diff --git a/client/src/components/Lobby.jsx b/client/src/components/Lobby.jsx
index 3494c4e..291d270 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Lobby.jsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Lobby.jsx
@@ -26,6 +26,13 @@ const LobbyScreen = () => {
 
     const handleJoinRoom = useCallback((data) => {
         const { email, room } = data;
+        
+        // Store user session data
+        if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+            localStorage.setItem('userEmail', email);
+            localStorage.setItem('currentRoom', room);
+        }
+        
         setIsLoading(false);
         router.push(`/room/${room}`);
     }, [router]);
@@ -34,6 +41,7 @@ const LobbyScreen = () => {
         socket.on("room:join", handleJoinRoom);
         socket.on("error", (error) => {
             console.error('Socket error:', error);
+            alert(`Error: ${error.message || 'Failed to join room. Please check your room ID format (letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores only).'}`);
             setIsLoading(false);
         });
         
@@ -121,9 +129,9 @@ const LobbyScreen = () => {
                                 required
                                 autoComplete="off"
                                 value={room}
-                                onChange={(e) => setRoom(e.target.value)}
+                                onChange={(e) => setRoom(e.target.value.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9-_]/g, ''))}
                                 className="w-full px-4 py-3 border border-gray-200 rounded-xl focus:ring-2 focus:ring-indigo-500 focus:border-transparent transition-all duration-200 bg-white/50 backdrop-blur-sm"
-                                placeholder="Enter room ID"
+                                placeholder="Enter room ID (letters, numbers, -, _)"
                                 disabled={isLoading}
                             />
                         </div>
diff --git a/client/src/pages/room/[slug].jsx b/client/src/pages/room/[slug].jsx
index fed0fb1..b05148f 100644
--- a/client/src/pages/room/[slug].jsx
+++ b/client/src/pages/room/[slug].jsx
@@ -20,6 +20,46 @@ const RoomPage = () => {
     const [callButton, setCallButton] = useState(true);
     const [isSendButtonVisible, setIsSendButtonVisible] = useState(true);
     const [isConnecting, setIsConnecting] = useState(false);
+    const [hasJoinedRoom, setHasJoinedRoom] = useState(false);
+
+    // Check if user came from lobby (has proper session) or direct navigation
+    useEffect(() => {
+        // Check if user has a valid session or email stored (you might want to implement proper session management)
+        const hasValidSession = localStorage.getItem('userEmail') || document.referrer.includes('/');
+        
+        if (!hasValidSession && typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+            // User navigated directly to room page without going through lobby
+            console.warn('Direct navigation to room detected, redirecting to lobby');
+            router.push('/');
+            return;
+        }
+        
+        // If user has a session, mark as joined
+        setHasJoinedRoom(true);
+    }, [router]);
+
+    // Store user email when they join from lobby
+    useEffect(() => {
+        socket.on("room:join", (data) => {
+            if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+                localStorage.setItem('userEmail', data.email);
+                localStorage.setItem('currentRoom', data.room);
+            }
+        });
+
+        // Listen for socket errors and provide user feedback
+        socket.on("error", (error) => {
+            console.error('Socket error:', error);
+            alert(`Connection Error: ${error.message || 'Something went wrong. Please try again.'}`);
+            // Redirect to lobby on error
+            router.push('/');
+        });
+
+        return () => {
+            socket.off("room:join");
+            socket.off("error");
+        };
+    }, [socket, router]);
 
     const handleUserJoined = useCallback(({ email, id }) => {
         console.log(`User ${email} joined the room!`);
@@ -225,11 +265,27 @@ const RoomPage = () => {
 
     const handleGoBack = () => {
         handleEndCall();
+        
+        // Clear session data when leaving room
+        if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+            localStorage.removeItem('userEmail');
+            localStorage.removeItem('currentRoom');
+        }
+        
         router.push('/');
     };
 
     return (
-        <div className='min-h-screen bg-gradient-to-br from-gray-900 via-blue-900 to-indigo-900 relative overflow-hidden'>
+        <>
+            {!hasJoinedRoom ? (
+                <div className="min-h-screen bg-gradient-to-br from-gray-900 via-blue-900 to-indigo-900 flex items-center justify-center">
+                    <div className="text-center text-white">
+                        <div className="animate-spin rounded-full h-8 w-8 border-2 border-white border-t-transparent mx-auto mb-4"></div>
+                        <p>Verifying access...</p>
+                    </div>
+                </div>
+            ) : (
+                <div className='min-h-screen bg-gradient-to-br from-gray-900 via-blue-900 to-indigo-900 relative overflow-hidden'>
             <title>Room {slug} - VideoPeersJS</title>
             
             {/* Background decorative elements */}
@@ -385,6 +441,8 @@ const RoomPage = () => {
                 />
             )}
         </div>
+            )}
+        </>
     )
 }
 
diff --git a/server/index.js b/server/index.js
index 4713fa8..f1893bc 100644
--- a/server/index.js
+++ b/server/index.js
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ const io = new Server(server, {
 // Validation schemas
 const roomJoinSchema = Joi.object({
     email: Joi.string().email().required(),
-    room: Joi.string().alphanum().min(3).max(50).required()
+    room: Joi.string().pattern(/^[a-zA-Z0-9-_]+$/).min(3).max(50).required()
 });
 
 const callSchema = Joi.object({
@@ -121,7 +121,13 @@ io.on("connection", (socket) => {
             // Validate input
             const { error, value } = roomJoinSchema.validate(data);
             if (error) {
-                socket.emit("error", { message: "Invalid room join data" });
+                let errorMessage = "Invalid room join data";
+                if (error.details[0]?.context?.key === 'room') {
+                    errorMessage = "Room ID must contain only letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores (3-50 characters)";
+                } else if (error.details[0]?.context?.key === 'email') {
+                    errorMessage = "Please provide a valid email address";
+                }
+                socket.emit("error", { message: errorMessage });
                 return;
             }