Can i steal wifi

Your internet service provider might be having issues or is overloaded with traffic. Your WiFi router might be experiencing interference from other electronics, or simply be having trouble penetrating the walls and furniture of your home to get a wireless signal to your computer.

There's only one thing you need to prevent Because this standard requires certain hardware specifications, many millions of older WiFi devices yet aren't able to use it. You don't need to know anything about how the encryption works — you just need to set up WPA2 or if you're an early adopter, WPA3 security on your wireless router and set a password for the network. Make it something you can remember that's not easy for others to guess please don't use "password" or "!

So how do you configure your password? Note, if you have a device that is a combo of modem and router, these instructions will work too. Logging in is usually easy, too, as most router manufacturers use a simple pair of words like "admin" and "root" for the device's username and password you should be able to find this information in the manual.

That will take you to a management tool where you can change all kinds of settings, including your wireless security. That tip might set off a little security alert in the back of your head.

Without a password, your wireless network is open for anyone to hop on. But a password isn't quite all you need to be totally secure. You should also change the router's login information to something aside from the usual "admin. With WPA2 security enabled, it's unlikely anyone will ever piggyback on your network. But there's an easy way to spot squatters: Since every device connected to your network has a unique IP address and MAC address, you can easily see a list of connected devices — often listed as "clients" — on one of the settings pages for your wireless router.

Many devices broadcast an ID because they've been named by their owners, so if you see "John's Laptop" connected to your network and you don't have a John in the house, you've found trouble!

Even if a device doesn't show a name in the router's client list, you can count the number of devices connected and compare to the number of devices you know should be there to see if the numbers are off. Want to make absolutely sure no one's going to figure out your password and worm their way onto your network? You have a few options. Your router can hide its SSID, meaning it won't show up for anyone searching for connectable networks.

The address will have to be entered manually. You can also set up a wireless MAC filter to "whitelist" devices you own, disabling access for anyone else.

Of course, this makes it a bit tougher for welcome guests, such as friends, to get online at your house. But that still leaves the burning question — what do you do if you think someone is routinely using your WiFi without your permission?

If you suspect someone's stealing your WiFi, you have a number of detective tools at your disposal. For starters, you could simply shut off all of your WiFi devices, like your phone and your laptop — and then watch for blinking lights on the front of your router.

If the router seems to be showing data transfer even with your family's devices powered down, you may have a piggybacker nearby. Internet monitoring software is another option. A program such as Wireless Network Watcher lets both Windows and MacOS users keep tabs on all connected devices and potential suspicious activity. When you launch the program, you'll see your computer nicknames, as well as manufacturer brands of the devices that are connected.

If you're still confused perhaps because you have so many devices , you can turn off each one and watch as it disappears from the list. If you power down all of your WiFi gadgets and still see active devices, you're a step closer to identifying a potential problem.

If you can't identify a device on your network, simply change the password. You'll have to reauthorize all of your WiFi devices with the new password, of course, but this is quickest and easiest way to resecure your network and get peace of mind [source: Gordon ].

If it is password protected, then you will need the password to gain access. Since the network is easily accessible to everyone with a wireless network enabled device, most networks are password protected.

It was developed for IEEE Its goal was to provide the privacy equivalent to that provided by wired networks. WEP works by encrypting the data been transmitted over the network to keep it safe from eavesdropping.

Open System Authentication OSA — this methods grants access to station authentication requested based on the configured access policy. The station encrypts the challenge with its key then responds. If the encrypted challenge matches the AP value, then access is granted. It is used to encrypt data on It uses temporal keys to encrypt packets. Cracking is the process of exploiting security weaknesses in wireless networks and gaining unauthorized access.

There are basically two types of cracks namely;. If you have a multiband router, the app will probably even show which radio such as 2. If none of those other options are fruitful, your last and often the most complicated option is to log into your router's admin control panel in a web browser.

To do this, you'll need to know:. After you've logged into your admin control panel, look for a network map, user log, or client list. As we mentioned earlier, every router is different and there's no standardization among router software, so you'll need to explore to find it. If you do find an unauthorized device on your home network, there are two simple ways to get rid of them:. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options.

Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Log back into your devices with your updated password, and the connection-leechers will be out of luck.

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, inhibiting them from accessing your Wi-Fi network.

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. Is someone stealing your Wi-Fi? Method 1: Use an app A number of apps are available to provide automatic searches for unusual devices logged into your Wi-Fi network.

Editors' Recommendations Best cheap printer deals for November The best soundbars for The best inch laptops for The best Android smartwatches for Which should you buy on Black Friday? Should you buy a security camera on Black Friday ? Should you buy a Sonos speaker on Black Friday ? Should you buy a Fitbit on Black Friday ?