Despite having a high internet speed connection, sometimes you face slow browsing speed, and it takes several minutes to load a YouTube video. While there can be several reasons for this slow speed, the most common issue is the number of devices connected to your Wi-Fi.
If there are several devices connected to your Wi-Fi at the same time, it will definitely affect your speed. Other than slow connection speed, connection drops and regular slowdown also are signs that there are many devices connected to your Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi security is essential these days as compromising its security can cause an enormous loss for you. Someone with a bit of technical knowledge can steal your private information and hack into your system for illegal use.
A lot of personal and sensitive information is being processed through the internet in our day-to-day lives. And for a hacker connected to your network, it is a piece of cake to steal these private information.
If you want to stay protected from such attacks, you should be aware of the devices connected to your Wi-Fi so that you can ensure there are no unknown devices connected, and it is vital for your internet security and privacy.
Now, you know the importance of monitoring who is connected to your Wi-Fi, let’s discuss how to do it.
How to Monitor Who Is On My Wi-Fi
There are several ways that can be used to find out who is connected to your Wi-Fi. However, we will only see the most effective ones below:
Router’s Web Interface
The most common and yet efficient way of monitoring who is connected to your Wi-Fi is by accessing the router’s web interface and check through the router’s logs. In this way, you can see a list of all the connected devices in one window.
Your router is the device that hosts your network, and all traffic passes through it, so it has accurate data as to who is connected to this Wi-Fi. However, there are some routers that do not show the connected devices. In this manner, you can use the other methods.
To get into the router’s web interface, you will be required to enter the IP address in a browser. If you are not sure of the IP address of your router, you can find it via the control panel by accessing the details of your connected network, or you can retrieve it by using the ipconfig command in a command prompt.
Once you have the IP address, all you need is to put it in the internet browser’s address bar. The router’s web interface will open, and based on your previous settings, you may need to enter the identifications such as the user name and the password.
Now you need to explore the different settings and search for the option of connected devices. Some routers have named it as attached devices, client list, or DHCP clients. Once you reach the desired setting, the list of connected devices will be shown to you with their hostname and MAC addresses.
However, the list of connected devices accessed through the router’s web interface is not foolproof, and it is easier to amend it in a way that doesn’t look suspicious to you.
Here are the other methods in effect to help you exactly identify the connected devices to your Wi-Fi. There are several free tools and software available that can be utilized for this purpose. Let us review some of the best Wi-Fi scanning tools we have.
Wireless Network Watcher
A wireless network watcher is a free tool that you can easily download from the internet. It can show you a list of connected devices at that particular time so you can identify whether all the devices are trustworthy or not.
Start the program after you have downloaded it, it will scan the network that will usually take 1-2 minutes. After that, you will see a list of the connected devices. It will show the IP address, MAC address, device name, network Adapter Company, and other necessary details.
By focusing on the device name and network adapter company, you can easily verify if the device belongs to you or not.
If there is an unknown device found on the list, you can kick it out or simply change your Wi-Fi password, and they won’t be able to connect to your Wi-Fi network until and unless they enter the correct password. Ensure the password is unique and only you are aware of it so that it cannot be leaked. Use WPA2 for the password type as it is more secure and hard to crack.
Changing passwords will also require you to re-authenticate the known devices in your home, or else none of it will be able to connect to your Wi-Fi. Considering the benefit and removing the unknown devices from the network, it is something we can do easily and quickly.
Conclusion
There are many other different Wi-Fi scanners tools and software available that you can use to monitor who is connected to your Wi-Fi. To name a few, we have NirSoft software for Windows, LanScan for Mac, and NetSpot for both Windows and Mac. Similarly, we have an Angry IP Scanner that can be used for windows, Mac, and as well as on Linux.
Whatever way you use, the key is to secure your internet network. Thus, one of the best ways to ensure it is secure is by regularly checking who is connected to your Wi-Fi.