Proper WiFi speed is essential with the data we receive and transmit daily. What can you do if you’re paying a monthly subscription but don’t get the speed advertised? If you’ve already checked with your service provider and they say everything is okay, it is time you point your finger elsewhere.
The reason for your slow internet speed could be a noisy neighbor that somehow cracked your password and is now surfing the net using your WiFi network. Nonetheless, do you know how to check if someone is stealing your WiFi? Keep reading to find out.
How to Check If Someone Is Stealing Your WiFi
You’d be surprised to know how many people are trying to avoid getting an internet subscription and use their neighbors’ WiFi instead. Luckily for you, several simple ways will help you determine whether someone unauthorized is using your WiFi network.
You can use a detective app, try to read the WiFi router status lights, or check the router’s control panel to see the list of users connected to your network. Next, we’ll provide detailed guides on using these methods to check if someone is stealing your WiFi.
Check the user login to your router’s control panel
The most reliable method to see whether an unauthorized user is using your WiFi is to look at your router’s control panel. You’ll need the router’s IP address, administrative user password, and username to do that.
To establish a connection to the router, you’ll need to enter the IP address in a web browser. It usually looks something like http://192.168.1.1.
You should see a login form requesting the administrative username and password if you’ve got the correct IP address. Enter your credentials, and you can successfully log in to the router’s control panel.
After successfully logging into the router’s control panel, look for a tab or menu named network map, user log, client list, or something similar. That’ll display all the devices connected to your network, so you can easily spot the intruder.
Use a mobile WiFi detective app
Suspicions about unauthorized WiFi access are more common than you think, which is why many mobile apps in the store will help you use your mobile device to scan the network for potential intrusions.
Fing, WiFi Analyzer, WiFi Inspector, Network Scanner, and Network Discovery are only a couple of the top-rated WiFi detective apps you can use to scan your network for WiFi raiders. You can search the app store to find other reliable options.
These apps are typically relatively straightforward to use, and they’ll quickly scan the network and provide you with a list of connected devices. Then, you can quickly recognize your home devices and see whether there are any ‘unknown devices’ that seem to be out of place.
Check the status lights of your router
This last method for checking for WiFi raiders is probably the least reliable, but it might come in handy if you cannot access the router’s control panel or install a WiFi detective app.
Every router has a built-in status light that displays whether any data is being transferred at the moment. If you disconnect all your devices from the network and still see the status lights flickering and exchanging data, that probably means someone else is using your network to transmit data.
This method could be a good option if you’re using only a handful of devices that can easily be disconnected from the network.
Read more: How Can You Recognize an Unsecured Wireless Network
If, while using some of the methods mentioned above, you’ve found that an unauthorized device is using your WiFi network, worry not, as you can easily prevent them from doing so.
To get rid of a WiFi raider, you’ll need to use your router’s mobile app or log in to the admin control panel. Open the list of users and select the unauthorized user. Tap the entry, and a list of options should appear.
Depending on the device and app you’re using, you should be able to block, ban, or eject the device.
After kicking unauthorized users from your network, you should also consider changing your WiFi password or adding one if you don’t already have one. That’ll make it harder for intruders to access your network.
How to Make Your WiFi Safer
Learning how to check if someone is stealing your WiFi is very helpful, but after you’ve dealt with WiFi intruders, you must also dedicate more attention to WiFi security. There are many ways in which you can make your WiFi network safer, including:
Set up a unique and strong password
Most routers come with a pre-set default password that’s typically something you can easily remember, such as ‘123456’, ‘password’, ‘123456789’, ‘qwerty’, ‘111111’, etc.
It is very easy for any passerby to attack your WiFi network using brute force and crack your password if it is some of the most commonly used passwords.
You must change the default password quickly and set a strong password instead. A solid password contains at least 20 characters, including a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Change the SSID
If you’ve been a victim of WiFi raiders in the past, the best thing you should do is change the name of your home WiFi to prevent them from attacking again. The SSID (service set identifier) or, simply put, the name of your WiFi network can reveal a lot about the network itself.
If you’re still using your default SSID and password, intruders can easily guess your network’s password by looking at the list of default passwords set by the manufacturer.
Disable SSID broadcast
Routers allow you to make the network hidden by disabling the SSID broadcast in the settings. If the router doesn’t publicly broadcast its name, intruders will have a harder time accessing the network.
However, you should know that this doesn’t make your network completely invisible, as many mobile apps allow users to scan for hidden networks. Still, it may significantly reduce your exposure to introducers.
Also read: How to Know How Many Devices Are Connected to My WiFi Router
Conclusion
Well, this is the very end. We hope we have helped you discover how to check if someone is stealing your WiFi. So, now that you know, you can also implement some possible ways to protect yourself.