If you feel like someone else is using your Wi-Fi without your permission, you can actually check it to make sure.
The one using your Wi-Fi may be someone that you gave your password to but forgot about, or it could be your next-door neighbor taking advantage of the fact that your Wi-Fi is not secured.
Sometimes, it could be that your internet connection is just slower than normal. So how would you know which factor is slowing down your Wi-Fi?
Check Your Router
If your internet connection is slower than usual, and you think someone else is using up the bandwidth through Wi-Fi, then you can check your router's documentation on how to access its configuration interface, according to HowtoGeek.
There are a lot of reasons why your internet is not as fast as it should be. You can also check the list of connected devices in your router or Wi-Fi access point's interface to see why it is slowing down.
All consumer routers give access through a web browser at a local-only address, and others provide access through mobile apps.
As soon as you've logged in to your router, you will need to find where it lists devices that are linked to your Wi-Fi network. This can be found under options like Wireless Status, Status, or Traffic Control, according to Business Insider.
Since there is no standard router interface, the path to find the list of devices may vary between router vendors. For example, for a Synology router, you can see a list of devices by clicking Network Center, then choosing Traffic Control in the sidebar.
Your router's interface will be different. As soon as you are on your router's wireless connection status screen, you will see a list of Wi-Fi devices connected to your network.
Look for any unfamiliar names in the list of devices, and you need to remove them because they might belong to someone that connects to your Wi-Fi without your permission, according to Digital Trends.
Rule Out Your Own Devices
To be sure, you also need to rule out any of your devices on the list. Between smart TVs, streaming devices, game consoles, tablets, smartphones, smart home gadgets, and more, you have more Wi-Fi clients than you realize.
You may be surprised to see them listed for the first time, but be aware that not all of the authorized Wi-Fi devices will have names that are obvious; they may be listed as MAC addresses instead.
If you are not sure whether a certain device on the list is yours or not, then you need to compare the MAC addresses of the devices that you own on the list, which can take some time if you have a lot of Wi-Fi clients.
Also, some devices may provide new MAC addresses for privacy reasons, which can complicate the matching process.
If anything dangerous or illegal has happened because of someone else using your Wi-Fi, you might want to take screenshots of the router's wireless device connection list. This can help provide some proof that the connection took place. You can also use it if you need to dispute something later on.
You can also check your Wi-Fi signals and track your ID through your wall.
Also, Google's Wi-Fi network can check how well your devices are connected.
Related Article: Virgin Media Internet Down: How to Check Your WiFi Service Status? Thousands of Broadband Users Affected
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster
