

The admin password

If you manage the router, change its admin password from the one it came with. The FBI's advice on routers asks for a password that is unique and random, at least 16 and no more than 64 characters (FBI, Cyber Criminal Proxy Services Exploiting End of Life Routers, May 2025). A passphrase of random words, as in Passwords, meets that. Save it in your password manager or write it in your password book, and on the router sheet write only where it is kept and tick "Admin password changed." Do not write the password on the sheet. The FTC adds one small habit: log out of the router's settings when you finish. Convention

Wi-Fi security: WPA3 or WPA2

The setting that scrambles what travels over your Wi-Fi is the security type. WPA3 and WPA2 are the current versions of Wi-Fi Protected Access, the standard that encrypts Wi-Fi. The FTC says to use WPA3 Personal or WPA2 Personal, and calls WPA3 the newer and best encryption available. If your router offers only the older WPA or WEP, the FTC says to update its software first, and if WPA2 or WPA3 still does not appear, to consider a new router. Write what you find on the router sheet; "not sure" is a fine answer until you or the internet company checks. Product-specific

Firmware, and routers that have reached their end

Routers reach end of support too. The FBI says a router at end of life gets no more software updates or security patches from its maker, and that routers "dated 2010 or earlier" likely no longer get updates. In 2025 the FBI warned that criminals were taking over old routers with remote administration turned on and using them to hide their own activity. Its advice: replace an end-of-life router if possible, install any firmware updates, and turn off remote management. It lists three signs that a router may be infected: it overheats, the connection has problems, or settings change that you did not change. Product-specific

The 2010 line is a rule of thumb, not a date for your router. A newer router can also have reached its end, and only its maker can say. The FTC says to check the maker's website for firmware before you set up or update the router, and to register it with the maker so you get notices of updates. Write the date you checked on the router sheet.

4. Wi-Fi away from home, and VPNs

Public Wi-Fi is the network at a library, café, hotel or airport. The FTC's current advice is that public Wi-Fi is "usually safe," because most websites now encrypt what passes between you and them. The FTC notes that this was often not true in the early days of the internet (FTC, Are Public Wi-Fi Networks Safe?, February 2023). The sign of that encryption is HTTPS: the address starts with https, and the browser shows a lock. The FTC says most phone apps encrypt too. Product-specific

The risk that remains is a fake site, not a stranger reading your traffic. The FTC says an encrypted connection to a fake site "won't be safe from scammers operating the site." The lock means the connection is scrambled. It does not mean the site is honest. Checking what you read covers checking a site. On public Wi-Fi, the FTC's advice is the same as at home: strong passwords, two-step sign-in, and software that updates itself. Convention

A VPN (virtual private network) is a service that sends all your traffic through the VPN company's computers in a scrambled tunnel. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights nonprofit, says VPNs are not necessary to protect against most security threats on public Wi-Fi, because most web traffic now uses HTTPS (EFF Surveillance Self-Defense, Choosing the VPN That's Right for You, reviewed July 2026). Our default: for ordinary use of public Wi-Fi, you do not need to buy a VPN. Use sites that show https, and keep the habits above. We do not recommend any VPN. Our convention

5. When a computer leaves the house

A computer that is sold, donated, recycled or handed to a relative carries your files, saved passwords and signed-in accounts unless they are erased. The FTC gives three steps: back up what you want to keep; erase the computer with the system's own reset tool; then recycle or donate it, since most computers contain hazardous materials (FTC, How To Remove Your Personal Information Before You Get Rid of Your Computer, July 2022). Back up first (Backups), because the reset removes everything stored on the computer. Convention

Apple adds that if you are selling a Mac, you can stop when the setup assistant appears and hold the power button to shut it down. Write each computer that leaves on the device list's old devices sheet: the device, whether it was erased, the date and where it went. Product-specific

6. See it See it

Free pages from the makers that show these screens in their own words:

• Microsoft, Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates: the enrollment steps, the three ways to enroll and the questions people ask.
• Google, Check your Chromebook's update schedule: where a Chromebook shows its last update month.
• Apple, Safely open apps on your Mac: what each Mac app warning means and the App Store setting.

7. Practice Practice

Minimum: on one computer, check for updates, read the system and version, and write the update end date and built-in protection on the device list; then write the router's maker and who manages it on the router sheet. With no computer, only the router part. Time: about 30 minutes, plus the time an update takes to install; add 15 minutes for each other computer and 10 for a phone call to the internet company. Materials: each computer, plugged in and on your home Wi-Fi; your password manager or password book; your internet bill; the device list (the devices and router sheets are essential on a first pass).

