En esta noticia
If you notice frequent outages in your WiFi without explanation or if your internet works slower than normal, it is possible that unknown devices are connected to your network.
There are very simple ways to check if someone is using your network. Today it is possible to identify all connected devices in just a few minutes.
How to check who is connected to WiFi from the router
The most reliable way is to enter the router settings and check the list of connected devices.
To do so, just follow these steps:
- Enter the router IP address from the browser. The most common are 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, or 10.0.0.1.
- Log in with the device username and password. If they were never changed, both are usually “admin”, although they can also be found on the router label or in the manual.
- Look for the “Connected devices”, “DHCP clients”, or a similar option section.
- Review the list of connected devices, where information such as the MAC address, IP address, and, in some cases, the device name is shown.
On WiFi Mesh routers or more modern models, official apps from manufacturers such as Google WiFi or TP-Link Deco allow you to view all connected devices through a much simpler interface.
Windows users can also use free programs that automatically analyze the network.
Among the recommended tools are:
- Wireless Network Watcher, which shows all connected devices along with their IP address, MAC address, and name.
- Acrylic WiFi, an app that offers a more advanced network analysis and lets you identify which devices are using the connection.
You only need to install the app, run it, and perform a scan to get the complete list of connected devices.
How to protect the WiFi network from unauthorized access
In addition to periodically checking the list of connected devices, there are some measures that help strengthen network security.
The main recommendations are:
- Change the WiFi password periodically.
- Use WPA3 or WPA2 encryption, considered the most secure protocols.
- Enable MAC address filtering to allow only authorized devices.
- Disable the WPS function if you do not use it, since it can represent a vulnerability.
The signs that indicate someone could be using your WiFi
There are some signs that may alert you to the presence of intruders on the network.
The most common are:
- Decrease in internet speed.
- Unknown devices in the list of connections.
- Intermittent or unstable connections.
If any of these symptoms appear, the recommended action is to immediately change the WiFi password and check which devices remain connected.
This control helps maintain a safer network, protect privacy, and prevent third parties from using the connection without authorization.