Something that always worries users is to know if someone is connected to your WiFi network without permission. Unfortunately, it is something that can happen many times. Although there are usually clear symptoms that this is happening. Since in many occasions, the signal becomes unstable or the connection speed much slower than normal. For this reason, there are users who have suspicions that someone could be connected without permission.
In these cases, it is always good to check if this is really the case or not. We have various ways of being able check if someone is connected to our WiFi network. A good way is to use a program for the computer. Therefore, below are the ways to find out.
Disconnect router
A prior measure that in many cases can be of enormous help, in addition to being able to work in many cases. Since it is a very visual way to check if there is someone on our WiFi network. All devices that are connected to it at that time must be disconnected. So, you have to look at the lights on the router itself. Specifically the light that indicates the WiFi in it.
If after disconnecting these devices, this light continues to flash, it is usually an indication that there is still a data transmission in progress. Therefore, there is someone who is still connected to said network at the moment, but it is not us. So the suspicions are confirmed.
Wireless Network Watcher
In the case of wanting to be able to check it using tools, we have many options available for Windows. One of the best, in addition to being one of the best known, is Wireless Network Watcher. It is an application with which you have control of the devices that have been connected to the WiFi in your home. It is a good app, which can be downloaded for free on your computer. In order to download it to your computer, go to this link.
Once we have it installed on the computer, its analysis will begin. What this application will do at that moment is to show on the screen all the devices that are connected to the WiFi at that specific moment. In addition to showing the list of devices, we have some information about them. So, we can see the MAC address or the IP address of the device. What will help us to identify each of these devices in a simple way. This way we will know which of them are ours and which or which are the ones that have connected without permission.
In addition, Wireless Network Watcher allows us to carry out various actions. If we have been able to verify that indeed, someone has connected to the WiFi of our house, the first thing to do would be to change the password. So let's limit that person's access to our network. But the application also allows us to block devices. Therefore, if we see that there is someone who has connected, we can block it, so that it will never connect again.
It allows us to block the MAC address of a device in a simple way, configuring the router. This allows us to prevent users from connecting to it without our permission. Thus, no one else will steal WiFi from us. On how to configure the router we will show you more below.
Configure Windows router
We have the possibility to configure the router, so that certain MAC addresses cannot connect. So that we will prevent that person from connecting to the WiFi of our house in a very simple way. To do this, we have to carry out a few steps, which are not complicated. We have to enter the browser.
There we must write the router's gateway (normally it is 192.168.1.1). But, to find out specifically, go to the search box in Windows and type cmd.exe there, which opens a command prompt window. In it write ipconfig and a series of data will appear on the screen. One of the sections is Default Gateway. This figure is copied to the browser.
So, we already have access to the router configuration. The normal thing is that first you have to enter the username and password that comes from the router itself (on the sticker at the bottom). Then, when we are already inside, We go to the DHCP section and then to log. The devices connected to the WiFi are displayed there.
In them we can then see the IP address or MAC address of the device in question. Therefore, we can configure here what we want and block these MAC addresses that are not ours. In this way, they will no longer be able to enter our WiFi. As you can see, a simple way to protect the network from people who connect to it without permission.