How to See Who’s Using Your Wi-Fi

By Brianne Sandorf

Aug 28, 2023

3 min read

Having a secure Wi-Fi network is extremely important to your internet safety. If you suspect there’s someone using your Wi-Fi network, you need to find out about it. You might be wondering, “Why does it matter if someone else uses my Wi-Fi?” There are a number of reasons.

It’s true that your home network will run slower when more people are using it. However, this is really the least of your worries. Slow Wi-Fi is only a symptom of a much bigger problem. If there’s an unwanted guest or an unknown device connected to your network, that person will be able to access data from your computers and other devices connected to the same Wi-Fi. This puts your information in jeopardy.

We want to help you figure out who’s connected to your Wi-Fi network so you can keep your data safe and protect your privacy online. Stop wondering why your connection is so slow. Instead, follow these tips to figure out if there’s someone else connected to your Wi-Fi and increase your network security.

Guide to seeing who’s using your Wi-Fi:

Check interface
Download scanning app
Secure Wi-Fi network

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1. Check your computer or router’s interface to see who’s using your network

There are two main ways you can check to see who’s using your Wi-Fi. First, you can check by using your computer and going to Google WiFi Help. You can check how much data your device is using from uploading and downloading.

You can also view which devices are connected to your network and how much data each has used in the past 30 days. Google even provides you with details such as IP addresses of all devices connected to your network.

If you see anything other than your mobile device, your laptop, your security cameras, your smart TVs, and so on, you’ll know you have a Wi-Fi thief scooping your Mbps. Of course, in order to identify a suspicious device, you need to be familiar with your personal device names. If they don’t already have distinct names, we recommend setting some up.

The second option is to go through your router’s web interface. This is actually a very reliable way to check because your router is what devices connect to to use your Wi-Fi.

You should be able to access this information by opening your web browser, going to your internet service provider’s website (ISP) and logging in to manage your router. Look for an option that shows connected or attached devices. Another option to access your router’s interface is by using your IP address. Type your IP address into your browser to bring up your router’s interface.

2. Download an app to help you scan for devices

If you keep running into dead-ends by going through your computer or router itself, you should give a network scanner app a try. The Fing App is free and allows you to check which devices are connected to your Wi-Fi network. You can also check internet speeds and troubleshoot your devices this way.

Another good free app is NetSpot. You simply download it to see if there’s any unwanted devices connected to your Wi-Fi network.

Apps like these are a great tool to help you figure out why your Wi-Fi connection drops when you’re not expecting it and whether your Wi-Fi slowdowns are normal. Sometimes Wi-Fi is just running really slowly because there’s a lot of devices connected to the network and a lot of people using your Wi-Fi to begin with.

3. Secure your Wi-Fi network

Make sure you set up a network password for your Wi-Fi if you don’t have one already. It’s important to keep your Wi-Fi network private with a secure password. Stay away from using a password that your neighbors can all easily guess.

You also need a Wi-Fi password for your guest network if you have one! You don’t want to cause problems for your guests’ connected devices.

Whether or not there’s someone using your Wi-Fi, you should check into using a reliable virtual private network (VPN) even when you’re just using your home Wi-Fi. A VPN can increase your internet security by encrypting your data and tunneling it to a server in a private location. This makes it much harder for hackers to steal your information and see which devices are connected to your Wi-Fi. For more information on VPNs, check out this article on what a VPN is and how to use one.

And by the way, even if you secure your Wi-Fi connection, your online activity can make you vulnerable if you don’t take precautions. More and more people share private information online.

Written by

Brianne Sandorf

After five years with Reviews.org, Brianne can and will tell you which internet or mobile provider you should sign up for. She’s talked with internet customers across the U.S. and beyond and addresses their real-life concerns in every piece she writes. Brianne also created the ratings system for the Reviews.org internet service provider reviews and wrote most of them. Brianne channels her lifelong interest in detective work by hunting for obscure, need-to-know information about internet service providers. She’s always learning so that she can pass her knowledge on to Reviews.org readers. Her writing and expertise have appeared in numerous other publications, including Move.org, Parents.com, and the Stanford student blog. Her work for Reviews.org is also cited in a research paper about smart home assistants titled “Expert-Generated Privacy Q&A Dataset for Conversational AI and User Study Insights.” Brianne is a homegrown Utahn who loves to travel and see new places. She graduated from Westminster College with a double major in honors and creative writing. After 20 years in a 8,000-person city, she now lives in Murray, a bustling metropolis of 50,000 where she and her husband raise their two little girls.