There will always be someone willing to take advantage of others. It is sad but true. And if we have a WiFi connection at home, it is more than likely that a neighbor has ever tried to use it and enjoy it without permission. And free, of course. This is one of the main reasons why we sometimes ask ourselves this question: How do I know if someone is connected to my WiFi?
One of the signs that usually puts us on alert is when, suddenly and for no apparent reason, Our WiFi starts working slower than usual. Although that is not the only explanation for a slow Internet. Fortunately, there are ways to detect and eliminate unwanted guests from our home network and put in place means to prevent their access.
The wireless networks They facilitate the connection of all our devices to the Internet, but also they open a door for other people to use our connection. When we have guests at home, this allows us to offer this service to our visitors. The bad thing is that there are people who are not going to ask for permission to use our WiFi.
Using the neighbor's WiFi became a very widespread custom during the early years of wireless internet, when security protocols were lax and the technology was a novelty to most people. Today the panorama is very different.
Almost all wireless routers have security features enabled by default, making this WiFi theft much more difficult than before. When it comes to simple "freeloaders" the thing is not so important. The problems arise when the person who connects to our network is an expert cybercriminal, capable of finding vulnerabilities and committing illegal actions such as the following:
- Use our connection to illegal activities.
- Steal our passwords and keys access to websites, email, online banking, etc.
- Install malware on our devices.
It is true that this only happens in the most serious and less rare cases. However, it is better don't take risks. It is absolutely necessary to know who is connected to our WiFi and not hesitate to prevent access to all those who do not have our permission to use it.
Methods to detect unauthorized connections
There are several ways to find out who is connected to our WiFi network. Some are more complex than others, so choosing the most appropriate one will depend on the level of knowledge of each user. They are the following:
Look at the lights on the router
Most current routers have a series of light indicators that warn us that they are connected or not. When the wireless activity light flashes, the connection is being used. If there is no one at home connected and using the Internet at that moment, we will have to deduce that there is someone using our WiFi.
It is a reliable method, although not very effective in a home or office where there are always connected devices.
Check the list of connected devices
This is a more secure way to know if an unauthorized user is using our network. To perform a connected device query, we first have to log in to our router and, once inside, look for the list of current wireless customers.
Each smartphone, computer or smart device that we may have connected at home will appear in this list with a unique MAC address. For example, if we know that we only have four smart devices connected at home and five appear on the list, we have undoubtedly detected an intruder. To determine which of them it is, you just have to spend some time checking the MAC address displayed with that of our devices.
Check router logs
If the previous method does not yield definitive results (for example, due to not having been able to verify the MAC address of each of the devices), we still have the option of check router logs. They can be accessed from the same router configuration menu.
It is a one hundred percent safe method, but requires a lot of patience, since to put it into practice you have to go through a huge list of numbers and determine which of them does not belong to our home network.
Use an application to know who uses our WiFi
They are also very practical network analyzer apps. With them, through a mobile phone, you can know which devices are connected to our Wii network and, in the process, identify thieves to block them. One of the ones that work best is Network Analyzer, available in both Android as in iOS.
Tips to protect our WiFi connection
When we are sure that there is someone using our home WiFi connection without permission, and to avoid some of the risks that we mentioned at the beginning, we have to be blunt and expel them from the network. In what ways can this be done? Here are some ideas, which do not hurt to apply even in the event of the slightest suspicion of WiFi theft:
- Change the name and password of our network. This simple measure works in 99% of cases to get rid of free-riding neighbors.
- Use a more secure configuration on our router. There are several protocols used to secure wireless networks. The oldest and least secure of all is WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), which must be avoided at all costs. Almost all modern routers allow us to implement new protocols such as WPA (WiFi Protected Access) and its most recent version, WPA2, which incorporates the advanced encryption system AES.
Conclusion
Despite the advances in security in recent years, the threats posed by unauthorized access to our home WiFi network continue to be a problem that must be given due attention. On top of that, a vulnerable home network is an invitation for those who want to use the internet for free. Therefore, implementing some basic network security systems is always a good habit.