How to find out if someone else is using your home WiFi with this simple trick

To find out if someone is connected to your Internet, just explore your router settings from a browser

If you suspect that someone is connected to your home WiFi network, you can easily check this from your router settings by following these steps:

1. Access the router from your browser by entering its IP address. The most common ones are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or 10.0.0.1. If you do not know it, check the label on the bottom of the device.
2. Log in with the username and password. By default, these are usually “admin”.
3. Find the section where connected devices are listed. It may be called ‘Connected Devices,’ ‘DHCP Clients,’ or ‘DHCP.’

In this section, you will see all the devices connected to your WiFi, with their name, MAC address, and IP address. Some models also show the data consumption of each device.

If you find this method complicated, many routers with WiFi Mesh systems (such as Google WiFi, Amazon Eero, or TP-Link Deco) have their own applications that allow you to easily identify and manage connected devices.

Some Internet providers also offer mobile applications that show, in real time, all the devices connected to your network. This allows you to completely control your WiFi in a simple way.

Other ways to find out

Another way to find out who is connected to your WiFi network is from the Windows Task Manager. If you use a PC with this operating system, you can easily do this by following these steps:

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager.
2. Go to the ‘Performance’ tab.
3. In the left pane, select the ‘Network Users’ option.
4. You will see a list of all devices and users currently connected to your network, along with their bandwidth usage.

Carefully examine the list of connected devices. If you find any with an unknown or suspicious name, someone else may be using your network without permission.

When to suspect that someone is using my home WiFi

Suspecting that someone is using your home WiFi is more common than it seems, especially if you notice certain unusual signs in your connection. One of the main warning signs is slow internet speed.

If browsing suddenly becomes slow, videos constantly pause, or downloads take much longer even though there are no changes in the number of connected devices, it may be a sign that third parties are using your network.

Another important clue appears when unknown devices are observed in the list of devices connected to the WiFi, which can be checked in the router settings or through specialised applications.

In addition, if your data consumption increases without explanation or if you receive notifications from your provider about possible network congestion, someone else may be accessing your network without your consent.

It is important to be alert if you notice that the WiFi activity light is flashing even when all your devices are turned off or disconnected, or if you experience connection drops at unusual times.

If you notice any of these signs, it is best to check who is connected, change your password to a more secure one, update your router’s firmware and, if possible, enable access filters to protect your network from unauthorised intruders.

How to protect my home WiFi

To protect your home WiFi, it is advisable to follow these practices:

• Change the default password: use a secure password that combines upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid using personal information that is easy to guess.
• Update your router’s firmware: always keep your router’s system up to date to fix potential security vulnerabilities.

Enable WPA2 or WPA3 encryption: ensure your WiFi network is protected with the latest security standards. Disable WEP encryption, as it is not secure.Hide your network name (SSID): if your router allows it, configure the network so that it is not visible to strangers.

• Disable remote access: limit access to router settings to only those who are physically connected to the network.
• Filter MAC addresses: configure your router to only allow authorised devices.
• Regularly check connected devices: this will allow you to detect any intruders in time.