Do you need a new router or is someone outside of your household using your Wi-Fi without you knowing? There are lots of possible reasons behind a slow internet connection (and solutions), but if you think someone is stealing your Wi-Fi, you'll need to know how to confirm if that's happening and how to stop it from happening again. In this guide, we'll show you how to do both.
As long as you have your media access control (MAC) address and an app or two, you can determine if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi or if your connection is just slow. Here’s how.
One of the apps mentioned in this piece
If you only have a few Wi-Fi devices in your house, you may want to unplug or turn them all off and then watch the wireless signal light on your router. If the light continues to flicker, someone else is using your Wi-Fi.
However, this method only works if you can be sure that every wireless-capable device you have is powered down, which may not be easy to do in many homes. So, we present two in-depth methods for checking for Wi-Fi thieves, no matter what setup you have. If you need a refresher on wireless networking itself, then check out our Wi-Fi overview.
A number of apps are available to provide automatic searches for unusual devices logged into your Wi-Fi network. Checking those devices, especially if they’re connecting at odd times of day when no friends are over, can provide valuable clues. Here are a few apps that can help you pinpoint problems.
If you suspect that someone is stealing your Wi-Fi, you need to log in to your router’s administration page. Most people can do this by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.2.1 into the address bar.
Once you’ve accessed the admin page, you’ll need to locate the page listing the various MAC addresses connected to your computer. The location of this page will differ depending on your router, but you may find it under Wireless Configuration, Wireless Status, or in the DHCP Client list. You can use this list to count how many devices are connected to your internet. If you see six MAC addresses — any device connected to your network will have its own unique MAC address — but only have four devices in your home, somebody is probably stealing your internet.
Note: Old phones, gaming consoles, Wi-Fi-enabled cameras, and other connected devices may show up on the MAC address list. You can get a better handle on which MAC address represents which device by using a website like macvendors.com.
If you suspect someone is stealing your Wi-Fi, it’s a good idea to beef up security (penalties for Wi-Fi theft vary greatly, so consult local law enforcement for follow-up). If you don’t have a password on your network, add one. If you still use the default router name and password, change it — you can do this from the admin page on your router. Here's how.
Step 1: To change your password, look for the pre-shared key in your security settings. Changing your wireless password will kick off all current devices (including those unwanted freeloaders), so you’ll have to reconnect your devices once you have a new password.
Step 2: To change your router name, locate the Service Set Identifier. This is typically found in the Wireless settings menu. Look up more specific instructions for your specific brand of router if necessary.
Step 3: Lastly, it’s important to use the strongest wireless network encryption available for consumers. Though WPA2 may be the most commonly used, WPA3 is the strongest. So you may want to start thinking about getting a router that features WPA3.
If your router is outdated, you might not be able to find support for it anymore. As a result, you may not have access to security features such as these. If this is the case for you, it may be time to consider purchasing a new router (especially with all the cool, new tech products coming out).
It’s essential to ensure that your Wi-Fi connection is secure, as it can protect you from dangerous hackers and other threats lurking on the internet. If unauthorized people are currently using your Wi-Fi, you don’t want to secure it while they have access, so you’ll have to boot them off before you start. The simplest thing you can do right off the bat is change your password to something more complicated, which will kick you and everyone else off your network
Step 1: Log back into your devices with your updated password, and the connection-leechers will be out of luck. Once you’ve reset your password, you likely won’t have anyone else using your Wi-Fi anymore, but you’ll still want to check regularly to make sure you own all of the devices that are using your connection.
Step 2: There’s also an additional way to block someone from using your Wi-Fi if you’re able to track down the strange connecting device. Head to your router admin page and look for an option that reads MAC Filtering, Device Filtering, or something similar. This setting allows administrators to add specific MAC numbers to a blocked devices list, which will keep them from accessing your Wi-Fi network.
Step 3: You can do this by selecting any unknown MAC numbers and inputting them into the list. There are also apps available to help simplify this process for you. Google Nest Wi-Fi makes this super easy, allowing you to select a device on your network and block it in a matter of a few simple steps
Even if you block a device, you’ll still need to regularly check the devices listed because hackers can use a different MAC address to reconnect to your internet. But if you’re sick of people mooching off your connection, this can be a great solution.
Speech-to-text apps have flooded the App Store, making it easier than ever to type on our Macs with just our voice. I have previously covered one such app called TypeWhisper. However, there has been a dearth of good text-to-speech models, and most of the good ones are locked behind a subscription.
Ollama, an open-source app that lets you run local AI models on your computer, wants to change that. It works on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and your prompts are never stored or used for training.
Did you think hitting delete on your AI chatbot conversation actually makes it disappear? Georgia Tech researchers just proved that's not entirely true. They have built a forensic tool called ORISA that can dig deleted conversations from your phone and even rebuild them into a working chatbot session you can keep talking to.
How can ORISA bring deleted AI conversations back?
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
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