1. Read the system and version. Use the path for your computer in which system you have, and write it in the device list's "System and version" column.
2. Check for updates. Install anything waiting and restart if asked. Turn on the automatic update setting on a Mac. Tick "Updates automatic."
3. Find the end date. Windows 10: write the ESU line from the Windows 10 section. Windows 11: look up your version in How long devices get updates. Mac: write "not published." Chromebook: read Update schedule in About ChromeOS.
4. Check built-in protection. Windows: open Windows Security and run a quick scan. Mac: check the App Store setting. Add a short note to the row, such as "Windows Security on," with today's date in "Last checked."
5. Look at the router. Write its maker and model on the router sheet and choose who manages it.
6. If you manage it, change the admin password. Follow the maker's instructions for your model. Save the new password where you keep passwords, tick "Admin password changed," and write where it is kept in the notes.
7. If the internet company manages it, call. Ask whether it updates the router's firmware and whether the model is still supported. Write the answer and the date.

8. Your setup Your setup

The box below reads the devices you saved. It shows the update, version and protection steps for each computer, and the router steps, which apply to any home with Wi-Fi.

9. Check your work Check your work

Criteria

• Does every computer on the device list show its system and version, read today, not remembered?
• Is "Updates automatic" ticked only for computers where you saw the setting on?
• Does "Gets updates until" give a date or "not published," and is the date the maker's, for the version you read?
• For a Windows 10 computer, does the row say whether it is enrolled in ESU, rather than giving the ESU date on its own?
• Does each computer's row note that built-in protection was checked, with the date?
• Does the router sheet name the maker, who manages it and, if you manage it, that the admin password was changed and where it is kept, with no password written there?

Worked example

The Harmons' device list (fictional) has a laptop row reading "Windows 10 Home; Windows Security on; updates ended October 14, 2025; ESU possible to October 12, 2027; not enrolled," with the date they checked. That meets the criteria for what they know, except the version, which they have not read yet. Until they read it in About, whether ESU is open to them stays open. Microsoft's own page recommends ESU or a new computer for a Windows 10 computer that cannot run Windows 11; which of those two, and when, is still theirs to decide, and the row says what each depends on. On the router sheet, "Managed by" still reads "my internet company (to confirm)." When June calls, the company's answer goes in the notes with the date. If the company says it no longer supports the model, that is the maker's or company's statement to act on, not this manual's. Until then the sheet meets the criteria: the router is listed, with who manages it, and nothing secret is on the page.

Common mistakes

• Writing the ESU date before enrolling. October 12, 2027 applies only to an enrolled computer. Until then, the row should say support ended.
• Taking "up to date" on a Mac as "supported for years." Software Update says up to date when there is nothing newer for your model. It does not say how long that will last.
• Counting a Chromebook's ten years from the day you bought it. Google counts from the platform's release. Read the date in About ChromeOS.
• Installing a second antivirus to be safer. Defender turns itself off when another product is installed, and the NCSC says products can get in each other's way.
• Mixing up the two router passwords. The Wi-Fi password lets devices join. The admin password changes the router's settings.
• Changing a router the internet company manages. Ask the company first; it may rely on its own settings.
• Writing a password on the router sheet. Write where it is kept. The sheet is printed and stored with your papers.

What is still unresolved

This chapter does not settle whether an older computer or router is safe to keep using. The maker's own statements give the dates; whether to enroll in ESU, upgrade or replace is yours to decide, and a repair shop or the maker can answer questions about one machine. Whether a router still gets firmware is the maker's or internet company's answer. Backing up the computer's files is Backups. A warning or call that says your computer is infected is Recognizing scams, and what to do after someone has connected to it is When something goes wrong.

10. Knowledge check and scenario

Checklist

• Each computer has been checked for updates today, with automatic updates on.
• Each computer's system, version and update end date (or "not published") is on the device list.
• Built-in protection is checked on each computer and noted on the device list.
• The router is on the router sheet with its maker and who manages it.
• If I manage the router, its admin password is changed and the sheet says where the new one is kept.
• For a Windows 10 computer, ESU, Windows 11 or replacing is decided, with the dates written down. (Go deeper; optional)
• The router settings are checked one by one and the smart devices listed. (Go deeper; optional)
• Any computer that left the house was erased and is on the old devices sheet. (Go deeper; optional)