How To Check if Someone is Stealing Your Wi-Fi & Devices Connected

Mobile internet has become so popular that Wi-Fi modem manufcaturers adopted mobile Wi-Fi which permits users to access the internet on the go, with Mobile Wi-Fi Modems as opposed to the old fashion bulky modems. 

Mobile phones can be set to work as a modem permitting other people to access the internet through the phone powered Wi-Fi hotspot. There are various security levels for all this modem. Hackers and crackers exploit this security level to steal data on your Wi-Fi network.

Turning off your Wi-Fi is a common way to keep people from using your data. This is only possible when you are not using the modem. 

In this post, we are going to see how you can verify if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi.

1.   How to Know if Someone is Stealing Your  Wi-Fi Data with Apps

AS the bad guys multiply, ethical hacking gives solution to the problems being faced by internet users. Mobile application had been developing to handle a wide range of internet problems and Wi-Fi hacking not exempted. 

There are a good number of mobile applications both on the various Android Stores and Apple App stores which can be exploited by Wi-Fi Hotspot owners to prevent unwanted access to their data.   These apps allow you to search for unusual activities on the Wi-Fi Network.  We are going to discover two major apps ; One for android phone users and the other for Apple  phone users.

  Google  Play Store  PRTG  App for detecting Unusual usage of a Wi-Fi Network

   With many android users in the world, keeping track of your Wi-Fi network is of great importance.

The best app that recommended by the RANBIZ team is the Paessler PRTG Router Monitoring App:  This app is a premium App. However there is a 30 days free trail which you can use to track your network for free.

Paessler PRTG Router Monitoring tool available on play store can be used to check bandwidth consumption, detect suspicious traffic, and check network traffic and error messages on your router.

The full functionality of this tool in addition to Wi-Fi network monitoring can be accessed by installing the App on your computer. This will permit you to monitor cloud usage, track website traffic, monitor SQL server usage, check disk usage, and monitor rest API, monitor band width and more.

It is a tool worth using both by individuals and companies.

     The Fing  Apple iOS App  to know who is stealing Your Wi-Fi

The Fing network scanner is a free App that allows Apple Iphone users to scan their Wi-Fi network. The app will help you to discover devices connected to your network. The App can equally help you to;

i.                   Determine the MAC address of the user accessing  your network

ii.                Detect unwanted access

iii.             Assess the risk associated with your Wi-Fi network

iv.             Troubleshoot network problems and more.

Even though Fing is very popular to apple users, Android users can equally benefit from it. Just search for Fing in the play store if you prefer it than the later.

2. Using Web Based Tools to   know if your Wifi Hotspot Network is being accessed without Your Permission

   If you are not fun of downloading software, then you can exploit online tools to keep track of your Wi-Fi network.

One of such a solution is by using the F-Secure Router Checker  .  The F-Secure Router checker helps you to detect unauthorized access   to your network.

3.   Using Computer Software to know if Your Hotspot Network is Hacked

Even though mobile phones had been adapted to work like computers, some real task and solutions can be completed better on a PC.

So far as detecting the Wi-Fi thief is concern, a major solution for both MacOs and Windows users is the Wireless Network Watcher.  This software can be used to monitor all devices connected to the network and detect suspicious activity on the network too. .

  Here are the three basic ways you can use to keep your Wifi Network Protected.

After knowing that there is a Wi-Fi criminal around your network, there is need to take action. One solution is to contact t your lawyer and sue the intruder. That will cost your time and money. Sometimes with  the corrupt judiciary system in the world, things might turn out otherwise causing you to become the person to suffer the effect of the pain . Okay, here is what I will suggest you do.

. Change Wi-Fi Password   Through Admin Access

Most Wi-Fi Network owners always focus on how to get their devices connected to the network. With this excitement, accessing the admin panel is neglected.  

The Simplest login IP are “192.168.1.1” or “192.168.2.1” for most routers.  Type any of them in your address bar to login into the admin panel.  For security reasons, I will not share the default password here. If you do need, then contact me with proof of the router you own and the model and I will send you the user name and password. (Here is my email ransbiz@live.com)

If you can still find the manual of the Modem, then kindly check it out for the admin login details provided in it.

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.

Once you have access to the admin panel, you can change the Wi-Fi password, and Wi-Fi name among others settings.

In the admin panel in the setting section (In some routers this option is available under the security settings), look for the PSK or Pre Shared Key. Here you can input the new password.

To change your router name, locate the Service Set identifier (SSID). In most routers, this can be found on the wireless settings menu.

     3 Things Worth Noting when it comes to Wi-Fi Modems and Security

Changing the password is very important because the devices that are connected are automatically disconnected. If you suspect to be leaving around hackers, and then take the pain go be updating your Wi-Fi password weekly or monthly.

Modems that support the WPA2 which is the strongest wireless encryption available at the moment is recommended to the readers of this post.  If your modem does not support this and you want to prevent unauthorized access, then a better solution will be to throw it away and buy a new one.

Some routers on the admin panel can equally show the number devices connected to the network which can be a good guide to knowing if the bad guys are around.

Over to you in the comment section